From the town of Rosario, we entered the town of Gen. Trias (formerly San Francisco de Malabon). Just past the boundary marker is the Tejeros Convention Site (still a part of Rosario), the site of the historic March 22, 1897 Tejeros Assembly (or convention). A milestone in Philippine history, the assembly established the first Philippine government that replaced the Katipunan with a government that would meet the manifold demands of the revolution. The site is also considered as the birthplace of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
| Tejeros Convention Center |
Located at the 7,800-hectare Tejeros Casa Hacienda Ruins, the former Recollect estate house, here the warring Magdalo faction of Emilio Aguinaldo and the Magdiwang faction of Andres Bonifacio met to establish a revolutionary government. Presided over by Bonifacio, the assembly decided to establish a central revolutionary government toward the end of the session. Aguinaldo was elected President, Mariano Trias as Vice-President, Artemio Ricarte as Captain-General, Emiliano Riego de Dios as Director of War and Andres Bonifacio as Director of the Interior. While Bonifacio was being proclaimed, Daniel Tirona, a Magdalo, stood up and questioned Bonifacio’s qualifications. A lawyer, he said, should fill the position. Bonifacio, invoking his authority as presiding officer, declared the proceedings null and void and left in disgust. He established his own government in Naic, Cavite.
| Casa Hacienda Ruins |
The site is now a landscaped park with the Cañas River to the west. At the northwestern corner of the lot are the ruins of a heavy adobe structure with stairs, believed to be the Casa Hacienda. Within the ruins is a tunnel, possibly a secret escape route leading to the river. In 1941, a bronze marker was installed on the site by the Philippine Historical Committee. Two markers, from the National Historical Institute (NHI), in English and Tagalog, were installed in 1973.
| Tunnel said to lead to the river |
Also within the site is the new 3-storey Tejeros Convention Center (damaged during a recent typhoon) and, in front of it, a standing statue of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.
| Interior of Tejeros Convention Center |