Don’t know which is which but, the Cabinet of Aguinaldo in May 1899–

President: Paterno
Foreign Affairs: Buencamino
Interior: Severino de las Alas
War/Navy: Mariano Trias
Treasury: Hugo Ilagan
Education: Aguedo Velarde
Public Works: Maximo Molo
Agri/Commerce: Leon Ma. Guerrero https://twitter.com/staennis/status/1044136672659533824

"According to Felipe Buencamino and some others, the majority of the members of congress had been in favour of absolute independence until they saw the demoralization of the officers and soldiers which resulted in the American occupation of Malolos.

Dean Worcester, member of the Schurman Commission, quoting Colonel Arguelles. ( http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12077/12077-h/12077-h.htm#ch11)

Interesting to think about how the politics of Aguinaldo's government influenced the downfall of the Revolution. What's heartbreaking is that, the Revolution--

--didn't decisively fall because of Battle A, Battle B, or Battle C. Ultimately, its weakness was a steadily decreasing fervor among its leaders because of a combination of factors, but ESPECIALLY the repeated defeat of revolutionary forces.

Politicians' betrayal of the revolution wasn't a matter of Brutus stabbing Caesar. Would've been easier that way, then their colors would've shown. But these politicians, especially Paterno and Buencamino, WERE nationalists. Propagandists and ilustrados.

They DID love the country, except this love translated into pragmatism. Sabi nga sa Heneral Luna, "Kailangan nilang tumalon sa kawalan." And they didn't. What were the little stories behind their decisions kaya, 'no? In their eyes, they weren't traitors.

Source for the names of the Cabinet: Luzon at War by Milagros Guerrero

“These years 1880-82 had seen the first faltering, and as yet not fully conscious, steps towards the creation of a nationalist movement. Pedro Paterno, Gregorio Sancianco, José Rizal—each in his own way had begun to articulate growing consciousness among...

...Filipinos abroad that they were not merely vassals of Spain, but a people equal and distinct, with their own national character and a destiny of their own to seek and cherish.”

wheww Paterno u fool u started with a head full of dreams and they turned to shit

Source: The Propaganda Movement 1880-1895 by John N. Schumacher

“[The] growing consciousness of a national self, of an identity as a distinct people, is at work in the minds of at least a few. For the moment the first of these aspirations is dominant, but when it becomes clear to the more far-sighted that the...

...reformist-assimilationist ideal is unattainable, this national self-consciousness will begin to blossom into a full-grown nationalist movement.”

we went from proto-Filipino identity in mid 1800s to full on revolution in the 1890s. all in Rizal’s lifetime.

no wonder there was a significant number of people that hesitated to join the revolution, thinking ourselves unready for self-government. it must’ve felt like it was happening so fast and much of the ilustrado activity happened in Europe, not back home.

so!!! many!!! layers!!! to the formation of our national identity that would later fuel the political philosophy of how we often clumsily handle and understand our government and our sovereignty!!!

FEELINGS O’CLOCK

three years later tagos pa rin mga ‘tol https://twitter.com/staennis/status/641509468522459137?s=21

Circling back to this real quick because Nonie Buencamino as Felipe Buencamino was so memorable but I hadn’t thought about focusing on Buencamino in my readings until recently. So I thumbed through some of my references with him I mind, to try and contextualize his motivations.

Until I dig deeper in recent years, I lumped the revolution in simple categories. Jose Rizal and his peers; Bonifacio and his peers; Aguinaldo and his peers.

Buencamino, it turns out, was part of an interesting chapter concurrent with the 1872 Cavite Mutiny and GomBurZa.

The difference between his generation’s nationalism and Rizal’s generation of nationalism is a distance of about 15-20 years. Comparing that with current milieu, it’s like the gap between Marcos-era activists and post-1986 anti-Marcos activists.

First time he caught my attention was in Heneral Luna because we don’t really focus on that early chapter of the revolution in high school or intro classes in college. So coming in, I only caught a glimpse of his actions later in his life.

SO, deeper into the rabbit hole.

There was a passing mention of him staging a student protest in Nick Joaquin’s Manila, My Manila.

This protest was organized by an org he founded, La Juventud Escolar Liberal in UST in 1869.

Source: NHCP http://web.archive.org/web/2017042113 …

Whoops broken link.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20170421132002/http://nhcp.gov.ph/the-role-of-student-activism-in-the-philippine-independence/

I n t e r e s t i n g l y, and because Alejandrino is my fave, mentioned as his one of his peers in this protest is Mariano Alejandrino, Jose Alejandrino’s father.

He would dedicate his memoir to Mariano, which I HAD wondered about so it was nice to know the context.

(Tangina, niche kung niche na yung research na ‘to pero anyway.)

Contextualizing further—I wondered: what gave rise to a nationalist movement as early as 1869?

Turns out: Politics in Spain. Queen Isabel II was deposed and a liberal government took power.

The liberal government would install Governor-General de la Torre in the Philippines who introduced liberal reforms in the colony. It opened the floodgates for discourse, education, freedom of the press. The priests GomBurZa would foment their dissatisfaction shortly after.

Generation that preceded Rizal was starting to be vocal about the glass ceiling separating Indios from the Spanish elite. At the front lines were indio gentry who aspired to be recognized.

Source: Rizal and the development of national consciousness by Ma. Corona S. Romero

Which I suppose goes back to the tendency of ilustrados to seek higher education in Madrid, where they were then exposed to a sense of citizenship/nationhood barred from them back home because of the colonial system. They were Renaissance men, because they felt the pressure to—

—be the “best foot forward” of an oppressed people. The need resonates, ‘no? Even across time. These days, we latch onto superficial, tokenistic representation. Miss Universe wins, boxing, that one Filipino guy in that one movie, etc.

Even now, we seem to hunger for recognition because we want to prove that the best of us can stand toe to toe with the best of them. This has been such a preoccupation with us, because in an imbalance of power, individual excellence is a standard that bolsters our pride.

AAAANYWAY,,,

(Continuing my niche shitposting in the morning because HUWAW my brain is asleep. 1:30am comes @ u fast)