Joseph Rommel Cortez October 20, 2018

Philosophical Foundations of Education BULSU Graduate School

Dean Gerald Hilario

The Relevant Contributions to Education of the First Philippine Republic

The First Philippine Republic or the Malolos Republic was a revolutionary government in the
Philippines, formally established with the proclamation of the Malolos Constitution on January
21, 1899, in Malolos, Bulacan. It was established after the Philippine Revolution against Spanish
Empire (1896-1897) and the Spanish–American War between Spain and the United States
(1898). In December 1898, Spain sold the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of
Paris, making the United States formally the Philippines colonial power. Following the American
victory at the Battle of Manila Bay, Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines, issued the Philippine
Declaration of Independence on June 12, 1898, and established a revolutionary Philippine
government. The Malolos Constitution establishing the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed
the following month. The Philippine–American War began in February 1899, which lasted until
the capture of President Emilio Aguinaldo by the American forces on March 23, 1901, in
Palanan, Isabela. Though short-lived, the First Philippine, nonetheless catapulted the Filipino
nation onto the world’s consciousness carving not only a place among the family of nations but
also a distinct niche as the first republic in Asia. While much of the world was oblivious to its
birthing, the First Republic proved that Filipinos were capable of self-rule and deserved their
longed-for freedom after more than 300 years of colonial bondage- a bondage shaken time and
again by sporadic revolts, whose disparateness precluded ultimate victory.
The Philippine Republic was the first constitutional republic in Asia. Although there were
several Asian republics predating the First Philippine Republic for example, the Republic of
Formosa or the Republic of Ezo, the Republic at Malolos was the first to frame a comprehensive
constitution duly approved by a partially elected congress.

Because of the destruction of schools during the Spanish-American war and due to the peace and
order situation, the schools maintained by Spain for more than three centuries were closed briefly in
1889 but were reopened on August 29, 1898 by then Secretary of Interior, Teodoro Sandico.

The interior secretary ordered all governors, across the country to re-establish the schools that
were abandoned particularly because of the war. The public education system that was reopened
due to Article 23 in the Malolos Constitution was to be free and mandatory all over the country
and was allocated an initial budget of P35,000. It is worth noting that even back then, the
government has already realized the importance of education in nation building, allocating a
budget, meager as it may seem, to ensure that there would be continuous dissemination of
education.

Except for the emphasis on Philippine History and Geography, the curricula of the schools were
not that different from the curricula of the Colonial-Spain directed educational institutions. Not
surprisingly, while Tagalog was established as the national language in the Constitution of Biak
na Bato, reading and writing were still done in Spanish. The choice of Tagalog as the national
language was more due to the nationalistic theme during those times, no pedagogical foundation,
as compared to the current thrust of the present-day educational system wherein the use of the
mother tongue, which has pedagogical basis, is strongly encouraged.

Three major educational institutions were also established during the brief period that the
insurgent Filipino government was in control, namely, The Burgos Institute (the country's first
law school), the Academia Militar (the country's first military academy), and the Literary
University of the Philippines in answer to Article 23 of the Malolos Constitution which
mandated that public education would be free and obligatory in all schools of the nation under
the First Philippine Republic.

The Literary University of the Philippines was the first state university in the country. It was
established by a decree issued on October 19, 1898 and was inaugurated on November 10 of the
same year. It used to be in Tambobong (now Malabon) but was later transferred to the convent of
Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan. The first president of the university was Dr. Joaquin
Gonzales and was succeeded later by Dr. Leon Ma. Guerrero, who delivered the first
commencement address on September 29, 1899. The university provided courses in Law,
Notarianship, Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy. Unfortunately, the institution did not last long
due to the conflict it had with the American colonizers leading to its quick dissolution.

The Burgos Institute of Malolos was a secular institution. It is the country’s first Law School and
was exclusive for boys. It was established through a decree issued on October 24, 1898. It was
under the supervision of Don Enrique Mendiola. The curriculum of the said school still included
Latin along with grammar, history and geography, Spanish literature, mathematics, French,
English, physics, chemistry, philosophy, and natural laws.

The Military Academy of Malolos was established by Aguinaldo to train great soldiers for the
Republic. It was often referred to as the Academia Militar and was the country’s first military
school. It was established in Malolos, Bulacan on October 25, 1898, following a decree from the
president. Aimed at providing training for future officers who were to lead the regular army of
the Philippines, it was headed by Manuel Sityar. When war broke out between the Filipino
insurgents and the American colonizers, the academy was closed in January 20, 1899. It
eventually resurfaced later and became the Philippine Military Academy which is now housed in
Baguio.
About a year after having secured Manila, the Americans were keen to open up seven schools
with army servicemen teaching with army command-selected books and supplies. In the same
year, 1899, more schools were opened, this time, with 24 English-language teachers and 4500
students. In that system, basic education consisted of 6 years elementary and 4 years secondary
schooling which, until recently, prepared students for tertiary level instruction for them to earn a
degree that would secure them a job later in life.

Following the capture of President Emilio Aguinaldo and the subsequent downfall of the First
Philippine Republic, a highly centralized, experimental public-school system was installed in
1901 by the Philippine Commission and legislated by Act No. 74. The law exposed a severe
shortage of qualified teachers, brought about by large enrollment numbers in schools. As a result,
the Philippine Commission authorized the Secretary of Public Instruction to bring more than
1,000 teachers from the United States, who were called the Thomasites, to the Philippines
between 1901 and 1902. These teachers were scattered throughout the islands to establish
barangay schools. The same law established the Philippine Normal School (now the Philippine
Normal University) to train aspiring Filipino teachers.