BRIDGING THE GAP
The Iloilo culmination of the declaration of Philippine Independence
As already known, Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. This came about as a result of the renewal of the revolution against Spain after Aguinaldo ended his voluntary exile in Hongkong. As may be recalled, the Pact of Biyak-na-Bato was agreed upon between the Filipinos under Aguinaldo and the Spaniards in December 1897 that led to the cessation of hostilities and the exile of the leading Filipino leaders. However, the Americans, vent on pursuing their imperialistic goal, persuaded Aguinaldo to go back to the Philippines to initiate the second phase of the Philippine revolution. This, Aguinaldo did in the middle part of May 1898.
Now, what part did Iloilo play in the events related to the declaration of Philippine independence? As early as March 1898, some members of the Ilonggo elite organized the Comite Conspirador in Molo under whose orders and plans the revolutionary movement in Western Visayas was initiated, especially in Iloilo. In May of the same year, the Comite was replaced by the Comite de Visayas that immediately sent out agents to secure funds for the purchase of arms and ammunitions. It also sent secret emissaries to the other provinces of Panay and the rest of the Visayas, and tried to establish contact with the Malolos government under Aguinaldo.
It must be pointed out though that long before these local revolutionary committees were formed, the babaylanes in Iloilo and the whole island of Panay were already harassing Spanish forces in the towns beginning 1896. Their cries of "Viva Rizal! Viva Filipinas libre y mueran los Espanoles!" show that from being a band that had settled in the mountains to escape Spanish control, they had become a political group actively fighting Spanish rule.
On August 13, 1898, a mock battle ensued between the Spanish and American forces in the walled city of Manila. As previously agreed upon by both parties, the Spanish troops eventually surrendered to the Americans. It must, however, be pointed out that there was no corresponding official surrender of the Spanish colonial government to the newcomer.
After the surrender of Manila, Gen. Fermin Jaudenes, acting commander of the Spanish Army in the Philippines, was summoned to Spain by the Madrid government. Gen. Diego de los Rios, commanding general for Visayas and Mindanao, being the most senior officer in the Philippines, was empowered to take over the provisional government in the archipelago and serve as governor-general. He then made Iloilo as the new capital of the Spanish colonial government.
Desiring to save the Visayas and Mindanao from the fate that had befallen Luzon, General de los Rios asked Spain to grant some reforms demanded by representative citizens of Iloilo. He issued in Iloilo a proclamation to the people of the Visayas calling on them to establish a "Council of Reforms" to be made up of 24 leading citizens, 12 of whom would be selected by popular vote, another 12 to be appointed by the general himself.
General de los Rios was obviously sincere in bringing about the reforms people asked for. The granted reforms, however, satisfied only a few ilustrado leaders. The reforms were doomed to fail from the very beginning. The flame of rebellion was too far spread for them to have any effect.
As agreed upon by the Ilonggo leaders, the general uprising against the Spanish authorities in Panay, particularly in Iloilo, took place on October 28, 1898. On this day onward, the interior towns of the province were liberated from Spanish control. By the first week of November, only Jaro, Molo and Iloilo City remained in the hands of the Spaniards. On November 21, Jaro was delivered by the Spanish government to the Ilonggos.
With the Spanish army being besieged by the revolutionary troops in the positions which they held in Iloilo City and Molo, and being threatened by a decisive attack, the Spanish government under Governor General de los Rios eventually opened up negotiations with the Ilonggos. The outcome of the negotiations was the evacuation of Molo and Iloilo City by the Spanish troops and their subsequent surrender to the native forces under the command of Gen. Martin Delgado at Plaza Alfonso XII (now Plaza Libertad)on December 25, 1898. In effect, therefore, it was the Ilonggos who were instrumental in putting to an official end the Spanish rule in the Philippines. The fruition of the declaration of the country's independence by Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898 from Spain became a concrete reality on December 25 in Iloilo City. This, the Ilonggos can be mighty proud of!