republic · Maritime Southeast Asia

Revolutionary Government of the Philippines

1898 CE – 1899 CE · capital Bacoor (later Malolos)

Government set up by Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898 that declared Philippine independence from Spain and prepared the Malolos Republic.

Origins

After the United States destroyed the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay on 1 May 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo returned from exile in Hong Kong and on 24 May proclaimed a dictatorial government at Cavite. He declared independence at Kawit on 12 June 1898, and on the advice of Apolinario Mabini converted his regime into a Revolutionary Government on 23 June.

Rule and society

Aguinaldo ruled as president with a cabinet of secretaries, while provincial and municipal governments were organised in liberated areas. Revolutionary armies took most of Luzon from Spanish garrisons. A congress met at Barasoain church in Malolos in September 1898 and drafted the Malolos Constitution, drawing on Spanish and Latin American models.

Decline and legacy

The United States refused to recognise the government, and the Treaty of Paris of December 1898 transferred the islands from Spain to America. The Revolutionary Government gave way to the First Philippine Republic on 23 January 1899.

Lineage

Captaincy General of the Philippines 1565 CE – 1898 CERepublic of Biak-na-Bato 1897 CE – 1897 CERevolutionary Government of the PhilippinesFirst Philippine Republic 1899 CE – 1901 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/revolutionary-government-of-the-philippines
MLA
“Revolutionary Government of the Philippines.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/revolutionary-government-of-the-philippines. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Revolutionary Government of the Philippines.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/revolutionary-government-of-the-philippines.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Revolutionary Government of the Philippines’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/revolutionary-government-of-the-philippines (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻