BACOOR ASSEMBLY 1896. Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado Revilla (center) leads the re-launching of the book “PROCLAMATION: The Philippine Independence (The Truth about Aug. 1, 1898 Bacoor Assembly, A Historiographical Inquiry)”, along with the documentary film “Agosto Uno, Kasaysayang Nakalimutan” during a press conference at the city hall on Monday (Aug. 6). Joining her (from left) are Bacoor Historical Society President Dr. Jose Andres L. Diaz, Philippine Historical Association President and author Dr. Emmanuel F. Calairo, Bacoor City Tourism Development Head Edwin Guinto and Jose Napoleon L. Cuenca - current head of Bacoor’s Tourism Cluster and great grandson of the original owners of “Bahay na Tisa” or Aguinaldo’s “Malacañang. (Photo by Gladys S. Pino, PNA)
BACOOR CITY, Cavite – Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado Revilla on Monday dismissed rumors that the city’s move to highlight the ‘Aug 1, 1898 Bacoor Assembly’ plans to change the country’s independence day and stressed that the city government is only lobbying for the recognition of this important part in the country’s history.
“Hindi po namin kinekwestyon ang proklamasyon sa Kawit (on June 12, 1898) or may dapat i-claim, sinasaad lang po namin dito (sa aming pagkilos) ay ang pagkilala sa kasing-importanteng bahagi ng kasaysayan that led to the declaration of the nation’s independence (we are not questioning the Kawit proclamation or we need to claim anything, our move simply is to push for the recognition of an 'as important' part of history)," Revilla said.
Revilla, together with Philippine Historical Association (PHA) President Dr. Emmanuel F. Calairo, Bacoor City Tourism Development Head Edwin Guinto, Jose Napoleon L. Cuenca - current head of Bacoor’s Tourism Cluster and a great grandson of the original owners of “Bahay na Tisa” or Aguinaldo’s “Malacañang” at that time, and Bacoor Historical Society President Dr. Jose Andres L. Diaz explained to media during Monday’s press conference on the re-launch of the book and documentary film to reveal what happened during the Bacoor Assembly on August 1, 1898.
“Aug 1 of 1898” should be considered a historical milestone in the annals of Philippine history when close to 200 “Presidente Mayor” or the local chief executives or mayors from the provinces of Cavite, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Manila, Bulacan, Bataan, Tarlac, Morong, Batangas, Mindoro, Tayabas, Zambales, Pangasinan, La Union and Infanta went to this old Cavite town and took their oath of office and ratified the document on the Declaration of Philippine Independence.
The documentary film “Agosto Uno, Kasaysayang Nakalimutan,” which stars Cavite Vice-Governor Ramon ‘Jolo’ Revilla III as General Emilio Aguinaldo and Christian Bables as Apolinario Mabini, which was shot entirely in the town of Kawit and the city of Bacoor, offer the finer details of the historical Bacoor Assembly, which happened on Aug. 1, 1898.
The film starts with the first meeting of General Emilio Aguinaldo and Apolinario Mabini and, when appointed as the General’s adviser, tried to convince Aguinaldo not to proceed with the June 12, 1898 ceremony as the country was still lacking the needed pre-requisites to declare a Republican government.
But Aguinaldo proceeded anyway, in view of all the preparations made and the people who came to witness the day’s gathering, who were mostly military officers.
Although the historical Kawit event paved the way for the needed document to establish a Republican country, “ang ugat ng ating Republika ay nandon sa papel na ginawa ng mga town mayors at pinirmahan ni General (Emilio) Aguinaldo noong Aug. 1, 1898 (The origin of our Republic came from the documents made and signed by General Aguinaldo on Aug. 1, 1898),” said Calairo.
Revilla first learned of this hidden part of history while still a member of the Congress, as imparted by former Prime Minister Cesar A.E. Virata, known descendant of Aguinaldo and current president of Cavite Historical Society (CHS), which also came as a surprise to Cuenca “considering that the special event took place in their ancestral home.”
When the city acquired the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ (NHCP) recognition to this important occasion, Revilla took on the lead to tap local historians - led by Diaz - and commissioned Calairo to examine, research and collate in book form this turning point in Bacoor history, thus the book “Proclamation: Philippine Independence - The Truth About Aug. 1, 1898 Bacoor Assembly (A Historiographical Inquiry)” came out which was also re-launched today.
The 250-pages book from cover to cover is a product of a year of research and months of writing and is given free by the city government.
Both the book and documentary film will be distributed to schools (public and private), libraries, including village halls and a series of film showing engaging students will be scheduled thereafter, “to let more children know and understand about this important part of history,” said Guinto.
The city government, through its tourism office, will also embark on other means and channels, “to impart Bacoor’s important role in the proclamation of the country’s independence in more child-friendly and interactive means,” Revilla said.
The city government has assured its strong commitment to the promotion of its local heritage by embarking on a citywide scale up programs for heritage preservation and promotion as well as in highlighting its role in Philippine history.
The said move aims to help educate the Bacooreños on the heroism forged by their forefathers in the country’s fight for freedom.
It has recently completed its tourism master plan, which serves as a framework in conceptualizing various projects on tourism development.
In her earlier statement, Revilla hoped that this piece of history would be included in the history books that serve as textbook for every student in elementary and high school, not just in Cavite but the whole country. (PNA)
