The Tejeros of Modern Times

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The tejeros convention originated when the two councils, Magdiwang and Magdalo, decided to meet again after the discussion at Imus. This time, the conference was held at the friar estate house in tejeros, a barrio of San Franscisco de Malabaon, on March 22, 1897. Initially, the convention was for the purpose of discussing the defense of cavite instead, the assembled leaders discarded the initial goal of the meeting and chose to elect a government for the revolution and thus disregarding the current Supreme Council of the Katipunan.

In this election, it was Andres Bonifacio who spearheaded the election of the said revolutionary government. Prior to the election, the assembly swore to abide by the majority’s decision as to whoever the leader would be. The results of the election are as follows:

President	Emilio Aguinaldo
Vice-President	Mariano Trias
Captain-General	Artemio Ricarte
Director of War	Emiliano Riego de Dios
Director of the Interior	Andres Bonifacio

Emilio Aguinaldo was awarded the highest position despite his absence in the said convention due to military duties at Pasong Santol, Imus.  

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And although Bonifacio secured a position in the government, it was the lowest ranked position and clearly he lost power. Indeed it was difficult for the katipuneros, especially Bonifacio, to accept the results since the Magdiwangs were supposedly Bonifacio’s supporters but in the end did not vote for him for either the presidential or vice presidential positions. And as if to harden the blow of Bonifacio winning the lowest rank, a Caviteno elite, Daniel Tirona, spoke up and objected to Bonifacio’s win saying that an uneducated man and a non-Caviteno is not to be part of the said government especially since Bonifacio was without a lawyer’s diploma. With this, Bonifacio declared the assembly dissolved and that the election of the leaders was annulled.

Bonifacio and his men went and conducted another meeting which was now named as “the second tejeros convention” in the same estate house. In this discussion they wrote a document entitled, Acta de Tejeros wherein they cited why they would not amend to the said government. They have let themselves believe that there were anomalies in the previous election. Aguinaldo tried to reason with Bonifacio and try to convince him to return to the newly reinforced government, but still Bonifacio refused to heed Aguinaldo’s call.

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Bonifacio’s anger towards what he considered anomalies of the election and the insult he received from Daniel Tirona pushed him to write another document stating that the katipuneros would be establishing a new and independent government separate from what they established in Tejeros. They organized a new army that would follow a military leader of their choice. The document posed a great threat to the real goal and cause of the revolution. With the divided ranks and revolutionists, the revolution was bound to fail.

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In today’s time and society the division between the people is still evidently seen when it comes to politics and elected leaders with one side claiming that their side was cheated on by the other party. Even through the years, the people of today’s society still have not yet united under one common government. Groups still exists as to what we can compare to the Tejeros Convention divided governments, maybe because unlike Bonifacio’s time the “groups” existing now are those classified based on their (the people) circumstances in life and of course their beliefs.

And although the Filipino people has one goal, which is to give progress to our country’s current state, each and every one of the people might have a different interpretation as to how to achieve that goal. But as to what happened during Bonifacio’s time, achieving a goal not as one people but in groups could lead to nowhere but to absolute defeat. And thus the phrase “kaya hindi umuunlad ang Pilipinas e”, because we are so diverse and divided that acquiring or reaching our common goal seems impossible to do. History does repeat itself, as the Katipuneros and Cavitenos were unable to solidify their relationship and unite during their time, the revolution faced its foreseen defeat. If we, the Filipino’s of modern times, still fail in uniting as one towards our common goal, we might also face our destruction but maybe not from colonizers but from ourselves. 

References: Constantino R., (2009). The Tejeros Assembly of 1897. Retrieved from http://msc.edu.ph/centennial/tejeros.html

The "Moro Problem"

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Before we begin tackling the topic on Moro Raids particularly what would happen if it still existed in today's society, let us first define what Moro means. According to Rasul (1970), the term "Moro" is a Spanish term derived from the Latin word "Mauros", the name given to the inhabitants of the province Mauritania in northwest Africa who were Muslims. By so, the Spaniards used the term Moro for every Muslim. But because of the piratical raids done by the Moros to Christian communities, the term "Moro" became synonymous with the words "pirates" or "raiders" (Rasul, 1970).

With this in mind, we could therefore say that the Moro Raids were basically raids done by the Muslims and as said above, these raids were executed mostly on Christian communities. But why do these raids occur?

Let us first look at the socio-political and economic state of the Philippines before.

According to Domingo (1993), even before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, it is known that the Islam already inhabited and ruled some parts of Sulu and Maguindanao and was already starting its influence in the neighbouring islands. With the help of the Borneans, these rulers dominated the trade in the area. Then the Spaniards came forming permanent settlements in the country, in which would obviously threat the not only the trade but also the influence that the Islams have already established in the country. Therefore, the Moros conducted raids in Spanish settlements (Domingo 1993). According to Loyre (1985), these raids did not reach its peak until the 1750's.  The Moro raids reached its peak due to the high demand for slaves in the Dutch East Indies. It was said that sometimes, the slaves were not sold for money but were exchanged for arms and ammunition. In line with this, the Moro Raids were not as "revenge", not just "an expression of anger" towards the Spaniards but for the Moros to explicitly show their strength and power. They used their slaves for housework, fieldwork and craftwork. Let us not forget that during ancient times, slavery was a way of living; it was a symbol of strength and power. Thus wrote a french writer "without slavery, the Moros cannot live for it was the base of their wealth and happiness" (Loyre, 1985).

As for the religous side of which many writers argue, that the Moro Raids were conducted because of the missionaries propagating their Christian faith, some find that it is not the case. According to Loyre (1991), the religous angle or argument relating to the Moro raids is highly unlikely because the raids were not only conductes on Christian settlements but also on tribal or non-Christian in Mindanao (Loyre, 1991). Therefore, it can be concluded that the Moros conducted raids not as just a way to drive the Christians away like we envisioned, but for them to express their strength and their power through slavery. It was their way of reacting in the arrival of the Spaniards and the threat they brought in the Moros' socio-political and economic status; and because it was a part of their life and their economic lifestyle. 

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During the Moro raids, thousands of lives were taken while more were taken for slavery. Villages, towns and churches were burned down. These raids were a series of bloodshed and destruction. Today, watchtowers are scattered all over the coasts of Luzon, Visayas and Northern Mindanao, reminding us of what tragedies happened in Christian communities before. Not only watchtowers but also forts, scatter in parts of the archipelago. Consequently, many coastal inhabitants were forced to move inland and some inland settlements came into existence. With this, the interior continued to grow and to progress. It also led to the establishment of Christian settlements in Mindanao. Although this resettlement was a program that proved to be effective but also led to continued heightening of the mistrust between the Christians and the Muslims which created an extreme atmosphere in Mindanao. Because of this, disputes in Mindanao continue to happen, disputes like bombing and wars which affect the Filipinos in Mindanao greatly in which a lot of lives are lost through bloodshed and infrastructures burn to the ground.

References:

Non, D. (1993, March). Moro Piracy During the Spanish Period and its Impact. Retrieved from https://kyoto-seas.org>pdf.

Spanish Influences and How it Affects Us: Good or Bad?

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Through the years, the Filipinos were under colonization of different and more powerful countries, one of which (and the first) was the Spaniards. After 300 years of subjugation to the Spaniards, the Philippines and the Filipino people were never the same as before. They adapted to the way of living of their colonizers. Of course, in 300 years why wouldn’t we expect the Filipino people change according to these colonizers’ practices. Given the amount of time of subjugation, it expected for Filipinos to live according to these changes or influences even up to the present. Some prove to be good, some are bad, and some uumm depends on perspectives. Since many believe that the Spaniards are these evil colonizers who took away our freedom, confused our identities or in shorter terms “destroyed everything”; let us destroy the Spaniards’ reputation even further.

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Many wonder when the term “Filipino Time” started. Well, according to some sources, Filipino time started during the Spanish colonization when arriving late constitutes with you being a very important or powerful person. Apparently, during those times the more late you were, the higher your social status is. Other sources would argue that Filipino time developed because during social gatherings, Filipinos or Indios would be asked (or required) to arrive 30 minutes to an hour later than their Spanish colonizers. Although for me, the latter would explain so much why Filipinos are always late to gatherings or group meetings; am I right? However, whichever is true, the sources agree on one thing; that Filipino time did start during the Spanish colonization era.  For those who wonder, the term “Filipino time” was not invented until the Americans came and were irritated by the lack of punctuality of the Filipinos.

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In another light, the Spaniards have given us gatherings to look forward to, events to celebrate, times to just be happy and enjoy all the sounds, colors, lights, the music and of course the dancing! These celebrations influenced by the Spaniards are called fiestas. These festive events bring joy to the Filipino people because they are able to enjoy a lot of good food with good company including, of course, their loved ones. Fiestas give us the perfect excuse to visit distant relatives whom we haven’t seen the whole year or maybe even longer. Even in just a day of celebration, it brings us closer to the ones we love and makes us feel more connected since fiestas are celebrations based on a local culture. In Pateros, we celebrate the Fiesta of Sta. Martha and my family hosts a celebration wherein we prepare and serve food popular to the Pateros people including the famous balut. In my family’s experiences throughout the years, the preparations for these fiestas may sometimes be stressful but for sure when that day finally comes, all the hard work would be worth it. For sure all of us enjoy these festivities!

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And in another other light, the Spaniards brought to us Catholicism. As a Catholic and a firm believer of the Lord I would say that Catholicism is indeed a blessing to the Filipinos. But I cannot speak for the whole population of the Filipino people so this paragraph will be solely based on my opinions only. In our times today, I would say that it seems outrageous to believe that nature could be our god, things like trees, winds or seas. I could not imagine modern Filipinos still praying to the same trees, the same flowers, mountains as ancient Filipinos did before. The Spaniards gave us (or me) something to believe in. Some may say that the Lord is the same as the trees the ancient Filipinos pray upon before; or that there is no proof that God really does exist. And I would say that what you are saying is absolutely true in which I can only argue, I believe because I want to and I choose to believe.

With all this it can be concluded that the Spaniards did not only bring horrors and terrible experiences to the Filipinos (although what they did was pretty horrible), but they also gave us some things to look forward to (like the fiestas) and something to ponder upon (religion). No matter what happened, it is all part of the past now, OUR past so it is still best to never forget about it because it is a part of whom we are now. No matter the influences the colonizers have given us, the Filipinos will always be the Filipinos. Our identity is not lost in the past as some of us would believe, our identity is here with us in the present. We are Filipinos!

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References: 

Batongbakal, L. (2016, October 20). The Intriguing History of Filipino Time.  Retrieved from https://newsbits.mb.com.ph/2016/10/11/the-intriguing-history-of-filipino-time/

Tan, B. (2016, March 23). Why Filipinos Follow Filipino Time. Retrived from https://medium.com/@btantheman/why-filipinos-follow-filipino-time-d38e2c162927

Sison, S. (2015, April 23). Can We Get Rid of Filipino Time?. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/views/imho/90791-get-rid-filipino-time