The Homage to Emilio Aguinaldo in Spain
General and first president of the Philippines Emilio Aguinaldo died on February 6, 1964 at the age of 94, a month short before his birthday.
He had lived a long life through four periods of the Philippine nation. He was born under Spanish rule and eventually became the one behind Philippine independence at the end of the 19th century. He directed the Philippine government for three years (1898–1901) until he became a prisoner of the Americans. He lived quietly after his capture by the Americans until he decided to run in the elections of 1935, in which he lost against Manuel Quezón. At the beginning of the Second World War, the general asked the American forces under the command of General MacArthur to surrender to the Japanese. The general was then arrested for collaborating with the Japanese at the end of the war. Afterwards he had served a full term in the government of President Elpidio Quirino as member of the Philippine Council of State and lived quietly again, taking care of the welfare of the veterans of the revolution until his death.
Upon receiving the news of the general’s death, the Philippine ambassador to Spain, León María Guerrero, organized an homage at the Instituto de la Cultura Hispánica in Madrid. Three months before the funeral of Aguinaldo, the embassy organized a commemoration of Andrés Bonifacio’s birth centenary. By then, Guerrero has been in Spain for two years. He was the second ambassador of the Philippines to the United Kingdom (1954–1961) and was assigned to Spain afterwards and eventually served there (1962–1966).
Guerrero invited three Spaniards to give homage to the first Philippine president; Manuel Ballesteros (professor of History at the Universidad Central de Madrid), Blas Piñar (former director of the Instituto de la Cultura Hispánica), and Lieutenant General Mariano Alonso. Here is the list of the speeches:
- Aguinaldo: El honor y el patriotismo (Aguinaldo: Honor and Patriotism) by Manuel Ballesteros
- Aguinaldo: Héroe de la Hispanidad (Aguinaldo: Hero of the Hispanic World) by Blas Piñar
- A la memoria del General Aguinaldo (To the Memory of General Aguinaldo) by Lieutenant General Mariano Alonso
- Las dos muertes de Emilio Aguinaldo (The Two Deaths of Emilio Aguinaldo) by Ambassador León María Guerrero
Despite the fact in which General Aguianldo led an anti-Spanish revolution, these Spaniards who were invited by the Philippine Embassy had given homage to the general for his valor and honor as the architect of the independence of the Philippines. As we know, Aguinaldo had committed numerous mistakes when he was president of the country. However, one should not forget what he had achieved to make the Philippines an independent nation.
Ballesteros spoke of Aguinaldo’s valor, in which the general became a main figure during the revolution, a rebel and insurgent who defended the well being of his countrymen. Aguinaldo had to be remembered for his exploits as leader of the Filipinos and so evident was his love for the Philippines. Even when he was fighting against two large powers, the Spanish empire and the United States of America, without fear and despite the odds against him, Aguinaldo did not tremble and continued rising up to defend the young republic under his leadership.
Piñar spoke of his meeting with Aguinaldo at his home, mentioning that Aguinaldo recalled his memories with the Spaniards he had met during the resolution like Fernando Primo de Rivera. Piñar also remembered the moment where Aguinaldo took his hands after asking him if he had something for Spain. He told him Mother Spain and then remembered some verses from Filipino poet Manuel Bernabé. Briefly Piñar shared the life of Aguinaldo, including his parents, education at the Colegio San Juan de Letrán, his experiences as a member of the Katipunan and eventually leader of the revolutionaries. He continued speaking of the establishment of the Philippine dictatorial government, in which all of it was formed in Spanish. According to him, Aguinaldo firstly fought against Spain and eventually fought to defend all things Hispanic in the Philippines.
Lieutenant General Alonso started to speak firstly that the Philippines formed a part of the Hispanic family in all aspects. He mentioned that a replica of the sword of Don Juan de Austria was handed over to Aguinaldo as a gift of the then minister of the Spanish Army Martín Alonso. He remembered being impressed by the figure of the general upon visiting him in Manila. He spoke of the portrait of Governor General Primo de Rivera, in which Aguinaldo conserved it with great care. Despite being a prisoner in 1901, Aguinaldo had inspired other fighters to resist against the Americans. Only in 1913 did the Americans pacify all of the Philippines. Alonso had spoken of the well treatment of Spanish prisoners by Aguinaldo and the defenders of the Siege of Baler, praising the latter for their valor and honor, and comparing them to the epic of Cid and the exploits of Pelayo de Asturias. The defenders were considered as friends and no longer enemies. The chivalry of Aguinaldo, throughout his life, should not be forgotten.
Finally ambassador Guerrero spoke of what he called the two deaths of Emilio Aguinaldo. The first death happened when he was a prisoner of the Americans after being captured in Palanan. Aguinaldo was a victim of trickery. He was considered as a legendary figure by his enemies. For the generation of Guerrero, Aguinaldo and his comrades were ghosts of a forgotten past which had nothing to see in their good life. Guerrero spoke of which the rehabilitation of Aguinaldo was possible solely with the resurgence of Philippine nationalism, first the disappointment with the Americans during the Japanese occupation and after, the rediscovery of history and race. Guerrero had also explained the positions Aguinaldo took after ceasing his studies and before being a member of the Katipunan, cabeza de barangay and eventually alcalde indígena of Kawit. The ambassador also spoke of the start of the Philippine revolution due to the discovery of the Katipunan and the election of Aguinaldo as president in Tejeros until his capture by the Americans, fighting an unfair war. Deceived, betrayed, slandered, the general suffered worse after and was forgotten. His second death allowed him to be recognized as a Filipino hero and a national hero who rests by the tree of liberty planted by his own hands. The ambassador said that although Aguinaldo never went to Spain, there was something intimate between him and it, that Spain was more understanding and generous than the United States and had a clean conscience. The Spaniards fought the Filipinos in open battle. They were enemies, but loyal enemies. And after they hugged each other as gentlemen. At the end of the speech, he mentioned that the Spanish Army’s sword of honor was placed on Aguinaldo’s coffin. Aguinaldo knew the value and valor of a Spanish sword, concluded Guerrero.
Aguinaldo is a very divisive figure in our history and this we cannot deny. But what we can do is to remember his efforts and exploits while he was alive, fighting for his country against two world powers; the Spanish empire and the United States of America. Today, 57 years ago, we honor Aguinaldo on the day of his death. Without him, the Philippines would not have been independent.
