1. Chapter 7
The American Rule
War of Philippine
Independence from the United
States

2. • President Aguinaldo regarded the
United States an ally in the
Philippines‟ road towards
independence. Filipino-American
relations deteriorated as the American
military authorities took over Manila in
August 1898.

3. There was a popular belief among the
supporters of Manifest Destiny that the
United States had the God-given right
to help oppressed countries and build
democratic nations. When US
President William McKinley issued his
so-called Benevolent Assimilation
Proclamation on December 21,1898,
he expressly indicated American policy
regarding the Philippines, that the US
shall exercise sovereignty over the
entire archipelago.

4. • January 5, 1899, Aguinaldo issued a
counter-proclamation and specified his
forces were prepared to fight any American
attempt to take over the country.
• January 20, 1899, Pres. McKinley appointed
the First Philippine Commission to make
recommendations in the administration of
the country. This commission headed by Dr.
Jacob Schurman, issued a proclamation on
April 4, 1899, declaring the establishment of
American sovereignty in the Philippines in
the midst of the Philippine-American war,
which broke out months ago.

5. Hostilities began on the night of February
4, 1899 at about 9p.m. An American
soldier named Private Robert Willie
Grayson of the 1st Nebraska volunteers
with two other members of the U.S.
sentry shot and killed a man who
happens to be a Filipino soldiers. The
man together with 3 other Filipino soldiers
were already entering into American lines
on their way home. The American
soldiers tried to stop them and shouted.
“halt!” twice. Unfamiliar with the word halt
the Filipino shouted “halto!”.

6. The site of the 1st shot of the Philippine-
American war, called Philippine
Insurrection by the Americans, is in
Silencio corner Sociego Street in Sta.
Mesa, Manila. (This is pursuant to
National Historical Institute Board
Resolution 07 s. 2003, „Authorizing the
Transfer of the Historical Marker for the
site of the First Shot of the Philippine-
American War from San Juan Bridge to
Silencio corner Sociego St., Sta. Mesa,
Manila‟ after a thorough deliberation on
the position of Dr. Benito Legarda).

7. The next day, Sunday, Gen. Arthur
MacArthur issued his order to advance
against the Filipino troops without
investigating the shooting incident.
Aguinaldo tried to avoid war. He sent an
emissary to inform Governor Gen. Elwell
Otis that the firing on their side had been
against his order. Gov. Gen. Otis
answered that since the fighting had
begun, it must go on to the grim end. On
the same day, Aguinaldo issued a
declaration informing the Filipino people
that they were now at war. This turned
out to be the seven-year Philippine-
American War (1899-1906).

8. Gen. John C. Bates tried to win the
friendship of the Muslims by negotiating with
them on the basis of equality. On August 20,
1899, John Bates and Sultan Jamalul Kiram
II of Sulu with three datus signed the Bates
Treaty. This treaty provided that the rights
and dignities of the Sultan and his datus
shall be respected.
The Muslim province remained under
American military rule until 1914. schools
that taught non-Muslim curriculum were
established.
Panglima Hasan led a rebellion against the
American authorities. His fight for freedom
ended on March 4, 1904.

9. • In the suburbs of manila, the American fleet
started bombarding the Filipino fort north of
San Juan del Monte on February 5, 1899.
in the afternoon of that day, a fierce battle in
La Loma, near the Chinese cemetery
ensued. Major Jose Torres Bugallon, one of
General Antonio Luna‟s gallant officers, fell
mortally wounded. After capturing La Loma,
General MacArthur headed for Caloocan.
• In Caloocan, a fierce battle followed, with
the Americans once again victorious.
Undismayed by his defeat, Gen. Antonio
Luna (younger brother of Juan Luna)
prepared for a plan for the recapture of
Manila by burning American occupied
houses in Tondo and Binondo.

10. The Filipinos fought with fierce valor
near Malinta. Colonel Harry O. Egbert of
the 22nd U.S.
March 30, the American army was
already in Malolos. By this time, the
Aguinaldo government had evacuated
Malolos and Established its
headquarters in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija.
Gen. MacArthur wanted to pursue
Aguinaldo but Gov. Gen. Elwell Otis
ordered him to rest in Malolos.
March 31, Gen. MacArthur captured
Malolos.

11. The Filipino troops, although
insufficiently armed and inadequately
fed continued fighting. In Quingua (
now Plaridel), on April 23, the
American cavalry under Major Bell
suffered heavy losses under Gen.
Gregorio del Pilar. In this battle,
Colonel John Stotsenberg was killed.

12. April 25, Calumpit fell into American
hands. Gen. Gregorio del Pilar and
his troops were fell into American
hands. Gen. Gregorio del Pilar and
his men, had already left to defend
the Filipino lines since Gen.Luna and
his men, had already left for
Pampanga at the height of the battle
to see what had happened to the
reinforcement troops being asked
from Gen. Tomas Mascardo.

13. March 6, 1899, Apolinario Mabini, in
his capacity as head of the cabinet
and minister of foreign affairs met
with the Schurman Commission and
requested for a temporary cease-fire
but was refused. He issued a
manifesto dated April 15, 1899 in
San Isidro, Nueva Ecija urging his
countrymen to continue the struggle
for independence.

14. When Mabini resigned from his post
on May 7, 1899, Pres. Aguinaldo
named Pedro Paterno the head of
the new Cabinet.
The Paterno Cabinet, known as the
“Peace Cabinet” created a
Committee headed by Felipe
Buencamino to negotiate peace with
the Americans. When Gen. Antonio
Luna heard this, he blocked the trip
of the committee to Manila and
arrested the members.

15. General Luna met his tragic end in the
hands of his fellow patriots.
• June 1899, he received a telegram from
Aguinaldo asking him to go to
Cabanatuan. He left his command in
Bayambang, Pangasinan.
• June 5, he went to a convent in
Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, which served
as Aguinaldo‟s headquarters.

16. Severino de las Alas, the Secretary of the
Interior in his circular informed the provincial
chiefs of Luna‟s death and said that it was
caused by Luna‟s insulting and assaulting of
the President‟s bodyguards and the plan of
Luna to take over the presidency from
Aguinaldo. After Luna‟s death, some
demoralization set in.
November 12, 1899, the regular army was
dissolved by Aguinaldo. He formed guerilla
units instead, to carry on the war.
The capture of Aguinaldo was one of the
priorities of the Americans. They mounted a
full-scale offensive on October 12, 1899.

17. In order to elude the American forces,
Aguinaldo and his forces proceeded to the
Cordillera mountain range. In Candon, Ilocos
Sur, Aguinaldo and his troops went east and
crossed the Ilocos range. This passageway to
the Cordillera was Tirad Pass. Del Pilar saw
the advantageous terrain of the Tirad Pass.
From atop Mt. Tirad, which could provide view
of pursuing Americans, Del Pilar and with 60
riflemen were given the mission of defending
the pass.

18. In the morning of December 2, 1899, Major
Peyton G. March and about 300 American
troopers stormed the Pass, but were
repulsed by Del Pilar‟s men.
• Tirad was 4,500 feet high.
• Through Januario Galut, an Igorot guide of
the Americans, the secret trail to the top
from the rear was known. In the midst of the
combat, General del Pilar, was hit with a
bullet that passed through his neck. Only
eight men escaped alive to relate the tragic
news to Aguinaldo.

19. After the Battle of Tirad Pass, which took
six hours, the American authorities lost
track of Aguinaldo until Cecilio
Segismundo, Aguinaldo‟s messenger fell
into the hands of Gen. Frederick Funston,
stationed in Nueva Ecija. He was carrying
important letters to Baldomero Aguinaldo,
General Urbano Lacuna, and other guerilla
leaders.

20. Aguinaldo was taken aboard the Vicksburg
and brought to Manila. Gen. MacArthur
graciously received him at the Malacaňang
Palace. On April 19,1901, he took the oath
of allegiance to the United States and
appealed to all Filipinos to accept the
sovereignty of the United States.

21. At the time when some patriotic Filipinos were
still fighting for independence, some officials
of the revolutionary government had already
decided to make peace with the colonizers.
The Pacificados (Pacifists) led by Pedro
Paterno and Felipe Buencamino founded
Asociacion de Paz. Among the organizers
were Cayetano Arellano, Tomas del Rosario,
Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Leon Ma.
Guerrero, Rafael Palma, Justo Lukban, and
Pascual Poblete.

22. While Aguinaldo and some of his men
were in the highlands of Northern Luzon,
the Pacificados (Pacifists) in a meeting on
December 23,1900 renamed the league
for peace the Partido Federal (Federal
Party), with Trinidad Pardo de Tavera as
elected president. The Federlistas were
haughtily called Americanistas or pro-
Americans by the nationalists.

23. The Filipino civilians, caught between the
Americans and the Filipino revolutionaries
suffered badly. More than 200,000 Filipinos
died during the war, most often by famine and
disease. Some Filipinos accepted the offer of
amnesty. Notable exceptions were Apolinario
Mabini and Macario Sakay. Only July 4,1902,
President Theodore Roosevelt declared that
the Philippine-American war was over.
However, local resistance continued.