Mabini - fighter for freedom
Media
Part of Panorama
- Title
- Mabini - fighter for freedom
- Language
- English
- Source
- Panorama Volume XVII (Issue No.8) August 1965
- Year
- 1965
- Subject
- Liberty
- Heroes
- Mabini, Apolinario
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- ■ The role of a great Filipino patriot MABINI - FIGHTER FOR FREEDOM Apolinario Mabini, a Fili pino, was the first Oriental to present the bold formula of complete and absolute freedom and independence for his people. For him, inde pendence and freedom had to be absolute in order to be cherished by the people. The Spanish colonial re gime was a period character ized by moral, social, and political degeneration, Mabini’s honesty, decency, dig nity, and delicacy provided contrast to the pervading cor ruption in that period. He was* borri on July 23, 1864, in the barrio of Talaga, mu nicipality of Tanauan, pro vince of Batangas. Although his parents were very poor, Mabini was able to finish his secondary course at the San Juan de Letran through a free scholarship obtained in open competition. After wards, he obtained his Ba chelor of Laws degree at the University of Santo Tomas. It is to be recounted that when Mabini was named Prime Minister of the Aguinaldo Cabinet, he did not collect his salary nor spend a single centavo of the pub lic finances. In his. Deca logue, the Batangas sage em phasized the value of honor which he laid stress on in the first commandment: “First. Love God and your honor above all things; God as fountain of all truth, of all justice, and all activity; honor is the only power that will oblige you to be truth ful, just and laborious.” After his graduation from the University of Santo To mas, Mabini worked as de puty clerk in the court of first instance of Manila. Later on, he practised law. Once, while Mabini was un dergoing treatment for his paralysis in Los Banos, a group of soldiers appeared in his cottage and informed him that they were instruct August 1965 11 ed by General Emilio Aguinaldo to bring him to the General’s office in Kawit, Ca vite. Mabini was surprised, but he obeyed the orders of the commander-in-chief of the Filipino rebels who had just returned from Hong Kong in keeping with the agreement in the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. Mabini was offered the position of adviser by Aguinaldo. The Batangas lawyer at first refused, claiming that he was a very sick man. Aguinaldo, then, appealed to his sense of patriotism and Ma bini could no longer ignore the call of duty. Aguinaldo was advised by Mabini that in order to strengthen his government he had to obtain the support of the people. He suggested that a Congress of delegates from different provinces be sum moned to congregate at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, to ratify the Declar ration of Philippine indepen dence of June 12, 1898, and to support the policies of the new and independent govern ment. Aguinaldo followed Mabini’s suggestion and the delegates of the Malolos Con gress were summoned. Agui naldo and the rest of his ca binet transferred the seat of government to Malolos, Bu lacan. Since his arrival in Malo los, the first problem that Mabini had to tackle was the consolidation of Aguinaldo’s rule. When the latter pro claimed Philippine Indepen dence in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898, he held con trol only over eight Tagalog provinces, which were Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Morong, and Nueva Ecija. Aguinaldo had no jurisdiction over the rest of the regions of the Phil ippines. At that time, Agui naldo had appointed Mabini Prime Minister, and as such, head of the Council of Mi nisters. Mabini was aware that the three most important regions of the Philippines had also declared their independence from Spain under three dif ferent leaders, separated from and independent of each other. During the convention of the Malolos Congress in the church of Barasoain, Malo los, Bulacan, on September 12 Panorama 29, 1898, the Visayan leaders sent Francisco Villanueva as their delegate to propose to Aguinaldo that the Visayas be joined with Luzon and Mindanao to form a strong and united nation which would be powerful enough to resist the Spanish rulers. Aguinaldo, Mabini and other members of Congress approv ed the proposal of Villanue va, Sr.; and for the first time in Philippine history a single juridical entity, a true Phil ippine nation, was born. Mabini continued to fight for his country's freedom even with the coming of the Americans. He had to be car ried from town to town, from battlefield to battle field in a hammock and he never ceased writing letters to generals and other army officials ' encouraging them not to lose heart in fighting. Afterwards, the Americans offered peace negotiations. Pedro Paterno proposed that the Philippines be made a protectorate of the United States. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera proposed that the Philippines be annexed to the United States. But Apolinario Mabini remained firm in his idea of complete and absolute independence for the Philippines. Mabini was captured by the Americans and brought to Manila where he was im prisoned at Fort Santiago. However, after peace reigned in the Philippines, the Am ericans issued in 1901 a gen eral amnesty for war pri soners, and Mabini regained his freedom. He was help less, sick and penniless. Final ly on May 13, 1903, the Sub lime Paralytic succumbed to cholera. Thus ended the life of a ceaseless fighter for Phil ippine freedom, who in spite of his being a paralytic offer ed his talents and labor for the well-being of his country. — By Francisco Villanueva, Jr.,, Sunday Times Magazine, July 25, 1965. When a man is on his knees proposing to a girl, he might as well say his prayers at the same time. — Chicago Daily Tribune. August 1965 13