DEMATA, ANDREA MIKAELA R.
BSN 1E
Content and Contextual Analysis: Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan
1. Author's background
Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan
Emilio Aguinaldo was born in Kawit,
Cavite, on March 22, 1869. If he were
alive today, it would be his 148th birthday.
As we all know, he lived a very long life
and died at 94 of coronary thrombosis in
Veterans Memorial Hospital (now
Veterans Memorial Medical Center) in
Quezon City where he was confined for
469 days before his death. Hounded by
controversy to his deathbed, the last
issue that swirled around him was
whether he died a Catholic or not.
He attended high school at the Colegio
de San Juan de Letran, but had to stop in
his fourth year because of his father's
death. He then took up the responsibility
of helping his mother run their farm.
At 25, he became Cavite Viejo‘s first
gobernadorcillo capitan municipal. In
1895, he became a Freemason, joining
Pilar Lodge No, 203, Imus, Cavite by the
codename ―Colon He joined the
Katipunan and used the nom de guerre
Magdalo. He became the President of the
Biak na Bato Republic
(Hong Kong Junta) and First Philippine
Republic.
*Magdalo – from St Mary Magdalene
March 7 1895
BATTLES FOUGHT
• Philippine Revolution
• Spanish – American War
• Philippine - American War
Emilio Aguinaldo died in Quezon on
February 6, 1964 from cardiovascular
disease. He was 94 years, 10 months
and 15 days old when he died.
 A year before his death Aguinaldo
donated his Kawit mansion and all its
contents to the government. It is now
under the care of the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines and known
as the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine. Unlike
the Jose Rizal Shrine in Calamba,
Laguna, or the Juan Luna Shrine in
Badoc, Ilocos Norte, both modern
reproductions, the Emilio Aguinaldo
Shrine is all original and provides visitors
with a sense of how Aguinaldo spent his
last years.

2. Historical background of the document The original memoirs in Tagalog was

prepared by Aguinaldo in his own
handwriting between 1928 to 1946. It was
at the close of 1963 when Aguinaldo,
after much deliberation decided to publish
his memoirs in 1967.

In his preface Aguinaldo says the

memoirs were based on a diary he kept,
documents he preserved, and family lore
gathered from his elders. We do not know
whether this diary is extant or whether a
promised second volume of the memoirs
were fully written out. All we have is an
account from his birth and early years,
ending with the 1897 Treaty of Biak-na-
Bato.

• The original memoirs in Tagalog

was prepared by Aguinaldo in his
own handwriting between 1928 to
1946.

Aguinaldo scribbed a lot in his old age

between 1928 and 1946, he produces in
long hand the first
volume of his memoirs, “Mga Gunita ng
Himagsikan 1964”, translated from the
orignal Tagalog as
“Memoirs of the Revolution” (1967). In his
preface Aguinaldo says the memoirs
were based on a diary
 he kept, documents he preserved, and
family lore gathered from his elders. We
do not know whether
this diary is extant or whether a promised
second volume of the memoirs were fully
written out. All we
have is an account from his birth and
early years, ending with the 1897 Treaty
of Biak-na-Bato.

The second volume would cover the

resumption of the philippine. Revolution
against Spain and the
Philippine-American War. Aguinaldo
wanted to correct history by making
reference to the historian’s
confused accounts on the beginning of
the Revolution:

“Except for those that were written other

details had been forgotten. Many showed
inconsistencies
because not all sources were
documented for lack of reliablr
references. For instance, the right day of
the First Cry of Balintawak could not be
ascertained. Some say this took place on
August 23, 1896 at the
old Bonifacio Monument in Balitawak,
others claim it happened on August 24,
1896.

Aguinaldo stated that this event took

place in Balintawak but the late historian
Teodoro A. Agoncillo
took the word of Pio Valenzuela and
argued for Pagadlawin. Aside from these
two places, the other
contenders are: Kangkong, bahay
toro,pasong tamo, pacpac lawin and id
we are to believe in komiks, pugad
baboy.

3. Content Analysis: Understanding the The memoirs contain a background

historical information. regarding the two Sangguniang Bayan
namely; the Magdalo and the Magdiwang
Identify and describe the content of the whom took a big role in claiming the
primary source. Victory of independence for the
Lalawigan of Kavite against Spain.

It was mentioned in the primary source

that the two Sangguniang Bayan have a
lot of differences in regards to their type
but surely, they have had 1 similar aim
which is to claim the victory of
independence for our motherland.

Aguinaldo stated in the preface of this

book why he wrote it:
• To help our historians fill in the gap
of the past and to connect the
scattered parts of our history; To
preserve the past of our nation for
the generations to come;
• Awakening the inherent heroism
and nationalistic spirit of the
Filipinos against any foreign
invaders that we may preserve our
hard-earned freedom.
• In addition, the book shows as
whole, the cruelty of the
Spaniards, the different types of
government under Aguinaldo, and
even the struggles of the Filipinos
in the attainment of freedom.

Chapter 28: My Bloodiest Fight:

• Under Aguinaldo’s command, the
Filipino revolutionaries defeated
the Spanish troops in Cavite
• The whole province of Cavite was
liberated from the Spaniards

Chapter 30: Magdiwang Council

Reorganized
-Cavite was liberated through the efforts
of both the Magdiwang and Magdalo.
Magdiwang (monarchial):
• King – Andres Bonifacio
• Said to be Monarchial in form
• Noveleta, San Francisco de
Malabon, Rosario, Tanza, Naic,
 Ternate, Maragondon, Magallanes,
Bailen, Alfonso, Indang, and San
Roque.
Magdalo (republican):
• President: Baldomero Aguinaldo
• Republican in form
• Cavite el Viejo, Imus, Dasmarinas,
Silang, Amadeo, Mendez, Nunez,
Bacoor, and Carmona

Chapter 38: My Election to the

Presidency
-Aguinaldo was at Pasong Santol in
Dasmariñas on March 22, 1897. He
learned of his election as President of the
new revolutionary government,
-Aguinaldo’s brother, General Crispulo
Aguinaldo persuaded him to go to Tejeros
to take his oath of office. At 7:00 in the
evening, Aguinaldo, Trias, and Riego de
Dios took their oaths of office.

My Election to the Presidency:

• On March 24, 1897, Aguinaldo
received news that Bonifacio and
his ministers met in a council as
passed a resolution declaring null
and void the meeting at Tejeros.

Chapter 42: Military Court

• Five charges were made against
the Bonifacio brothers.
• A military court was created with
Colonel Jose Lipana as presiding
judge.

Chapter 44: Death of the Bonifacio

Brothers
• The bonifacio brothers were found
guilty and sentenced to death
• Aguinaldo commuted the sentence
to banishment
• Generals Pio del Pilar and Mariano
Noriel persuaded Aguinaldo to
impose the original sentence.
The document discourse about the
journey of Emilio Aguinaldo from joining
the Katipunan, up to the Filipino-American
War broke out. August of 1896 when
Aguinaldo went to Cavite el Viejo. He told
them that his plan to invade the Spaniards
failed and it was his first time to formulate
strategies. He told his two Consejals G.
Candido Tria Tirona and Santiago Dano of
what happened. He told them about the
declaration of war and both said that they
need to fight. Aguinaldo refused and to
steal the Guardia Civil’s gun quietly.
Aguinaldo and the Consejals had the
chance to steal the three guardia civils’
guns. However, despite the fact that
Aguinaldo didn’t want to use violence and
just want to surrender their guns and
communicate forces, one of the guards
initiated to fight. Cudrillero ended up
stabbing one of the Guardia Civil.
September first, Aguinaldo had a meeting
with G. Jose Tagle who is the Head of the
Balangay Pilar and Captain Municipal of
Imus at the convent in Cavite el Viejo.
Tagle asked for help in attacking the
Spaniards at Imus which Aguinaldo
immediately agreed and gathered his
troops. They held a parade to increase
their numbers which ranges to two
thousand men. The friars found shelter
inside the convent while in the tower of the
convent was the Guardia Civils. This
scenario stirred up Aguinaldo to establish
military strategies in order for them to win.
Aguinaldo assigned himself, Heneral
Baldomero Aguinaldo and G. Jose Tagle on
a specific area where they will invade.
When the aggression started, Aguinaldo’s
group promptly decreased. Aguinaldo
immediately changed his plan and
successfully did it. After the aggression,
they were happily greeted by their folks
with native decorations. Subsequently,
Supremo Andres Bonifacio was given a
tribute by the HARING BAYAN which was
already planned long ago. As the Supremo
and his companions passed through
several towns, they saw that almost all
houses were decorated as a sign of
welcome for the esteemed guests. They
were also greeted by Fr. Manuel Trias and
the “Pallo,” who sang Te Deum and
accompanied the guests as they arrived at
the church. Afterward, they went to the
house of Ms. Estefania Potente. The day
after their arrival, the Magdiwang faction
made a tribute to the Supremo, endowing
him with the highest title of “Haring
Bayan,” and Mariano Alvarez was said to
be temporarily holding this position as the
“Vi Rey.” Each of their leaders was wearing
fancier clothing to acknowledge their
status or rank in the faction. After the
tribute, the Magdiwang factions visited
each of their areas in preparation for the
convention of the two factions. The
freedom of Cavite can be attributed to the
efforts of the two factions. Despite having
the same goal, however, the two factions
seem to be vastly different. Aguinaldo
mentions that most of these leaders were
fortunate to have received positions,
because since April 1987 they seldom
faced battles. The only success they had
was when they faced the great army of the
Spaniards in Noveleta on November 9,
1896, where they stole guns and killed
many of their enemies. Most of the time,
the areas under the control of the
Magdiwang faction were not troubled,
unlike the Magdalo faction which had to
face countless battles almost every single
day.
Aguinaldo was able to ascertain that Dr.
Jose Rizal was imprisoned in Puerto
Santiago in Manila and he was sentenced
by the Consejo de Guerra to be shot at
6:00 am on December 30. Although he was
humiliated by Bonifacio in San Francisco
de Malabon, Aguinaldo still wanted to ask
for help from Bonifacio to carry out his
plans of rescuing Rizal. Bonifacio agreed,
and both planned to involve the remaining
members of the Katipunan in Manila to
gather near the area of execution, and
then for them to kidnap Rizal while on his
way to Bagumbayan.

The next day, however, Don Paciano Rizal

arrived, only to oppose the plans of
Aguinaldo and Bonifacio. He said that he
wanted to avoid more bloodshed and
reiterated that not a single member of the
Katipunan is still in Manila. Thus,
Aguinaldo and Bonifacio did not push
through with the plan. On December 30,
1896, some Katipunan members from
Pateros arrived asked for help in invading
the camps of the Cazadores in their town
and in Tagiik. On the night of December
31, 1896 until January 1, 1897, they
travelled through forests to reach the
church and convent of Tagiik. Their
opponents sensed their arrival and
attacked immediately, but Aguinaldo and
his troops eventually managed to imprison
most of their enemies inside the church.
He left Gen. Mariano Noriel in Tagiik
before moving to Pateros.

When they arrived in Pateros, they did not

face any opposition; Fr. Mariano Corcuera,
who was also the Predikador Heneral of
the Augustinian convent, surrendered
immediately. Aguinaldo sent Gen. Pio del
Pilar to Napindan, while he stayed in Pasig
and Manila in case the enemy will send out
more troops. The reinforcements of the
enemy did arrive at Pateros and Tagiik, but
the troops were able to prepare and force
the enemies to retreat.

On January 3, 1897, Aguinaldo and his

troops noticed that their opponents were
weakening and had no hope of asking for
reinforcements. However, in the afternoon
of the same day, many enemy troops from
Laguna arrived. The soldiers under Gen.
Pio del Pilar's command were not able to
intercept them. The troops could not do
anything due to the sheer numbers of their
enemies, which forced Aguinaldo to order
their withdrawal from battle and retreat to
Cavite.
4. Contextual Analysis:
What are the factors that could have
influenced the author in the writing of the
document? Explain.
General Emilio Aguinaldo before entering
the Katipunan was a gobernadorcillo
capitan municipal. His position in the
government was like of a judge and a
governor. It was just then that Santiago
Alavarez encouraged him to join the
organization. 1896 was the year when the
Spaniards found out about the Katipunan
which led to the declaration of war of the
Spanish government and series of revolt
of the Filipinos. However, during this
year, the revolutionary society was not
yet well-equipped with firearms and
equipment. On the other hand, the
Spaniards and its army were provided
with advanced and complete set of
firearms compared to those of the
Katipuneros. In the memoirs of General
Emilio Aguinaldo, it is evident that he
struggles to provide weapons for his
people in Cavite El Viejo. He failed to
acquire firearms in his meeting in Cavite,
and so he was left with nothing to give to
his people. In his office, he saw there his
councils, namely; G. Candido Tria Triona
and Santiago Dano. They discussed their
plan on how to get the weapons of the
Guardia Civil. The General explicitly
stated not to kill the Guardia Civil. This is
because during that time, almost 60% of
the Guardia Civil were Filipinos and for
the General, it will cause great trouble in
their town.
Aguinaldo was also the tenyente
abanderado or the flag bearer of his own
troops. He is the one tasked to be at the
front and bring the flag. His role as the
flag bearer was important because it
shows how proud they were to represent
their group/organization. However, that
time they were not able to acquire the flag
of the society. Nevertheless, they
marched with a band playing a battle
song so that they will be inspired and
their moral will be lifted while facing the
dangers of war. This move of Aguinaldo
played a pivotal role because it did not
just make his people loss their fears, but
it also attracted other men to join in their
movement. Furthermore, as the leader of
his battalion he was equipped with great
situational tactics and initiatives since
they did not have formal planning with
regards to the execution of their battles.
Their lack of preparation led to the death
of some men and Guillermo Samoy, but
the general found a way to get inside
which led to the capture of the estate-
house.
It was well-known in our history books
that Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres
Bonifacio have their own differences in
terms of beliefs, mindset, and especially
in politics. Andres Bonifiacio, also known
as The Supremo and Haring Bayan, was
the leader of the Revolutionary Society.
The KKK was divided into factions
namely, Magdiwang and Magdalo. These
two factions have different principles and
officials, nonetheless they were under the
roof of the KKK. However, Bonifacio
favored the Magdiwang faction due to his
kinship ties with its leaders and the
recognition of his authority compared to
the faction led by the Aguinaldos, which
was the Magdalo faction. This conflict
between two factions had its own
consequences, and one of which was the
death of Dr. Jose Rizal.
The public execution of Rizal caused
rage, anger, and heightened nationalism
among the Filipino people. It made
Filipinos realize that they need to fight
their way to gain the independence from
 Spain. Thus, the Battle of Pateros had
commenced. During the initial part of the
battle, the Filipinos seemed to be
winning. However, the Spaniards were
showing resiliency that caused General
Emilio Aguinaldo and his men to retreat to
Cavite.
It may add more confusion to our history,
but someone should track down Volume
2 of Aguinaldo’s memoirs, his diary and
other papers. These are probably tucked
away in some secret compartment or
forgotten drawer in the Aguinaldo Shrine.
• The primary source contained the
untold stories of how Andres
Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo
made an initial plan on how to
save Dr. Jose Rizal’s life from
being executed.
• The author included in his writings
the comparison between the
Magdalo and Magdiwang’s
performance during wars. He
mentioned that the Magdalo only
won a single battle and rarely
faces battles until then. On the
other hand, Magdiwang faces
battles on a daily basis and
rejoices for victory.
5. What is the relevance / contribution of the • It gives us an insight into the
document in Philippine history? personal thoughts and feelings of
Aguinaldo which will help in a
deeper understanding of Philippine
History.
• Aguinaldo’s memoirs which is first
hand narrative of the First
Philippine Republic president
which offers a different perspective
and provides a basis for
corroboration of other historical
sources.

6. What are the author's main arguments?
• It is an attempt of Emilio Aguinaldo
to wash his hands on the tragic
death of Andres Bonifacio;
• Thus, it is a way of vindicating
himself from negative aspersions
against him.
• The document contains historical
information about the history of the
Filipino ancestors.
• The document presents how the
people of our country had
passionately fought back against
the Spaniards in order to gain our
freedom.
In the excerpts of the memoir, Emilio
Aguinaldo pointed out a few but critical
points that would eventually determine
the outcome of the Philippine Revolution.
In his first few paragraphs, specifically
pages 77-82, the author emphasized the
lack of firearms and ammunition of his
troops. To compensate their lack of
weapons, they needed to steal the
firearms of the Guardia Civil. This shows
that the general and his men were behind
in terms of military capability.
Furthermore, the general condemned the
killing of fellow Filipinos, whom are
Filipinos also. For him, this would create
a great mess and trouble if they would kill
their fellowmen. Also, the general gave
importance to roles of tenyente
abanderado and the band that marched
with them. This signified that a leader has
important responsibilities and that through
unity the revolution would be successful.
Aguinaldo also pointed out the
consequences of having two factions in
the society. It resulted in prejudice among
the katipuneros, especially with the
supremo and the general. With this
conflict between the two factions, the
General Aguinaldo mentioned how

7. Your own overall observation and insights
on the primary source
incompetent the Magdiwang faction is
and that the Magdalo faction has better
military success compared to the former.
Also contained in the memoir was the
effects of the death of Dr. Jose Rizal in
the revolution. His public execution
inspired many Filipinos to renew and
heightened their sense of nationalism.
However, their efforts did not match the
military capability of the Spaniards.
Aguinaldo's role in history is often the
subject of great debate. One reason for
this is he had lived for so long and had
involved himself in politics, that often his
past actions have been used against him
(i.e. the controversy over Bonifacio's
bones, the trial and death of bonifacio, his
relations with the Americans, his role
during the Japanese occupation).
Much of what we know of Aguinaldo
focuses entirely on his role during the
Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-
American War. From what I've read from
various sources, Aguinaldo was politically
active during the American occupation,
even running for the presidency of the
Philippine Commonwealth (vs. Manuel
Quezon). He was also an active patron of
the Veterans of the Philippine Revolution,
where most of his political support came
from. After his loss to Quezon, he
seemed to have dropped from politics. he
would again resurface during the
Japanese Occupation when he was
brought out by the Japanese for
propaganda purposes.

The memoir showed how Spaniards

abused and enslaved the Filipinos that
made the Filipinos long for their
independence. This memoir showed how
resilient the Filipinos were at that time
and how much they sacrificed and fought
to gain the independence they wanted so
much. It provided what was their military
strategy before, how they thought at the
time, what was the situation of the
Filipinos, and what it was like living and
fighting during those dark and trying
times. It also offers the readers the idea
that in every generation there is always
an enemy or a fight that needs to be won.
Emilio Aguinaldo exposes the situations,
especially their hardships, which they
encounter during their long for
independence. It also showed the two
faces of the Katipunan that defined our
Revolution history.

“Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan” plays a vital

role to the grand narrative of Philippine
history namely:
• The work of Emilio Aguinaldo,
which is the Mga Gunita ng
Himagsikan, is considered as
relevant to the grand narrative of
 the Philippine history since it does
not only contain memoirs of Emilio
Aguinaldo but also contains
historical information about our
history such as information about
Filipino ancestors. Similarly, it
shows how the people of our
country had passionately fought
back against the Spaniards in
order to gain our freedom.
• The document, Mga Gunita ng
Himagsikan, also provides the
people an idea what is the
importance of knowing all the
things that happened in the Gunita
ng Himagsikan.
• It is an attempt of Emilio Aguinaldo
to wash his hands on the tragic
death of Andres Bonifacio. Thus, it
is a way of vindicating himself from
negative aspersions against him. It
gives us an insight into the
personal thoughts and feelings of
Aguinaldo which will help in a
deeper understanding of Philippine
history.

Aguinaldo was considered by many as a

traitor and sellout to the then
revolutionary cause (except of course by
his family), only to be betrayed by his
American master. Aguinaldo is well-
known for having the famous founding
father of the katipunan (and Aguinaldo's
feared rival), Andres Bonifacio, murdered
and his remains desecrated...only the
ruling elite continue to propagate his
memory (to justify their foreign
submissiveness while hiding Aguinaldo's
contemptuous deeds).