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Sila-Sila, Tayo-Tayo
History serves as guide and precaution for the present and future of its generation. A
reminder of exemplary stories for the community to follow, and narratives of suffering and loss
that poses as a warning for all not to follow. Yet, despite all the long examples laid out by history,
it’s still the same faces, same institutions and same mentality that dominates and give rise to
oppression. In fact, history not only repeats itself, it also continues and worsens up to this day.
A body with its organs that fight off one another and chooses not to function properly will
kill itself. What led to the failure of Aguinaldo’s Government is the government itself that
Aguinaldo established. Parallel with how the revolution failed, Aguinaldo’s republic government
failed internally. Like a cathedral with weak and substandard foundations, the republic government
Aguinaldo led in Malolos crumbled on its feet due to his desperation in establishing a new form
of government that equals the image of a prestigious government; in which was really patterned
after its colonizers. This desperation, along with his only prioritization with maintaining military
forces, wiped out the essence of forming a republican government; in serving for public matters
A class-conscious government, the republican government only catered the local elites,
members of the principalia class, as well the educated and land-owning Filipinos. This illustrado
mindset, where people from the upper class are the only ones allowed to take part in the
government, further divided the Filipino community and created a huge gap between the rich and
the poor. These biases could be seen on decrees and reforms Aguinaldo set up in which the only
beneficiaries are his cronies and officers. Practiced as early as 1898, cronyism and nepotism are
being practiced tirelessly up to this year of 2019 with President Duterte appointing and supporting
people under his wing with positions in the government which they, with fields of requirement to
meet, do not qualify. With their connections and fear of creating an enemy out of someone who
can only aid them, Aguinaldo and present President Duterte chose to appease and further tolerated
Aguinaldo was too dismissive with the complaints and appeal for reforms from the
Filipinos of the lower class that the already ineffective system became abusive and could equal or
was even more insufferable than Spanish abuses. These abuses that Filipino civilians carry on their
shoulders are their fellow brothers who sit and step on them in intentions of rising to power. While
the labelled elites lay in comfort on their spacious beds and luxurious life, Filipinos from the
proletariat sector, who were the ones who fought and still are fighting for the country, are being
Blinded by power they hold; the government and its officials underestimated the Filipino
peasants as submissive and object for labor under their mercy. With the continuous molestation in
property, rights, and life of the Filipinos, it left them with no other choice to fight back and join
the revolutionary movement. With the rise of Katipunan organization and progressive movement
of the Guardia de Honor, the sanctity of the republican government and the people inclusive in it
is starting rattle in both fear and aggravation. Fear of the ivory tower they have built will soon
crash and burn, and aggravation that they cannot stop these “rebels” from diminishing the
government’s image. Not learning from the revolution that they jumped on bandwagon, these
elites forgot that Filipino have been subjected to oppression before and will not hold back to revolt
against dominant power with their resilience to obtain freedom and independence from its
If only Aguinaldo was as obsessed with forming the supposed substance of a government
as he was with maintaining the country’s military army, corruption and maladministration would
have been avoided; and lives of his citizens would not have been subjected to another form of
brutality from its governing power. These abuses may not be directly pointed at Aguinaldo, but it
was under his governance and tolerance – or even ignorance – that the republic government failed.
The first republican government of the country failed because of the people residing and
holding its power. It is still the same case at present. Aguinaldo’s failed republican government
gave birth to another government that is also doomed to fail. A government with a nurturer who
will not serve justice to its people, fight for its people, and maintain its country’s order will surely
meet its demise under the hands of its people who will revolt against them.