Provenance:
From the personal library and collection of Don Pedro Paterno

ABOUT THE WORK

Collected from various Spanish newspapers by Don Pedro Paterno are reports concerning the early days of the Philippine Revolution against Spain that started in August 1896. These news reports concerning “movimiento separatista en Filipinas” (separatist movement in the Philippines) are gathered from the following: El Nacional, El Pais, El Liberal, La Epoca, El Correo Español, Heraldo de Madrid, La Correspondencia Española, and La Justicia. Written from the perspective of the colonizers for the accounts are based on official dispatches from the Philippines and the “noticias de la guerra,” it glorifies the achievements of key colonial officials like Governor General Camilio Polavieja (who served from 1896 until 1897) and Jose de Lachambre (interim governor general in 1897). It is also interesting to note that the information would give the readers an idea concerning the extent of the revolution during its early phase. Reports cover revolutionary activities in Luzon particularly, Cavite (Zapote, Imus, Salitran, Bacoor, Imus, Noveleta, etc), Batangas, San Juan del Monte, Manila (Paco, Pandacan, Ermita, Malate, Santa Ana), Bulacan, Bataan, Cagayan Valley (Nueva Vizcaya), Visayas, and Mindanao (Misamis). Interesting facets concerning the status of the indio fighter (indio soldado)—their food, encampments, and weapons—are also mentioned in some news reports. There are accounts that briefly mentions the link between Katipunan and masonry