The “birth certificate of the Filipino nation” is set to go on auction at Leon Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024
Not to be confused with the original document housed inside the National Library—nevertheless, a rare manuscript copy of the Philippine Declaration of Independence, the only one known to exist, is set to be auctioned at Leon Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024 on Saturday, 14 September 2024. Previews are ongoing every day until then.
READ: Highlights of León Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024
The handwritten copy of the original penned by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista was commissioned for Lt. Col. Jose Bañuelo, one of the signatories of the declaration and an officer in Emilio Aguinaldo’s ranks. Also dated on the 12th of June, 1898, the “Birth Certificate of the Filipino Nation” is the only existing copy made at the same time as the original declaration.
“Although this is new information for historians that there is another handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, it is not surprising because even the US Declaration of Independence has several copies. One, of course for posterity and the other, to keep in case the British captured the original copy,” says historian Xiao Chua.
“However, this copy, which is believed to be written on the day of the proclamation itself, is also valuable because it is a memento of the day we declared our own freedom after 333 years of Spanish conquest,” Chua adds.
According to Jorge Mojarro, “The document is not entirely faithful to the original, since Aguinaldo is described as ‘egregious,’ when in the original he is described as ‘eminent,’ in an attempt to enhance the figure of the leader.”
Within the document, Mojarro also explained that Aguinaldo first proclaimed himself a dictator and described the soon-to-be Philippine republic as an absolute dictatorship and not the liberal democracy it eventually became. The symbolism of the colors of the Philippine flag was also explained; “Its red, white, and blue reflected ‘gratitude to the American nation for help rendered.’”
“There are some passages written by Bautista which are somehow awkward in comparison to the general theme of the document. For example, both reference to the US as our protector, yet this does not destroy the significance of the document or of June 12 as a turning point in our history,” says Chua.
The manuscript copy of the original 1898 Declaration of Philippine Independence document consists of 12 pages and only exhibits slight tropical and water stains. Bidding starts at P1,600,000.
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But the “birth certificate of the Filipino nation” is not the only document pertaining to Philippine independence that is being auctioned. Belonging to Lot 118: A Collection of Highly Important Documents Pertaining to the History of Pasig—is a letter inviting Gen. Aguinaldo to ratification ceremonies of Philippine Independence featuring the official Pasig Revolutionary Seal and the signatures of 11 Pasig officials. It is also the only one of its kind.
Leon Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024 will take place on Saturday, 14 September 2024, at 2 p.m.
The preview will be held from Saturday to Friday, September 7 to 13, 2024, between 9 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at G/F Eurovilla 1, located at the corner of Rufino and Legazpi Streets in Legazpi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
For more information, visit https://leon-gallery.com, email info@león-gallery.com, or call +632 8856-2781.
View the catalog here.
