First Philippine Republic
Great is this day, glorious this date, and forever memorable this moment in which our beloved people are raised to the apotheosis of Independence. - Emilio Aguinaldo's declaration during the inaguration of the Philippine Republic, January 23, 1899The
First Philippine Republic (
Filipino:
Unang Republika ng Pilipinas), popularly called the
Malolos Republic, is the
republic formed by the Revolutionary Government, led by
Gen. (later
president)
Emilio Aguinaldo. It lasted from
1899 to
1901, when Aguinaldo surrendered and later pleged allegiance to the
United States of America. It was the first republic in
Asia that was founded by Asians. Its capital was the city of
Malolos in
Bulacan.
The republic was formed after the events of the
Philippine Declaration of Independence. It adopted the
Constitución Política de la República Filipina, drawn up by the
Philippine Constitutional Convention in the
Barasoain Church in Malolos in 1899 and was approved by Aguinaldo and ten delegates to the
Assembly of Representatives on
January 21,
1899 (more details
here). The convention later elected Aguinaldo president on
January 1,
1899, leading to his inauguration on
January 23 of the same year.
Philippine-American War
Tensions remained during the
Philippine-American War. Aguinaldo and his men fled to
Northern Luzon, trying to resist the
Americans. On
April 1,
1901, Aguinaldo announced
allegiance to the United States, formally ending the First Republic and recognizing the
sovereignty of the United States over the Philippines.
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The Malolos Republic*
The First Philippine Republic at Malolos
