Republic of Biak-na-Bato is a designation referring to the second revolutionary republican government led by
Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...
during the
Philippine Revolution, That government referred to itself as Republic of the Philippines ( es, República de Filipinas; in modern fil, Republika ng Pilipinas) and was
seated in what is now
Biak-na-Bato National Park
Biak-na-Bato National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located almost entirely within Barangay Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel, Bulacan from where it derives its name. The park also extends to the nearby municipalities of San Ildefonso an ...
. The current designation was adopted by historians to avoid confusion with name of the current Philippine government, which also refers to itself the ''Republic of the Philippines'', and with other past Philippine governments using the same designation.
The Biak-na-Bato republic lasted just over a month. It was disestablished by a
peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surre ...
signed by Aguinaldo and the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
,
Fernando Primo de Rivera
Fernando Primo de Rivera y Sobremonte, 1st Marquess of Estella (24 July 1831 – 23 May 1921) was a Spanish politician and soldier.
Fernando Primo de Rivera was the son of Antonio Hermenegildo Primo de Rivera y Sobremonte and his wife Ana Ma ...
, which included provision for exile of Aguinaldo and key associates to
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
.
Background
The Republic of Biak-na-Bato was one of a number of Filipino revolutionary states that were formed to expel the Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines and were not able to receive international recognition. It was preceded and succeeded by two similarly unrecognized states, the
Tejeros government and the
Central Executive Committee.
Government
The
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these pr ...
of the Republic of Biak-na-Bato was written by Felix Ferrer and Isabelo Artacho, who copied the
Cuban Constitution
Even before attaining its independence from Spain, Cuba had several constitutions either proposed or adopted by insurgents as governing documents for territory they controlled during their war against Spain. Cuba has had several constitutions si ...
of
Jimaguayú
Jimaguayú () is a municipality and town in the Camagüey Province of Cuba.
Demographics
In 2004, the municipality of Jimaguayú had a population of 21,169. With a total area of , it has a population density of .
See also
* Jimaguayú Municipal ...
nearly word-for-word. It provided for the creation of a
Supreme Council, which was created on November 1, 1897, with the following as officers having been
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
:
History
The initial concept of the republic began during the latter part of the
Philippine Revolution, when the now-undisputed leader of the Revolution,
Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...
, became surrounded by Spanish forces at his headquarters in
Talisay,
Batangas
Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and L ...
. Aguinaldo slipped through the Spanish cordon and, with 500 picked men, proceeded to Biak-na-Bató,
("Cleft Rock"; in modern fil, Biyak-na-Bato) a wilderness area at the town of
San Miguel, Bulacan
San Miguel, officially the Municipality of San Miguel ( tgl, Bayan ng San Miguel), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 172,073 people.
It is the third larg ...
(now parts of
San Miguel,
San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso (), La Granja (), or La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a town and municipality in the Province of Segovia, in the Castile and León autonomous region of central Spain.
It is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mounta ...
and
Doña Remedios in
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...
).
Biak na Bato
Newsflash.org. When news of Aguinaldo's arrival there reached the towns of central Luzon
Central Luzon ( pam, (Reyun ning) Kalibudtarang Luzon, pag, (Rehiyon na) Pegley na Luzon, tgl, (Rehiyon ng) Gitnang Luzon, ilo, (Rehion/Deppaar ti) Tengnga ti Luzon), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...
, men from the Ilocos provinces, Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province ...
, Pangasinan
Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its cap ...
, Tarlac
Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac ( pam, Lalawigan ning Tarlac; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Tarlac; ilo, Probinsia ti Tarlac; tgl, Lalawigan ng Tarlac; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. It ...
, and Zambales
Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...
renewed their armed resistance against the Spanish.
Unable to persuade the revolutionaries to give up their arms, Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
Primo de Rivera issued a decree on July 2, 1897, which prohibited inhabitants from leaving their villages and towns. Contrary to his expectations, they continued fighting. Within days, Aguinaldo and his men planned the establishment of a Republic. Aguinaldo issued a proclamation from his hideout in Biak-na-Bato entitled "To the Brave Sons of the Philippines", in which he listed his revolutionary demands as:
#the expulsion of the Friars and the return to the Filipinos of the lands which they had appropriated for themselves;
#representation in the Spanish Cortes
The Cortes Generales (; en, Spanish Parliament, lit=General Courts) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house), and the Senate (the upper house).
The Congress of Deputies meets i ...
;
#freedom of the press and tolerance of all religious sects;
#equal treatment and pay for Peninsular and Insular civil servants;
#abolition of the power of the government to banish civil citizens;
#legal equality of all persons.
On November 1, 1897, the provisional constitution for the Biak-na-Bato Republic was signed. The preamble of the constitution included the statement that:
By the end of 1897, Governor-General Primo de Rivera accepted the impossibility of quelling the revolution by force of arms. In a statement to the ''Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales (; en, Spanish Parliament, lit=General Courts) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house), and the Senate (the upper house).
The Congress of Deputies m ...
'', he said, ''"I can take Biak-na-Bato, any military man can take it, but I can not answer that I could crush the rebellion."'' Desiring to make peace with Aguinaldo, he sent emissaries to Aguinaldo seeking a peaceful settlement. Ironically, nothing was accomplished until Pedro A. Paterno, a known turncoat and a lawyer from Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
, volunteered to act as negotiator.
On August 9, 1897, Paterno proposed a peace based on reforms and amnesty to Aguinaldo. In succeeding months, practicing shuttle diplomacy
In diplomacy and international relations, shuttle diplomacy is the action of an outside party in serving as an intermediary between (or among) principals in a dispute, without direct principal-to-principal contact. Originally and usually, the proc ...
, Paterno traveled back and forth between Manila and Biak-na-Bato carrying proposals and counterproposals. Paterno's efforts led to a peace agreement called the Pact of Biak-na-Bato
The Pact of Biak-na-Bato, signed on December 15, 1897, created a truce between Spanish colonial Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera and the revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo to end the Philippine Revolution. Aguinaldo and his fellow rev ...
. This consisted of three documents, the first two being signed on December 14, 1897, and the third being signed on December 15; effectively ending the Republic of Biak-na-Bato.
In 1899, Aguinaldo wrote in retrospect that the principal conditions of the pact were:
Legacy
File:Biak-na-Bato_National_Parkjf6246_03.JPG, Emilio Aguinaldo Cave at the Park (site of his hideout chair made of stone)
File:Biak-na-BatoNationalParkjf6178 06.JPG, The Historical Marker
File:Biak-na-BatoNationalParkjf6178 08.JPG, Aguinaldo Mural - Constitution of Biak-na-Bato (1897)
File:Biak-na-BatoNationalParkjf6178 05.JPG, Mural facade - Shrine
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...
File:Biak-na-Bato National Parkjf6166 09.JPG, Aguinaldo passed the Hanging Bridge
File:Biak-na-Bato National Parkjf6155 02.JPG, Memorial (Aguinaldo's men used the Pandayan (forge) for their weapons, arms)
File:Biak-na-Bato_National_Parkjf6155_01.JPG, Facade
File:Biak-na-BatoNationalParkjf6143 07.JPG, Facade of the Monument, Memorial-Marker of the Pact
File:Biak-na-BatoNationalParkjf6143 05.JPG, The Memorial
File:Biak-na-BatoNationalParkjf6143 06.JPG, NHI Marker, 1973 Biak-na-Bato Memorial
File:BiakN6140 03.JPG, Biak-na-Bato National Park
Biak-na-Bato National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located almost entirely within Barangay Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel, Bulacan from where it derives its name. The park also extends to the nearby municipalities of San Ildefonso an ...
Map of Emilio Aguinaldo's Cave and protected areas
On November 16, 1937, a 2,117-hectare block in the Biak-na-Bato area was declared a national park
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
by Manuel L. Quezon in honor of the Republic. In the 1970s, Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
issued orders guiding mineral prospecting and exploitation in government reservation, impacting the park's boundaries. On April 11, 1989, Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...
issued Proclamation No. 401, which re-defined the boundaries of the Biak-na-Bato National Park. The proclamation set aside hectares as mineral reservation, hectares as watershed reservation and hectares as forest reserve.[Carmela Reyes]
Bulaceños want Biak-na-Bato declared a protected area
(August 26, 2007), Philippine Daily Inquirer.
See also
*List of unofficial presidents of the Philippines
Under the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, the president of the Philippines ( fil, pangulo ng Pilipinas) is both the head of state and the head of government, and serves as the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. The presid ...
*Political history of the Philippines
Early polities in what is now the Philippines were small entities known as barangays, although some larger states were established following the arrival of Hinduism and Islam through regional trade networks. The arrival of Spanish settlers bega ...
Notes
Citations
References
*
*
*
External links
A complete collection of Philippine Constitutions
Natural Springs and Caves of Biak Na Bato
philippinesinsider.com
waypoints.ph
Biak na Bato
txtmania.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biak-Na-Bato, Republic Of
1897 disestablishments
Former countries in Philippine history
Philippine Revolution
States and territories established in 1897
History of Bulacan