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[av_heading heading=’The ‘Ilonggo nation’’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY JOHNNY NOVERA
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Tuesday, February 27, 2018
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WE HAVE this plan under the present administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to change to federal our present republican form of government.
We seem to observe, however, from our contact with the public that many citizens still have very limited knowledge of this federal concept of government.
It is interesting that for Iloilo and the Visayas, we came across an Ilonggo Nation Movement founded on Dec. 25, 2005 by one Dinggol A. Divinagracia. It came out with a newsletter called Ang Pungsod Ilonggo that cited interesting facts about federalism in our history.
According to the newsletter, Ilonggos set up the first Federal Republic of the Visayas that existed from 1898 to 1901. (Source: “History Reborn: The Federal Republic of the Visayas – Vol. 1 * Issue No. 001 * June 12, 2007”).
But this fact of history was obviously omitted or deliberately hidden from our history books. The Independent Visayas Republic has never been under the authority and jurisdiction of Aguinaldo’s “Katagalogan” Republic in Luzon. The reason was that Spain had already surrendered to the Federal Republic of the Visayas before General Emilio Aguinaldo was proclaimed Philippine President in Malolos, Bulacan on Jan. 23, 1899.
A paper written by Jose Manuel Velmonte, a research associate at the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center, disclosed that Visayan revolutionary elites not only had sophisticated political ideas but also resented attempts by Malolos to assert its authority.
A Tagalog military expedition that was sent by Malolos to Panay to assert its presence was met with hostility. The Luzon force led by Generals Ananias Diocno and Leandro Fullon was regarded by the Visayan revolutionaries led by then Supremo, General Martin Delgado, as an “invasion force” and they were rejected! (Source: Inquirer 1999-06-13: “View of Revolt in Provinces Spurs Revision” By Amando Doronila)
The 1898 Treaty of Paris preliminaries should not have included territories of the sovereign “Visayan Nation” – the Confederation of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Romblon cantonal governments – by virtue of Spain’s formal surrender to the local revolutionaries prior to the US-Spain treaty of peace and the $20 million buyout. Spain had therefore no more right legal right to sell.
On Nov. 6 and Dec. 23, 1898 Spain formally surrendered to both — the Negros Republic that merged (Dec. 2, 1898) with the Federal Republic of the Visayas based in Iloilo, respectively.
This diplomatic “faux pas” that was officially consummated and became legal and internationally binding on April 11, 1899 must be rectified!
The two nations, the Negros Republic and the Federal Republic of the Visayas in Iloilo, from a purely legal standpoint, ARE COMPLETELY LEGITIMATE UNTIL TODAY. This could imply that the Manila-based Tagalista-oriented Unitarian central government of the Philippines in the Visayas and Mindanao is an Occupational Government that ultimately originated from an invalid Treaty of Paris. (Dr. Jose P. Dacudao, national president, Save Our Language thru Federalism Foundation (SOLFED), Inc.”
This is the history of the “ILONGGO NATION” that therefore remains as a legitimate Federal Region until today.
With these facts of history, we hereby endorse the movement for the territory of the previously merged Negros Republic and the Federal Republic of the Visayas to be restored as one political region in the proposed federal government when implemented.
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Historical Quote of the Week
“Iloilo was the biggest and best producer of textile during the Spanish era.” (For comments or reactions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
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Was this set up in Panay Island? which eventually included Negros Island?
I find this post interesting in addition to Myriad Deus’ comment. This is making me curious to look at this point from different perspectives (Visayas & Zamboanga) around the contexts of what had happened before, during & after in reference to the Philippines’ 1st dictator: EA.