Republic of Negros

The Republic of Negros (Hiligaynon: Republika sang Negros; Cebuano: Republika sa Negros; Spanish: República de Negros) was a short-lived revolutionary entity which had existed on the island of Negros first as a canton of the First Philippine Republic and later as a protectorate of the United States.^[1]

Republic of Negros Republika sañg Negros (Hiligaynon) Republika sa Negros (Cebuano) República de Negros (Spanish)
1898–1901
Flag
Map of Negros Island in 1900
Status	Provisional Revolutionary Government (1898) Constituent of the Federal State of the Visayas (1898–1899) U.S. protectorate (1899–1901)
Capital	Bacólod
Common languages	Hiligaynon, Cebuano and Spanish
Government	Republican canton
President
• 1898–1899	Aniceto Lacson
Governor-General of the Provinces
• 1899–1901	Melecio Severino
President of the Chamber of Deputies
• 1899–1899	José Ruíz de Luzuriaga
Legislature	Chamber of Deputies
Historical era	New Imperialism
• End of the Negros Revolution	November 27, 1898
• Annexation to the Philippine Islands	April 20, 1901
Currency	Spanish milled dollar
Preceded by Succeeded by Spanish East Indies Federal State of the Visayas Federal State of the Visayas Military Government of the Philippine Islands
Today part of	Philippines

Nomenclature

The entity had gone by multiple names throughout its short existence: the Negros Canton (Hiligaynon: Kanton sg Negros; Cebuano: Kanton sa Negros; Spanish: Cantón de Negros) of the First Philippine Republic,^[2] and the Federal Republic of Negros (Hiligaynon: Republikang Federal sg Negros; Cebuano: Republikang Federal sa Negros; Spanish: República Federal de Negros) or Federal State of Negros (Hiligaynon: Estadong Federal sg Negros; Cebuano: Estadong Federal sa Negros; Spanish: Estado Federal de Negros) under U.S. protection.^[3][4] According to Gregorio Zaide, the protectorate had been annexed to the Philippine Islands as simply the Republic of Negros.^[5]

History

Main article: Negros Revolution

Official flag of the Negros Revolution until 1898. The flag was changed when the Negros Republic was established (1898–1901)

From November 3 to 6, 1898, the Negrenses began to revolt against the Spanish Empire‘a colonial government, headed locally by politico-military governor Colonel Isidro de Castro. The Spaniards decided to surrender upon seeing armed troops marching in a pincer movement towards Bacólod, the chief city of the island. The revolutionaries, led by Generals Juan Araneta, from Bago and Aniceto Lacson, from Talisay, were actually carrying fake arms consisting of rifles carved from palm fronds and cannons of rolled bamboo mats painted black. On 5 November, Spanish officials surrendered themselves to native troops. A provisional government was then established with Aniceto Lacson as President, and a notice of this was transmitted by Melecio Severino to President Emilio Aguinaldo on Luzón.^[2][6] On November 27, 1898, the unicameral Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de Diputados) met in Bacólod and declared the establishment of the Republican Canton of Negros (Spanish: Cantón Republicano de Negros). The Congress of Deputies acted as a constituent assembly to draft a constitution.^[2]

Motivated by either economic interests or sheer realpolitik,^[2][3][4][7] the hacendero-led cantonal government surrendered to invading U.S. forces on March 4, 1899,^[6][8] following the outbreak of hostilities between the nascent First Philippine Republic and the U.S. military government which had been established during the Spanish–American War, and came under U.S. protection on April 30, 1899 as a territory separate from the Philippine Islands.^[3][8][9] A constitution for a Federal Republic of Negros,^[3] which proposed two governors, a U.S. military governor and a civil governor elected by voters of Negros, was framed by a committee sitting in Bacólod and sent to General Otis in Manila, proclaimed to take effect on October 2, 1899. The Negros government operated smoothly under this constitution until the province of Occidental Negros was established on April 20, 1901,^[10] and annexed to the Philippine Islands by the United States simply as the "Republic of Negros".^[5]

Leaders

The leaders of the short-lived republic were:^[11]

General Aniceto Lacson y Ledesma (November 5, 1898 - November 27, 1898) November 5, 1898 - July 22, 1899	(President in Negros Occidental only until November 27, 1898) de facto President
Demetrio Larena y Sandes (November 24, 1898 - November 27, 1898) November 5, 1898 - July 22, 1899	(President in Negros Oriental only) de facto Vice-President
Don José Ruiz de Luzuriaga y Guiquín July 22, 1899 - November 6, 1899	President of the Chamber of Deputies
Don Eusebio Ruiz de Luzuriaga y Ramos	Secretary of the Treasury
General Simeón Lizares y Montebón	de facto Secretary of the Interior
Nicolás Gólez y Coloso	Secretary of Development and Public Works
Don Agustín Amenábar	Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce
Capitán Juan Anacleto Araneta y Torres	Secretary of War
Antonio Jayme y Ledesma July 24, 1854 - October 9, 1937	Secretary of Justice
Melecio Severino é Yorac November 6, 1899 - April 30, 1901	de facto Governor-General of the Provinces

Commemoration

Historical marker commemorating the republic in Bago

November 5, popularly referred to by the Negrenses as Cinco de Noviembre, has been officially observed since 1989 as a special non-working holiday in Negros Occidental.^[12] The republic itself has been commemorated in a historical marker in the main square of Bago, on which is inscribed:

REPÚBLICA DE NEGROS

In this plaza of Bago was proclaimed the República de Negros by the revolutionary forces led by general Juan Anacleto Araneta, 5 November 1898. Witnessed by Ananías Diokno, representative of the Central Revolutionary Government. This Republic acknowledged the authority of the First Philippine Republic under Emilio Aguinaldo.