Don Felipe Agoncillo y Encarnación (May 26, 1859 – September 29, 1941) was the
Filipino lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...
representative to the negotiations in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
that led to the
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United St ...
, ending the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
and achieving him the title of "''outstanding first Filipino diplomat''."
As a family friend and adviser of
General Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...
and
General Antonio Luna during the critical times of the revolution, Agoncillo has been active in participating during that era especially when he presided over the
Hong Kong Junta—a group of Filipino exiles who met to plan for future steps in achieving independence. His greatest contribution to
Philippine history
Earliest hominin activity in the Philippine archipelago is dated back to at least 709,000 years ago. ''Homo luzonensis'', a species of archaic humans, was present on the island of Luzon at least 67,000 years ago. The earliest known anatomically ...
was when he was assigned to negotiate with foreign countries to secure the independence of the country. This was considered the most important assignment given by a General.
Early life
Agoncillo was born on May 26, 1859, in
Taal, Batangas
Taal (), officially the Municipality of Taal ( tgl, Bayan ng Taal), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61,460 people.
Taal is famous for its old ances ...
, to Ramón Agoncillo and Gregoria Encarnación.
Already noticed for his keen intelligence at an early age, Agoncillo later enrolled at the
Ateneo Municipal de Manila
, mottoeng = Light in the Lord
, type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution
, established = December 10, 1859
, religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits)
, academic_aff ...
where he was an honor student who earned high marks. Subsequently, he transferred to the
Universidad de Santo Tomás where he graduated with a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...
in 1879 summa cum laude. After his parents' deaths, he returned to Taal in order to manage his family's properties.
Agoncillo graduated with a Master of Laws from Universidad de Santo Tomás and began his law practice in Manila.
Exile to Hong Kong
Forewarned by the plans of the governor-general, he sailed directly to
Yokohama, Japan
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
but briefly stayed and went to
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
where he joined other Filipino
exile
Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
s who found asylum when the revolution broke out in 1896. They temporarily sojourned at Morrison Hill Road in
Wanchai and later became a refuge for exiled Filipino patriots.
After the signing of the
Pact of Biak-na-Bato
The Pact of Biak-na-Bato, signed on December 15, 1897, created a truce between Spanish colonial Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera and the revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo to end the Philippine Revolution. Aguinaldo and his fellow rev ...
, Gen. Aguinaldo joined them. They initiated meetings in the Agoncillo residence on the months of April and March 1898, Gen. Luna was one in the attendance.
On August 30, 1898, he met
Francis Vinton Greene, an officer who participated in the Cuban theatre of the
Spanish-American War
Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in th ...
. Greene was ordered by US President McKinley to board a steamship from Hong Kong to Manila, and saw Agoncillo, who is hoping to see US President McKinley, on the same steamship and whom he invoke a good friendship with.
Diplomacy
After the signing of the truce, Agoncillo spearheaded the Central Revolutionary Committee and organized the propaganda office for General Aguinaldo's revolutionary government.
The Philippine Revolutionary Government commissioned Agoncillo as Minister Plenipotentiary to negotiate treaties with foreign governments. Agoncillo and Jose "Sixto" Lopez were sent to
Washington, D.C.,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
to lobby foreign entities that Filipinos are well civilized people and capable of maintaining stable government
[ and to secure recognition of Philippine independence.
Agoncillo met with President McKinley on October 1, 1899, and, speaking florid Castilian Spanish, described excesses under Spanish colonial rule. He described the American system as the model which the Philippine people will follow when they are independent, and asserted that U.S. emissaries had pledged support for Filipino self-rule. Ignoring the assertion of previous American commitments, McKinley rejected Agoncillo's request for Filipino representation at the peace talks between the U.S. and Spain and invited him to give the U.S. State Department a memorandum summarizing his views.
After being ignored by the US president, Agoncillo proceeded to ]Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
to present the Philippine cause at the peace conference convened between Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
and the US, where a meeting was to be held to discuss Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
and the Philippines. Agoncillo tried to submit a memorandum but again failed. The people behind the meeting did not want to have any official dealings with him.[ On December 10, 1898, the treaty was successfully signed.
Subsequently, Agoncillo's diplomatic activity incurred expenses that had exhausted his savings. Further, the cost traveling and negotiating abroad on behalf of The Philippines had forced him to sell his wife's jewelry.
]
Agoncillo's protest
Two days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, Agoncillo returned to the United States and endeavored to block ratification of the treaty by the US. Although this was signed by the commissioners, it was not yet approved by the Senate of the United States. He filed a State memorandum to express that Filipinos must be recognized by the United States. He presented a formal protest which was called ''Memorial to the Senate'' to the president and delegates of the Spanish-American Commission saying:
If the Spaniards have not been able to transfer to the Americans the rights which they did not possess; if the latter have not militarily conquered positions in the Philippines; if the occupation of Manila was a resultant fact, prepared by the Filipinos; if the international officials and representatives of the Republic of the United States of America offered to recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Philippines, solicited and accepted their alliance, how can they now constitute themselves as arbiters of the control, administration and future government of the Philippine Islands?
If the Treaty of Paris there had simply been declared the withdrawal and abandonment by the Spaniards of their domination --if they had such --over Filipino territory, if America, on accepting peace, had signed the Treaty, without prejudice to the rights of the Philippines, and with a view to coming to a subsequent settlement with the existing Filipino National Government, thus recognizing the sovereignty of the latter, their alliance and the carrying out of their promises of honor to the said Filipinos, no protest against their action would have been made. But in view of the terms of the Article III of the Protocol, the attitude of the American Commissioners, and the imperative necessity of safeguarding the national rights of my country, I take this protest, for the before-mentioned reasons but with the proper legal reservations, against the action taken and the resolutions passed by the Peace Commissioners at Paris and in the Treaty signed by them.
Agoncillo's conclusion about the treaty was that it was not binding on the Philippine government. In the memorandum, he clearly stated the reasons why Spain had no right to transfer the Philippines to the United States and that when the treaty was signed, Spain no longer held the Filipinos.
At that time, many Americans were also against the treaty, so they established the ''Anti-Imperialist League'' which opposed making the Philippines a colony of the United States. Afterwards, on February 4, 1899, the Philippine–American War began; this turned on approval of the treaty of Paris.
Post Philippine–American War
On August 29, 1900, he met with Gustave Moynier
Gustave Moynier (21 September 1826 – 21 August 1910) was a Swiss Jurist who was active in many charitable organizations in Geneva.
He was a co-founder of the "International Committee for Relief to the Wounded", which became the International Co ...
, an original member of the Committee of Five
''
The Committee of Five of the Second Continental Congress was a group of five members who drafted and presented to the full Congress in Pennsylvania State House what would become the United States Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. Thi ...
and ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
President. Agoncillo sought recognition of the Filipino Red Cross Society as well as the application of the First Geneva Convention
The First Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, held on 22 August 1864, is the first of four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It defines "the basis on which rest the rules of internati ...
during the Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
.
Return to Manila
When hostilities ended between Filipinos and Americans, he returned to Hong Kong and rejoined the exiled junta. Later, on July 15, 1901, after American rule was firmly established in Manila,[ he went back to the Philippines as a poor man and lived in his house in ]Malate, Manila
Malate is a district of Manila, Philippines. Together with the district of Ermita, it serves as Manila's center for commerce and tourism.
Etymology
The name ''Malate'' is believed to be derived from a corruption of the Tagalog word ''maalat'' ...
together with his family.
Continuing service
While in Manila, he resumed his law practice and other business. He took the bar exam
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...
in 1905 and passed with a perfect score of 100 percent, an achievement which has remained unmatched until today. His examination papers have been preserved in the Filipiniana section of the Philippine Library and Museum.
In 1907, Agoncillo was elected Deputy to the First Philippine Assembly, representing the first district of Batangas. He was once a defense of '' El Renacimiento'', whose editors were charged with libel by Dean C. Worcester. De Agoncillo was appointed as Secretary of Interior in 1923 during the administration of Governor General Leonard Wood and fought for the Filipinazation of the government service.
Personal life
By age 30, Agoncillo was already a local judge and was married to Marcela Mariño, a daughter of another established family in Taal. Together, they had six daughters: Lorenza (Enchang), Gregoria (Goring), Eugenia (Nene), Marcela (), Adela, who died at the age of three, and Maria (Maring), who died on July 6, 1995.
Charity
While in Taal, Agoncillo continued his legal services and gave charity to poor and oppressed Filipinos. He was so generous that he posted an inscription outside his office: "''Free legal services to the poor anytime''."
Having heard by the parish priest of his activities and for preaching patriotic ideas, he was accused as anti patriotic, anti religious and was described as ''filibustero'' or subversive. He was later recommended to the governor-general for deportation.
Death and legacy
Agoncillo died on September 29, 1941, at Manila Doctors Hospital
Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH), simply referred to as MaDocs, is a tertiary hospital located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines with over 500 beds. It was founded in the City of Manila in 1956 by the group of doctors. The hospital is currently owned ...
, Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
due to pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...
. His remains were initially buried at La Loma Cemetery
The La Loma Catholic Cemetery (Spanish: ''Campo Santo de La Loma'') was opened in 1884 and is largely located in Caloocan, Metro Manila. A portion of the southern part of the cemetery is located in Manila.
The La Loma Cemetery is the oldest ceme ...
but was later transferred to Santuario del Santo Cristo in San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
.
Legacy
Th
Felipe Agoncillo Ancestral House
is located at Taal, Batangas
Taal (), officially the Municipality of Taal ( tgl, Bayan ng Taal), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61,460 people.
Taal is famous for its old ances ...
. The municipality of Agoncillo in Batangas is named after him.
Portrayals
* Portrayed by Alvin Anson
Alvin Lorenz Cristobal Anson (born October 20, 1962) is a Filipino actor, producer, director, TV host and musician. His works includes his portrayal of General José Alejandrino in the Philippine film ''Heneral Luna'' and TV series ''Dolce Amor ...
in the 2012 film, '' El Presidente''.
Quotes
The following quotes have been attributed to Agoncillo:
*''Kailangan ang katapatan upang magkaunawaan''. (Truth is needed to attain understanding.)
*''Kailangan ng mga sawimpalad ang pagkalinga ng mga higit na mapalad''. (The less fortunate need care from the more fortunate.)
*''Kayamanan, oras, at kahit na buhay ay maiaalay ng taong nagmamahal sa bayan''. (A person who loves his or her country can offer to it wealth, time or even life itself).
See also
*Taal, Batangas
Taal (), officially the Municipality of Taal ( tgl, Bayan ng Taal), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61,460 people.
Taal is famous for its old ances ...
* Agoncillo-Mariño House
*Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
*Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United St ...
References
External links
Felipe Agoncillo Ancestral House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agoncillo, Felipe
1859 births
1941 deaths
Ateneo de Manila University alumni
Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni
Filipino diplomats
19th-century Filipino lawyers
People from Taal, Batangas
People from Malate, Manila
University of Santo Tomas alumni
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Batangas
Secretaries of the Interior and Local Government of the Philippines
Burials at La Loma Cemetery
Members of the Philippine Legislature
20th-century Filipino lawyers