Republic of Negros

Cantonal Republic of Negros Republic of Negros República Cantonal de Negros República de Negros
Unrecognized state
← 1898–1901 →
Location of Negros in the Philippines
Capital	Bacolod
Language(s)	Hiligaynon, Cebuano and Spanish
Government	Republic
President
- 1898-1899	Aniceto Lacson
- 1898	Demetrio Larena
President of the Constituent Assembly
- 1898	José Luzuriaga
Historical era	New Imperialism
- End of the Negros Revolution	November 27, 1898
- Disestablished	April 30, 1901

The Republic of Negros (Spanish: República de Negros) was a short-lived revolutionary republic, and later, administrative division, which existed while the Philippines was under Spanish and American sovereignty. It took its name from Negros Island.

History

Main article: Negros Revolution

From November 3 to November 6, 1898, the negros rose in revolt against the Spanish authorities headed by politico-military governor Colonel Isidro de Castro. The Spaniards decided to surrender upon seeing armed troops marching in a pincer movement towards Bacolod. The revolutionaries, led by General Juan Araneta from Bago and General Aniceto Lacson from Talisay, were actually carrying fake arms consisting of rifles carved out of palm fronds and cannons of rolled bamboo mats painted black. By the afternoon of November 6, Colonel de Castro signed the Act of Capitulation, thus ending Spanish rule in Negros Occidental. This event is commemorated in Negros Occidental every November 5 as the day the Negrenses bluffed the Spaniards to attain their freedom.

On November 27, 1898, the Cantonal Republic of Negros (Spanish: República Cantonal de Negros) was established. It came under U.S. protection on April 30, 1899. On July 22, 1899, it was renamed the Republic of Negros, but on April 30, 1901, this was dissolved by the United States.

In Bago City, the event was chronicled in a historic marker found in the City public plaza, which bears the following inscriptions:

“

REPÚBLICA DE NEGROS “In this plaza of Bago was proclaimed the República de Negros by the Revolutionary Forces led by general Juan Anacleto Araneta, 5 November 1898. Witnessed by Anaias Diokno, representative of the Central Revolutionary Government. This Republic acknowledges The authority of the First Philippine Republic under Emilio Aguinaldo.”

”

November 5 has been declared a special non-working holiday in the province through Republic Act. No. 6709 signed by President Corazon Aquino on February 10, 1989.

Leaders

The leaders of the short-lived republic were:

Aniceto Lacson November 5, 1898 - July 22, 1899	President
Aniceto Lacson November 5, 1898 - November 27, 1898	(President in Negros Occidental only)
Demetrio Larena November 24, 1898 - November 27, 1898	(President in Negros Oriental only)
José Luzuriaga July 22, 1899 - November 6, 1899	President of the Constituent Assembly
Juan Araneta	Secretary of War
Melecio Severino November 6, 1899 - April 30, 1901	Civil Governor
Antonio Ledesma Jayme July 24, 1854 - October 9, 1937	Secretary of Justice

See also

• Negros Island

Sources

• "WorldStatesmen - Philippines - Republic of Negros". Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5rsnec8bG. 

External links

• "The opposition to the Americans and the Canton Republic of Negros". Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5rsnBMps6. 

Coordinates: 10°N 123°E / 10°N 123°E / 10; 123