Philippines, 1896 - Revolution goes differently

Hello, first post. Now this is something I've been pondering after going through some Philippine history books. Searching the threads, there are a few topics that mention the anti-Spanish war of independence of the country so I'm relieved I'm not discussing a wholly new subject here.

In real life (OTL, heh), the separatist secret society Kataastaasang Kagalanggalang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Highest and Most Respected Society of the Sons of the Country) was exposed to the Spanish colonial authorities in August 1896 and their members (Katipuneros)decided to start their revolution ASAP despite the lack of firearms. Their plan was to attack the capital, Manila, on 12:00 am midnight of the 29th/30th. After the decision to revolt was finalized on the 23rd/24th by the Katipunan ruling council, a manifesto was released by Katipunan leader Andres Bonifacio on the 28th:

...please let all the brethren know that on Saturday, the 29th of the current month, the revolution shall commence according to our agreement. For this purpose, it is necessary for all towns to rise simultaneously and attack Manila at the same time.
Now local historians have usually focused on "the first big battle" where Bonifacio led an attack on the town of San Juan del Monte to capture its powder magazine and water station. This attack was driven back with heavy casualties. But at the same time the various towns and areas around the walled city proper (Intramuros) rose up in revolt as well.

The conventional view is that the San Juan attack took place instead of the planned general offensive on Manila (possibly due to the lack of guns - hence, "let's attack the armory instead") and this triggered a general state of rebellion in the area, extending to the provinces surrounding Manila. However, recent books note that the fighting in the Manila region proper took place exactly where the Katipuneros advanced toward the city. A number of generals had been appointed to lead troops toward the city, taking different routes through the surrounding towns. This shows the battle plans were not some spur-of-the-moment thing. But Spanish intelligence had discovered these plans and thus lines of defense were set around Intramuros to receive and intercept the rebels. In short, the attack on Manila did take place.

Also, rebels from Cavite province were supposed to join the attack on the city. They didn't. Finally, a whole regiment of native infantry stationed in Manila was supposed to defect to the rebels, but the Spanish found out and transferred them to Mindanao island in the south before they could aid the rebels. It's likely Bonifacio did not find this out until it was too late.

Where does the POD come in? Before he issued the above manifesto on the 28th but after the decision to revolt had been made, Bonifacio received a written protest by one of the two Katipunan councils in Cavite who were against starting the revolt because they lacked guns and ammo. He also considered retreating to the mountains to build a fortress for the Katipunan but was advised against this because he was needed in the field for the upcoming battle. Now the Spanish Governor-General had ordered the disciplinary transfer of the suspect native regiment on the 25th after a skirmish between rebels and Civil Guards was brought to his attention.

POD: Word reaches Bonifacio that the sympathetic native regiment is going to be transferred on the day of the planned offensive itself.

As I imagine it, the double whammy of unreliable troops from Cavite and the removal of the native colonial troops from the scene forces Bonifacio to call off the Manila offensive. If the Spanish know about the planned defection, they must know about his battle plans as well. Instead of attempting to take out the government in one coordinated attack (cutting off the head of the snake, as one historian put it), he is forced to order his men to engage in a protracted guerrilla war, with an emphasis on seizing what guns they can from civil guard outposts and hiding in the mountains in forts that will have to be built. He endorses this hit-and-run plan in the manifesto of the 28th. Later, the San Juan armory is judged too dangerous to attack because of the Spanish defense lines.

In reality Bonifacio was forced to wage war guerrilla fashion after defeats in San Juan and a couple other places. I've made him take this tack earlier. This was the way for rebels pretty much everywhere except Cavite, because the rebels there succeeded in capturing virtually the entire province. This was due in no small part to the withdrawal of the Spanish troops there to counter the rebels in the Manila area.
 
A second POD could be made either in this timeline or in the real one. In October 1896, the Cavite rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo issued two manifestos that proclaimed the establishment of a provisional and revolutionary government patterned after the USA. By this time most if not virtually all of Cavite was in rebel hands. These two manifestos are notable because:

- there is no mention of the Katipunan. Aguinaldo was an official of the Magdalo council, which had protested the Manila offensive. Some historians therefore conclude that the council intended to abandon the existing Katipunan organization to set themselves up as leaders of a new nation. There is also no mention of the other Katipunancouncil of the province, the Magdiwang.

-
Aguinaldo uses the terms Philippines (Filipinas) and Filipino while the Katipunan had largely used the terms Katagalugan and Tagalog. These terms originally refer to the Tagalog ethnic group, which Bonifacio, Aguinaldo and many if not most of the Katipuneros belonged to. Katagaluganin English is roughly "the land of the Tagalogs". These indigenous terms were used because the conventional terms had colonial origins. Filipino as used officially did not even refer to natives, who were indios, but to Spanish born in the islands. The Katipunandid expand the meaning of Tagalog to all natives, and thus Katagalugan to the entire country. Their reasoning was the term Tagalog is derived from the phrase "taga-ilog", "river-dweller", which is a suitably generic description for natives. Now using terms with such specific ethnic baggage probably was and is probably still controversial, and thus reclaiming the colonial terms for themselves was probably for the best. But what if the original intent had stuck?

- According to several historians Bonifacio had established a government of sorts based on the council system the Katipunan operated by. He was the Supreme President because all councils had a president. Before the revolt started the ruling council of the Katipunan was made into a presidential cabinet. So if Aguinaldo and the Magdalo were aware this happened, they were really burning bridges with the old organisation.

POD: Bonifacio acquires copies of one or both manifestos. Figuring his own proclamation was ignored in the heat of battle, he makes one again.
 
A second POD could be made either in this timeline or in the real one. In October 1896, the Cavite rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo issued two manifestos that proclaimed the establishment of a provisional and revolutionary government patterned after the USA. By this time most if not virtually all of Cavite was in rebel hands. These two manifestos are notable because:

- there is no mention of the Katipunan. Aguinaldo was an official of the Magdalo council, which had protested the Manila offensive. Some historians therefore conclude that the council intended to abandon the existing Katipunan organization to set themselves up as leaders of a new nation. There is also no mention of the other Katipunancouncil of the province, the Magdiwang.

-
Aguinaldo uses the terms Philippines (Filipinas) and Filipino while the Katipunan had largely used the terms Katagalugan and Tagalog. These terms originally refer to the Tagalog ethnic group, which Bonifacio, Aguinaldo and many if not most of the Katipuneros belonged to. Katagaluganin English is roughly "the land of the Tagalogs". These indigenous terms were used because the conventional terms had colonial origins. Filipino as used officially did not even refer to natives, who were indios, but to Spanish born in the islands. The Katipunandid expand the meaning of Tagalog to all natives, and thus Katagalugan to the entire country. Their reasoning was the term Tagalog is derived from the phrase "taga-ilog", "river-dweller", which is a suitably generic description for natives. Now using terms with such specific ethnic baggage probably was and is probably still controversial, and thus reclaiming the colonial terms for themselves was probably for the best. But what if the original intent had stuck?

- According to several historians Bonifacio had established a government of sorts based on the council system the Katipunan operated by. He was the Supreme President because all councils had a president. Before the revolt started the ruling council of the Katipunan was made into a presidential cabinet. So if Aguinaldo and the Magdalo were aware this happened, they were really burning bridges with the old organisation.

POD: Bonifacio acquires copies of one or both manifestos. Figuring his own proclamation was ignored in the heat of battle, he makes one again.
Language and Ethnic Groups was not that important in the pre-occupation era in fact the kingdom called Ma-I(Which I think is the same thing as the kingdom of tondo) was composed of Lingayen,Babuyan Islands,Mindoro and Lubang etc...

The truth is that the spanish performed a genocide by dillution against the 'hostile' people of eastern and western central luzon such as Sambals by importing people from batangas and Ilocos which created a mixed language that language incidentally had similarities with the language from batangas..that is why the language of manila has words from Northern Cordillera,Ilokano and Sambal.

Another thing is Aguinaldo is a traitor he hired the ancestor of Gloria Macapagal to kill Andres Bonifacio.
http://otsopya.multiply.com/reviews/item/8
The history was distorted when the americans ruled the philippines for the americans liking...
 
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Another thing is Aguinaldo is a traitor he hired the ancestor of Gloria Macapagal to kill Andres Bonifacio.
Yes, Lazaro Makapagal, the commander of the execution party (but is she - our current President - really related?).

In the OTL Bonifacio went to Cavite in December 1896 after being invited there to preside over the debate to form a (or as some historians have it, change the) revolutionary government. As I've said, the Magdalo council was in favor of a new government while the Magdiwang council was in favor of keeping the existing structure. An election was held in March 1897 with Emilio Aguinaldo being elected President and Bonifacio as Director of the Interior. But some guy questioned his capability for the position because he had no lawyer's diploma. Since they had all agreed beforehand to respect the election results, Bonifacio demanded a retraction and apology. When none came, he declared the election null and void as supreme president of the Katipunan. But from the viewpoint of the day's victors, the Katipunan ceased to exist with the election.

In the following weeks he and his supporters drafted a protest statement - allegedly ballots were rigged and more importantly, the voters at the election were mostly from Cavite and therefore could not properly represent "the will of the people". Bonifacio's group also prepared an act stating Bonifacio was (still) the supreme president and the rebel army was under his command. Bonifacio then started to move out from Cavite back to his home base, but Aguinaldo sent men to arrest him. He was captured, sentenced to death for treason and executed.

In my timeline all this doesn't happen. Following from below:

POD: Bonifacio acquires copies of one or both of Aguinaldo's manifestos in November 1896. By this time he has received requests from the Magdiwang council to intervene in the debate over form of government. In the OTL he did not accept immediately because he was busy fighting and it was imperative to harass the enemy from all fronts. (Cavite is to the northeast of Manila).

Same here, but he makes a manifesto of his own, declaring the revolutionary government that came into existence in August still exists and never ceased to. He does not go to Cavite at all because his prior knowledge of the Magdalo group's ambitions makes him wary of going to unfamiliar territory.

In the OTL Bonifacio's presence in Cavite probably worsened the political rivalry of the Katipunan councils, for here was living proof of their differences in ideology and people were able to oppose him to his face. In this timeline, his proclamation of government stifles Aguinaldo and the Magdalo's machinations for now, for what can they do when their so-called sworn supreme leader contradicts their decrees directly? They cannot ignore him outright, because they realize they need the Magdiwang council who were (still) staunchly in favor of continuing the old structures. If there is to be discussion of change, it shall be for another day.
 
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Yes, Lazaro Makapagal, the commander of the execution party (but is she - our current President - really related?).

In the OTL Bonifacio went to Cavite in December 1896 after being invited there to preside over the debate to form a (or as some historians have it, change the) revolutionary government. As I've said, the Magdalo council was in favor of a new government while the Magdiwang council was in favor of keeping the existing structure. An election was held in March 1897 with Emilio Aguinaldo being elected President and Bonifacio as Director of the Interior. But some guy questioned his capability for the position because he had no lawyer's diploma. Since they had all agreed beforehand to respect the election results, Bonifacio demanded a retraction and apology. When none came, he declared the election null and void as supreme president of the Katipunan. But from the viewpoint of the day's victors, the Katipunan ceased to exist with the election.

In the following weeks he and his supporters drafted a protest statement - allegedly ballots were rigged and more importantly, the voters at the election were mostly from Cavite and therefore could not properly represent "the will of the people". Bonifacio's group also prepared an act stating Bonifacio was (still) the supreme president and the rebel army was under his command. Bonifacio then started to move out from Cavite back to his home base, but Aguinaldo sent men to arrest him. He was captured, sentenced to death for treason and executed.

In my timeline all this doesn't happen. Following from below:

POD: Bonifacio acquires copies of one or both of Aguinaldo's manifestos in November 1896. By this time he has received requests from the Magdiwang council to intervene in the debate over form of government. In the OTL he did not accept immediately because he was busy fighting and it was imperative to harass the enemy from all fronts. (Cavite is to the northeast of Manila).

Same here, but he makes a manifesto of his own, declaring the revolutionary government that came into existence in August still exists and never ceased to. He does not go to Cavite at all because his prior knowledge of the Magdalo group's ambitions makes him wary of going to unfamiliar territory.

In the OTL Bonifacio's presence in Cavite probably worsened the political rivalry of the Katipunan councils, for here was living proof of their differences in ideology and people were able to oppose him to his face. In this timeline, his proclamation of government stifles Aguinaldo and the Magdalo's machinations for now, for what can they do when their so-called sworn supreme leader contradicts their decrees directly? They cannot ignore him outright, because they realize they need the Magdiwang council who were (still) staunchly in favor of continuing the old structures. If there is to be discussion of change, it shall be for another day.
Yes,she is her grand-daughter, basically that clan is known for treachery.

- Aguinaldo uses the terms Philippines (Filipinas) and Filipino while the Katipunan had largely used the terms Katagalugan and Tagalog. These terms originally refer to the Tagalog ethnic group, which Bonifacio, Aguinaldo and many if not most of the Katipuneros belonged to. Katagaluganin English is roughly "the land of the Tagalogs". These indigenous terms were used because the conventional terms had colonial origins. Filipino as used officially did not even refer to natives, who were indios, but to Spanish born in the islands. The Katipunandid expand the meaning of Tagalog to all natives, and thus Katagalugan to the entire country. Their reasoning was the term Tagalog is derived from the phrase "taga-ilog", "river-dweller", which is a suitably generic description for natives. Now using terms with such specific ethnic baggage probably was and is probably still controversial, and thus reclaiming the colonial terms for themselves was probably for the best. But what if the original intent had stuck?
Actually that term was more associated with the script used in the preoccupation period.
 
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