The Tejeros Convention (March 22, 1897) was an attempt to unify Magdiwang and Magdalo as one body and to create a revolutionary government replacing the Katipunan. Bonifacio, as the ‘Katipunan Supremo’, presided over the assembly. This convention then gave birth to the revolutionary Government which elected (in absentia) Aguinaldo as president. Bonifacio, however, who initially accepted the results of the election, (with himself as Interior Minister) was offended by Daniel Tirona’s protest regarding his fitness for the position. He then declared the assembly’s nullity. However, this did not stop members of the assembly from summoning Aguinaldo (who was then at the battlefield) and swearing him in as president of the revolutionary government in Tanza, Cavite.
| AGUINALDO | BONIFACIO | OTHER OPINIONS |
| Bonifacio was fully aware of the plan to form a revolutionary government. Together with Ricarte, he visited eleven Magdiwang territories with the purpose of preparing the electors (December 1896). The Magdalo group, meanwhile, only knew of the plan to create a revolutionary government four days before the Tejeros Convention - March 18, 1897. | Bonifacio was misled about the true purpose of the Magdalo-Magdiwang meeting. He thought the purpose of the meeting was to strategically plan how to wage revolutionary war against Spain – not to create a revolutionary government to lead the war. | The Magdiwang Council called for the Tejeros Assembly to discuss the defense of their territories as regards the impending attacks of the Spaniards. In the midst of the meeting, however, a co-Magdiwang suggested the establishment of a revolutionary government to replace Katipunan, which by then, had already been discovered. - Dr. Emmanuel Calairo |
| As most of the Magdalo towns were engaged in battles every day, only nine Magdalo delegates out of over a thousand were present at the Tejeros Convention. Despite the fact that Magdiwang delegates outnumbered the Magdalo delegates, Emilio Aguinaldo was elected President (in absentia) and Baldomero Aguinaldo was also elected as the Director of Finance. | Bonifacio attended the Tejeros Convention with a contingent of twenty men. | Most of the attendees in the Tejeros Convention were Magdiwang members from Batangas while some are from Manila and nearby provinces. They were then popularly referred to as the “Alsa Balutan”. But based on the study of Isagani R. Medina, the record shows that some of the elected Magdiwang officials were related to some Magdalo members, either by affinity or consanguinity. - Dr. Emmanuel Calairo |
| During the convention, Bonifacio was nominated for (1) the presidency, (2) vice-presidency, and (3) as Director of War. However, he was not elected to any of these positions. He eventually won over Diego Mojica for the position of Director of Interior. | Bonifacio did not win the highest position in the elections and instead was elected as the Director of Interior. However, General Daniel T. Tirona protested Bonifacio’s election as Director of the Interior on the grounds that only a good lawyer can hold the position. General Tirona asserted that Bonifacio, being uneducated, was not qualified for the post. | It was wrong to insult and demean Bonifacio in the manner that Tirona did. Especially because this was the third time Tirona insulted Bonifacio. You simply do not kick a man when he is already down. This explains the behavior of Bonifacio from then on. - GGS |
| Bonifacio’s declaration of nullity was rejected. Col. Santiago Rillo, a representative of two thousand Batangueños in the assembly questioned Bonifacio’s authority to nullify the elections and took charge of the proceedings. | With the protest, a fuming mad Bonifacio stood and drew his revolver, pointing it at Tirona. He was stopped by Artemio Ricarte. The incident, however, triggered Bonifacio to declare the election null and void, claiming his chairmanship of the convention as authority. | For the majority who remained in the assembly, Bonifacio’s declaration of nullity was untenable. Led by Santiago Rillo, the majority decided to continue the election and then invited Aguinaldo to take his oath as the president of the revolutionary government. - Dr. Emmanuel Calairo What are we to make of this once forgotten historical document? Aguinaldo was the only Magdalo elected to a government dominated by Magdiwang. Aguinaldo did not need to attend or cheat in the Tejeros Convention; the presidency was handed to him by the Magdiwang that betrayed Bonifacio - Dr. Ambeth Ocampo Read More → |
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