Most people probably think that war causes destruction only
because of its countless deaths, destroyed infrastructures,
and inhumane treatment. However, it should be pointed out
that there are somehow positive effects produced by it. The
death of thousands of people gives birth to heroic ideas that
are almost impossible to believe. In this editorial, the advantages and disadvantages that resulted from the war between
he Philippines and Spain would be discussed.
The Philippine revolution started in Balintawak, Manila when
the
atipuneros tore their cedulas in August 23, 1896. Attacks were continuously done in different parts of the country
which were led by Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo.
Unfortunately, most of the fights of Bonifacio experienced
loss which became the reason of questioning his ability to
lead the revolutionary organization. Whereas for Aguinaldo, he was praised and admired by a lot of people because of his constant victories. He was able to retrieve most
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In the movie entitled “El Presidente” which was directed by Mark Meily (2012), it was
shown that people gave their full respect Aguinaldo while they ignored Bonifacio. It came
to a point wherein the organization was abolished and
guinaldo became the president
of the new government. Bonifacio disapproved with the decision of the ilustrados so he
claimed the election void; his actions caused delay in the progress of the revolution and
he was accused of trying to acquire Aguinaldo’s position in the government. The actions
of Bonifacio pushed Aguinaldo to order his execution, probably one of the most disappointing events of the revolution.
The knowledge that some Filipinos killed their fellow countrymen makes their intention
questionable. Did he order the execution of onifacio because he was causing delay or
was it because his position as the president of the government was threatened? After the
death of Bonifacio, constant misfortunes seemed to slow down the progress of the revolution now led solely by Aguinaldo. The revolutionary government was replaced by the
Biak-na-Bato republic which was established in Bulacan. It is due to Cavite being retrieved by the Spaniards again. The Spanish government and Aguinaldo entered into an
agreement in which the latter would surrender and leave the country. This agreement
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By:
Angelique
Erispe
also covered the indemnity to Aguinaldo and to the innocent families affected by the battle and surrender of firearms. Some people said that Aguinaldo sold the freedom
they were fighting for while the ilipinos who fought for it
died in vain.
It was stated by Dela Cruz (2011) that the surrender of
Aguinaldo is a representation of his weak motivation to
attain freedom (p. 197). The decision he made showed
how he somehow failed as the president of the revolutionary force. A lot of soldiers died knowing that defeat was
most likely to happen. Despite the awareness, they still
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chose to sacrifice themselves for the sake
of their country’s independence. In the
film directed by John Sayles (2010) entitled “Amigo,” a guerilla named Simon
joined the force even though he knew
that the chances of
winning the revolution was only a few.
He did not bail out and faced whatever
the outcome would be; he did what he
could in order to contribute to give the
liberty that the future generations deserve. The brave actions displayed by
these soldiers displayed by these soldiers
show Aguinaldo’s worth as a president
and as a Filipino. Thousands of lives
were taken on this pursuit of independence, fortunately most of them were not
in vain.
n May 1, 1898, with the help
of the Americans, the Spaniards finally
surrendered during the battle in Manila
Bay. Despite the suffering and injustice,
the Filipinos learned to fight against oppression. Even though they lost a lot of
times, they never stopped to achieve
their freedom. Though the idea of nationalism, the Filipinos were able to act as
one to protect their land.
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