Understanding General Aguinaldo

Due to rave reviews on the movie Heneral Luna I urged my mom and daughter to watch it with me. I must admit that I was in awe while watching the movie. Kudos to the director and the entire cast and crew that made the film really interesting. They made the scenes so vivid that it actually burns the viewers’ consciousness about the history of our country. They also injected humor and wit to entertain even the young viewers.

However, this post does not want to tackle on reviewing how the film was made. We already knew that it is one of the best historical film ever made so far. In fact it has been selected as the Philippines' official entry to 2016 Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

What bothers me is the negative reaction gained towards Gen Emilio Aguinaldo. Granted there was no solid evidence that he was behind the assassination of Gen Luna, the perpetrators were said to be from Kawit, presidential guards and soldiers once removed by Luna from service. On that basis, historians cannot help but doubt that Aguinaldo might have had a hand in the massacre. Unlike with the case of Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procorpio, it was definite that Emilio Aguinaldo  ordered their arrest and execution on the grounds of sedition.

Because of the film, netizens were outraged calling Gen Emilio Aguinaldo a traitor and a coward. Some even commented that his image should be remove from our five peso coin. On impulse, I also got carried away and felt ashamed that all these unfortunate events happened in Cavite. But after thinking deeply, I’ve realized that being declared as one of our National Hero does not mean that they are already perfect and free of blunders. Bear in mind that our country’s independence had just been declared then and a big burden was placed on Aguinaldo’s shoulders to lead a young republic. He had to balance all sections of society from meeting the needs of the masses, satisfying the elite, assuring businessmen and possible allies of the country's independence as well as boost the confidence and morale of his soldiers. Remember, during those times there was no professional military but only brave Filipino volunteers without any proper training nor salary from the government. They were only united with a common goal and that is to gain freedom from the foreign oppressors.

Assuming that Aguinaldo was in any way connected with the death of both Bonifacio and Luna, we have to realize that this has happened during the war. Although it is immoral to order and persecute a compatriot, we have to take into account that even the toughest leader will recourse in taking the most horrible decision for the benefit of the majority and to keep the campaign going.

Aguinaldo might have committed terrible mistakes during his time but we cannot disregard the fact that if not for him and the bravery of our Filipino soldiers we won’t be able to enjoy the freedom we are now experiencing. So give them RESPECT and let us look more on their sacrifices for it is their blood and spirit that we became an independent nation.

EPILOGUE:

I highly recommend that each Filipino should watch Heneral Luna with a broader perspective. Not to focus on the misjudgment of our former leaders but instead learn from their mistakes.