The First Meeting of Tejeros The Second Meeting at Tejeros
On March 22, 1897, the Aguinaldo, who was at Pasong
Magdiwang and Magdalo councils Santol, a barrio of Dasmariñas, met once more, this time at the was notified the following day of friar estate house in Tejeros, a his election to the Presidency. At barrio of San Francisco de first, he refused to leave his men Malabon. This convention proved who were preparing to fight the even stormier than the Imus enemy, but his elder brother, meeting and, as in Imus, the Crispulo Aguinaldo, persuaded declared objective of the meeting him to take the oath of office, was not even discussed. promising to take his place and would not allow the enemy to According to Jacinto Lumbreras, a overrun the place without dying in Magdiwang and first presiding its defense. Aguinaldo then officer of the Tejeros convention, acceded to his brother's request the meeting had been called to and proceeded to Santa Cruz del adopt measure for the defense of Malabon (now Tanza), where he Cavite. Again this subject was not and the others elected the discussed, and instead, the previous day, with the exception of assembled leaders, including the Bonifacio, took their oath of office. Magdiwangs, decided to elect the Meanwhile, Bonifacio and his men, officers of the revolutionary numbering forty-five, again met at government, thus the estate-house of Tejeros on unceremoniously discarding the March 23. All of them felt bad Supreme Council of the Katipunan about the results of the previous under whose standard the people day's proceedings, for they had been fighting and would believed that anomalies were continue to fight. committed during the balloting. Convinced that the election held Bonifacio presided, though was invalid, they drew up a reluctantly, over the election. document, now called the Acta de Beforehand, he secured the Tejeros, in which they gave their unanimous pledge of the assembly reasons for not adopting the to abide by the majority decision. results of the convention held the The results were: previous day. From Tejeros, President Emilio Aguinaldo Bonifacio and his men proceeded Vice-President Mariano Trias to Naik in order to be as far as Captain-General Artemio Ricarte possible from Magdalo men who, Emiliano Riego de they thought, were responsible for Director of War the commission of anomalies Dios Director of the during the Tejeros election. Andres Bonifacio Aguinaldo, wanting to bring back Interior Bonifacio to the fold, sent a Emilio Aguinaldo had been delegation to him to persuade him awarded the highest prize of the to cooperate with the newly Revolution on his own birth constituted government. But anniversary, although he was not Bonifacio refused to return to the present, being busy at a military revolutionary fold headed by Aguinaldo. front in Pasong Santol, a barrio of The Naik Military Agreement Imus. As for Bonifacio, the death- blow to the Katipunan and his Bonifacio's anger over what he election as a mere Director of the considered an irregular election Interior showed clearly that he had and the insult heaped on him by been maneuvered out of power. It Daniel Tirona, a Magdalo, rankled must have been a bitter pill to for long. At Naik, they drew up swallow, especially since even the another document in which they Magdiwangs who were supposed resolved to establish a to be his supporters did not vote government independent of, and for him either for President or separate from, that established at Vice-President. Tejeros. An army was to be organized "by persuasion or force" But another insult was yet to and a military commander of their follow. Evidently, the Caviteño elite own choice was to take command could not accept an "uneducated" of it. man, and a non-Caviteño at that, Among the forty-one men who even for the minor post of Director signed it were Bonifacio, Artemio of the Interior. Daniel Tirona Ricarte, Pio del Pilar and Severino protested Bonifacio's election de las Alas. The documentposed saying that the post should not be a potential danger to the cause of occupied by a person without a the Revolution, for it meant a lawyer's diploma. He suggested a definite split in the ranks of the Caviteño lawyer, Jose del Rosario revolutionists and an almost for the position. certain defeat in the face of a This was clearly an intended united and well-armed enemy. insult. It naturally infuriated Bonifacio who thereupon hotly declared: "I, as chairman of this assembly and as President of the Supreme Council of the Katipunan, as all of you do not deny, declare this assembly dissolved, and I annul all that has been approved and resolved."