The Tejeros Assembly was a meeting of Katipunan members from Cavite and nearby provinces to form a revolutionary government. Andres Bonifacio was invited to mediate tensions between Emilio Aguinaldo's Magdalo faction and Bonifacio's Magdiwang faction. At the assembly, Aguinaldo was elected president and Mariano Trias vice president, while Bonifacio was given a lower position, causing discontent. This led to the split of the Katipunan into competing governments headed by Aguinaldo and Bonifacio respectively.
The Tejeros Assembly was a meeting of Katipunan members from Cavite and nearby provinces to form a revolutionary government. Andres Bonifacio was invited to mediate tensions between Emilio Aguinaldo's Magdalo faction and Bonifacio's Magdiwang faction. At the assembly, Aguinaldo was elected president and Mariano Trias vice president, while Bonifacio was given a lower position, causing discontent. This led to the split of the Katipunan into competing governments headed by Aguinaldo and Bonifacio respectively.
The Tejeros Assembly was a meeting of Katipunan members from Cavite and nearby provinces to form a revolutionary government. Andres Bonifacio was invited to mediate tensions between Emilio Aguinaldo's Magdalo faction and Bonifacio's Magdiwang faction. At the assembly, Aguinaldo was elected president and Mariano Trias vice president, while Bonifacio was given a lower position, causing discontent. This led to the split of the Katipunan into competing governments headed by Aguinaldo and Bonifacio respectively.
Lesson 10: The Tejeros Assembly - After that, the Katipuneros visited the warehouse of the Katipunan to
search the documents.
Historical Context - Basically, dahil sa pangyayaring ito ay may mga grupong gusting palitan - The first days of the Philippine Revolution saw the defeat of the Katipunan in Manila, forcing Andres Bonifacio and his men to retreat to na si Bonifacio at may mga gusto naming manatili si Bonifacio. The birth the mountains of Montalban. of Magdalo (pro Aguinaldo forces) and Magdiwang (pro Bonifacio forces) started from Cavite. - The Katipunan under Emilio Aguinaldo managed to subdue the Spanish - With that, napagkasunduan ng dalawang grupo na magsagawa ng forces by surprise and take control of the province. pulong sa Tejeros. - The victory was short-lived as the Cavite Katipuneros (consisted of - Sa assembly na iyon ay Si Bonifacio ang nag preside because he was Magdiwang by Bonifacio and Magdalo by Aguinaldo) were soon fighting requested to neutralize or mediate between the faction of the two each other over territory and logistics. forces. Bonifacio discussed the rules in his opening statement (Weare - Unable to solve their differences, Aguinaldo invited the Supremo Andres Bonifacio to Cavite to mediate. here to have an election of officers; We shall have elections by majority - The two groups agreed to form a revolutionary government vote; No one shall question the results of the election). (pamahalaang panghihimagsik) which would led the revolution. - Emilio Aguinaldo was elected as the president - The assembly was set to be held in the friar’s estate house in Barrio - Mariano Trias, who was loyal general to Aguinaldo, as the vice president - Gen. Artemio Ricarte as the Auditor Genral. Tejeros. - Emiliano de Dios as the Director of War - On March 22, 1897, The Cavite Katipuneros, as well as the - Andres Bonifacio as the Director of the Interior representatives Katipunan from the nearby provinces, converged at the - The election was eventually held through “viva voce”, which is ang estate house. pagtataas ng kamay kung sino ang boto kay… kasi maggagabi na. - Emilio Aguinaldo was not in the assembly as he was commanding the - Hindi sumangayon si Tirona sa pagkakahalal ni Bonifacio dahil hindi raw Filipino forces at the frontlines in Pasong Santol, Barrio Salitran, ito lawyer at sinabing si Jose del Rosario nalang daw ang pumalit. Dasmarinas, facing the imminent attack of the Spanish forces. - Sa inis ni Bonifacio ay itinutok niya yung revolver niya kay Tirona pero Lecture from the Discussion pinigilan siya ng tauhan niya. - The 3 sources were Artemio Ricarte, Andres Bonifacio, and Santiago - Dahil dito ay dineclare ni Bonifacio na null and void ang lahat ng Alvarez. Alvarez’s account also appeared in the first phase of the nangyari sa Assembly. Philippine Revolution because he was an active official of the Katipunan - Sa sumunod na araw, ang grupo ni Bonifacio ay nagpunta sa Tejeros at and he was also a general who was loyal to Andres Bonifacio. nagtatag ng bagong gobyernong sila lang ang miyembro. Gumawa sila - Daniel Tirona expressed that Andres Bonifacio was unit for the position ng document proclaiming that the results of the election were invalid of secretary of interior and suggested that Jose del Rosario, a lawyer, to and illegitimate due to the fraud. be elected instead (this is the reason why the Tejeros Assemble took - Emilio Jacinto brought a letter to Andres Bonifacio even before the place because it is used to pacify all the members of the Katipunan after assembly (bago pa man magsimula yung assembly, may mga sources na the discovery of their existence since everybody was in panic). ang mga taga Magdiwang about sa masamang balak ng mga Magdalo na - Since they are in panic, the members of the Katipunan blamed anyone walang makakapasok na Magdiwang sa election) among their revolutionary society. - Kaya naman maraming Magdalo na nanalo sa election kasi mga taga - At that time, the Katipuneros are already being divided due to the Cavite ang mga Magdalo (Taga Cavite kasi si Aguinaldo, si Bonifacio arguments that they encountered. naman ay taga Tondo) - It all started when Teodoro Patiño told the existence of the Katipunan - Ang utos ni Bonifacio na maging pinuno sa Acta de Tejeros na isang to his sister and after that, his sister confessed to the one of the officials military agreement or Naic military agreement. until the news reached Mariano Gil. - Ang Naic military agreement ay dumipensa sa Acta de Tejeros na puro - The people of the Magdalo group are comprised of ignorant people but dayaan. Nagtatag si Bonifacio ng sarili niyang army at pinilit niya si Pio it does not mean that the Magdiwang group is made up of intellectual Valenzuela na sumali. people. - With that, ang mga tauhan ni Aguinaldo ay pinilit siya na ipapatay si - At the end of the story in the account of Bonifacio, it was said that the Bonifacio. Tejeros Assembly was comprised by evil intentions (kasama na yung - Kinasuhan sina Andres Bonifacio at Procopio Bonifacio ng Treason and pangungutya at pagsira sa pagkatao). Sedition. Inexecute silang dalawa at nirape ng grupo ng arresting Artemio Ricarte’s Account officers si Gregori de Jesus na asawa ni Andres Bonifacio. (Treason is - Pen name was “Vibora” cooperating to the enemy of your country in times of war; Sedition is - One of the officials of the Magdiwang faction. the act of rebellion since hindi nirecognize ni Bonifacio yung Tejeros - During the Tejeros Assembly, he served as the secretary of the Assembly) convention when Bonifacio began presiding over the session. - Hindi sangayon si Aguinaldoi sa death penalty kina Andres at Procopio - He was elected in the Tejeros Assembly as Captain-General. dahil sobra sobra na raw kaso sinuhulan siya ng mga officials niya. - He initially refused the position but his objections were overruled by the - Ang ginawa ni Tirona ay pangaasar lamang kasi dati pala siyang MAgdalo electoral body. na ngayon ay miyembro na ng gabinete. - His account was entitled “Apuntes Historicos de la Insurreccion por los - Hanggang ngayon ay hindi parin Makita ang bangkay ni Andres Asociados al Kamahalmahala’t Kataastaasang Katipunan nang mga Anak Bonifacio. ng Bayan contra el Gobierno Espanol en las Islas Filipinas” - The Tejeros Assembly was called by Emilio Aguinaldo and he requested - It was written during his imprisonment for subversion by the American to preside it. The assembly was held in estate house in Cavite and authorities in 1904. presided over by Andres Bonifacio. - It was translated into English by British journalist, William Brecknock - Andres Bonifacio is the one who set the rules in the assembly. Watson. - At the end of the election, Bonifacio was shocked by the insult that - Ricarte’s memoirs were published in Tagalog in 1927 in Yokohama, came from Daniel Tirona. Japan with the title “Himagsikan ng mga Pilipino Laban sa Kastila” - The event of the Tejeros Assembly marked or highlighted the very - The account: serious problem of our people’s regionalism. (we are obsessed when it - March 22 was the date that was set for the assembly. come to the leadership at the regional level) - Among the chiefs of the Magdiwang were Mariano, Pascual, and - In the comment of Bonifacio that is being stated in his account, the Santiago Alvarez; Luciano San Miguel, Mariano Trias Closas; irregularity in the election was the main reason why he had to establish Severino de las Alas and Santos Nocon. his own Naic Military Agreement separate from the Assembly of the - Among those of Magdalo were Baldomero Aguinaldo, Daniel Tirona, Tejeros. Cayetano Topacio, and Antonio Montenegro. - For this reason, Bonifacio and his brother was accused with treason and - The session opened under the presidency of Jacinto Lumbreras who sedition. explained the purpose of the meeting. - Emilio Aguinaldo was bullied by his senior advisers and convinced him - Severino de las Alas rose to address those present that it would be to execute Andres Bonifacio and its brother. well to consider first the kind of government then existing in the - Basically, the Tejeros Assembly was perceived to be as scripted country, as upon the government would depend whatever the assembly used by the Magdalos to pretend that there was a democracy defense might be needed. in the process. (It is evident in the 3 sources that there was no sense of - Andres Bonifacio spoke in support of Lumbreras and his stand in democracy in the Tejeros Assembly) regard to the government and went to explain the significance of the letter “K” in the center of the sun on the flag, which stands for liberty. - Severino de las Alas again address the meeting and said that neither - It was unanimously proposed that to cut the short voting, those letter “K” on the flag, nor the flag itself, has anything to do with the who favored any person for a position should stand on one side, character of the government then existing. and those who favored other person should stand on the other side - Bonifacio replied that the Katipuneros, from the president of the in groups (viva voce) Supreme Council to the most insignificant member, recognized the - Emiliano Riego de Dios was elected as the Director of War. principles of Union, Fraternity, and Equality. - The election of a Minister of the Interior was proceeded and the - The government of the Katipunan was rigorously republican in form. result was favored Andres Bonifacio. - Antonio Montenegro rose and spoke in support of the De las Alas - In the midst of the acclamation that was Andres Bonifacio, Daniel suggestion and said that unless some definite understanding was Tirona demanded the floor and said that Bonifacio’s position should arrived at regarding the matter, the insurgents were mere groups of not be occupied by a person who is not a lawyer and suggested to tulisanes or brutes. (Kung hindi naman daw sila magaarrive sa be replaced by Jose del Rosario who is a lawyer. magandang pagkakaunawaan, sila ay walang kinaibahan sa mga - Bonifacio’s pride was wounded, he rose and spoke. He asked Tirona tulisan at bandido) to repeat what he has said, or to apologize to the assembly for the - These last words of Antonio Montenegro wounded the pride of insult offered to the person elected, because up to that time not Santiago Alvarez, who rose with glaring eyes and said that the one of those elected was fitted by reason of his culture for the insurgents of Cavite and the Magdiwang government recognize and position to which he had been designated. (reason of his culture obey the government established by the Katipunan. It you wish to means his educational attainment to establish any other kind government more suited to your fancy, - When Tirona didn’t do anything, Bonifacio drew his revolver and retire to your province and conquer territories from Spanish was about to fire at Tirona. government. - Nung nahalal siya ay tumanggi siya. - The session broke up in disorder, but one hour later, when the - Ang taong ito ay Magdiwang din. tension of the adherents of Santiago Alvarez and Antonio - Hindi original na residing officer si Andres Bonifacio. Dito sa account Montenegro had been pacified, it convened against under the na ito ay nagpalitan ng galit si Montenegro at si Alvarez. Kaya presidency of Andres Bonifacio because Jacinto Lumbreras said that napunta ang pagiging residing officer kay Andres Bonifacio. discussing a subject that was provided for in the call for the - During the elction and the assembly, ilang beses sila nagrevise ng meeting. mga patakaran dahil maraming mga sumisingit na mga irrelevant - Bonifacio opened the session again and stated that he agree to the persons. people’s petition (ang unang supremo ng Katipunan ay hindi si - Basically, the account of Ricarte mas maraming distorting of Andres Bonifacio dahil sa 4th term lang siya nagging official na election process, provision of qualifications, and insults. supremo; si Deodato Arellano ang unang pinunong Katipunan) - Maihahalintulad ang isa sa mga teaching of the Katipunan, which - Elections were held. was the “A man’s word is his law” sa mga dpaat na pagtupad sa mga - As a result of the vote, Emilio Aguinaldo was elected President of rules na napagusapan sa Assembly kahit na may mga bastos sa the Republic defeating Andres Bonifacio and Mariano Trias. paligid. - Severino de las Alas remarked that since Bonifacio got the second Andres Bonifacio’s Account highest vote, he should be the Vice-President but it was not - His account is from a letter he wrote to Emilio Jacinto in Montalban, a granted. month after Tejeros elections. - Majority of the votes was casted to Mariano Trias Closas as against - This would be the first time the other members of the Supreme Council Andres Bonifacio, Severino de las Alas, and Mariano Alvarez. would hear of the events that happened in Cavite. - The secretary of the session, Artemio Ricarte, was elected as the - This was published in Jose P. Santos “Si Andres Bonifacio at ang Captain General. Himagsikan” - The account: - Scripted talaga ang assembly kasi nanalo si Aguinaldo kahit wala - The majority of the said convention agreed to establish a siya mismo sa assembly. government and this could not be done because the representatives - Kastila dapat ang dapat na pinagtutuunan ng pansin pero ang mga of the other towns did not arrive, a condition that was agreed upon Pilipino mismoang nagkakawatakwatak at ang kanilang in the Imus Assembly but which was disregarded by the majority pinagaawayan ay leadership. because of the dire conditions of the towns. Santiago Alvarez’s Account - The Imus Assembly lacks proof because there were no documents. - It is found in the Chapter 32 of Gen. Santiago Alvarez’s memoirs. - Don Emilio Aguinaldo was the elected President of the Republic; - Like Artemio Ricarte, Alvarez was a direct participant and witness to the Vice President Don Mariano Trias; Auditor General Don Artemio events that occurred in the elections. Ricarte; Director of War Don Emiliano R. de Dios; Director of Interior - The account: Andres Bonifacio. - The Tejeors Assembly was convened on March 25, 1897. - The elections were held through the expressions of those who were - The invitations to the meeting were signed by Secretary Jacinto present (viva voce) because it was already night time. Lumbreras of the Magdiwang Council, and he presided over the - After the decision was made about Bonifacio’s victory as the assembly. Director of Interior, Daniel Tirona stood up and said that there is a - Seated with Lumbreras at the long presidential table were Andres cry being raised that Jose del Rosario be chosen as the Director of Bonifacio, Messrs. Mariano Alvarez, Artemio Ricarte, Santos Nocon, the Interior because there is a need that this position should be Luciano San Miguel, Pablo Mojica, Severino de las Alas, and Santiago filled by someone educated. Rillo. - Bonifacio asked Tirona to point out who among the elected ones are - Among the Magdalo seated at the head table were Messrs. already well-versed in their positions and Tirona said that Jose del Baldomero Aguinaldo, Daniel Tirona, and Cayetano Topacio. Rosario who was a lawyer is the one who deserves the position. - Before the assembly was convened, Secretary of War Ariston - Because of the loud noise that occurred, the President of the Villanueva of the Magdiwang Council received the confidential Magdiwang announced that his was not an assembly of gentlemen information that Daniel Tirona of the Magdalo faction was set to because everything that they did had no evidence. (pinapa highlight undermine the proceedings of the assembly and that he had already ni maam) acceded in enjoining any among the Magdiwang leaders to ally with - Bonifacio discovered that even before the elections, some of those him. who are from Imus had secretly spread the word that it was not - Secretary Villanueva kept silent but alerted Captain General Apoy, good for them to be under the leadership of someone from another who had troops in readiness for any sudden eventuality. province. - Severino del las Alas rose to speak and said that it is a must to tackle - Bonifacio told them that the assembly was the idea of those with first the kind of government they should have and how they should evil intentions. go about establishing it. - Even General Ricarte also stated that the assembly was the result of - Chairman Lumbreras replied that the Katipunan holds authority bad intentions. over the islands. It has government of lawand a definite program. It - May ipinahayag dito si Bonifacio na medyo may kinaibahan sa ibang is obeyed and respected by all because it stands for freedom, kuwento. brotherly love, and ell-organized and well-run government. - Diretso raw na sinabi sa kanya na yung pinagaralan niya ay hindi - The “K” and the sun of the flag did not indicate whether the naman kataasan samantalang si Jose del Rosario ay lawyer. revolutionary government was democratic or not. - Emilio Jacinto gave Bonifacio a letter saying that there are group of - The Supremo replied that the Katipunan was united in its respect Magdalo people saying that the Magdalo people should be the one for universal brotherhood and equality of men. It was risking who will occupy all the positions. bloodshed and life to establish a sovereign and free government. - Antonio Montenegro spoke in defense of Severino de las Alas’ - Baldomero Aguinaldo suggested that for all other positions to be stand. He argued that if they would agree on the kind of voted upon, voters should stand on one of the sides of the hall if in revolutionary government they were to have and that if they were favor and on the other side if against. to let the status quo prevail then they who were in the Revolution - For the position of Secretary of War, Emiliano de Dios was elected. would be no better than a pack of bandits or of wild, midless - In the Secretary of the Interior, Andres Bonifacio won over Mariano animals. Alvarez but Daniel Tirona requested for a restoration of order and - General Apoy was hurt by Montenegro’s statement and quickly suggested that Jose del Rosario, who was a lawyer, must replace stood up saying that the Katipunan were under the jurisdiction of Bonifacio our respected Highest Council of the Sons of the People and they - The Supremo quickly stood up and asked Tirona to apologized and are not bandits. He added that the Katipunan is rational and do not eventually pulled out his revolver towards Tirona. expose those who talk big but do not accomplish anything. - After this, Bonifacio declared the election as null and void. - When the order was restored, some people wanted the convention to be adjourned but the Supremo prevailed upon the others to continue. - Bonifacio accepted the chairmanship from Lumbreras and said that it would repudiate the decision made at the meeting held at the friar estate house in Imus. - Because of a repeated clamor for the approval for the establishment of a government of the Philippine Republic, the chair proceeded to prepare for an election to the following positions: President, Vice-president, Minister of Finance, Minister of Warfare, Minister of Justice, and Captain-General. - Andres Bonifacio appointed Gen. Artemio Ricarte as a secretary and with the help of Daniel Tirona, the pieces of papers that served as ballots were distributed. - When the ballots had been collected and votes were ready to be canvassed, Diego Mojica, who was the Magdiwang secretary of the treasury, warned the Supremo that many ballots distributed were already filled out and that the voters had not done these themselves. The warning was ignored by Bonifacio. - When the votes for president were counted, Emilio Aguinaldo won over Andres Bonifacio. - Severinode las Alas spoke again and said that since Bonifacio had received the second highest number of votes for the presidency, he should be proclaimed as the vice-president. - For vice-president, Mariano Trias won over Mariano Alvarez and Bonifacio. - General Vibora was elected as the Captain-general over General Apoy.