MABINI'S BRAIN: Guiding Ideology to the Philippine Revolution

MABINI’S BRAIN:

Guiding Ideology to the Philippine Revolution

          Divergent from the opinion of Dr. Jose Rizal that the Philippines during the last years of the 19th century was not ready for a revolution, Apolinario Mabini believed that the time was ripe and the act was absolutely necessary. Indeed for this simple man who grew up tilling the soil and taking care of farm animals, the Philippines needed a change – a revolution – much like the new sprouts of palay on the field.

          What is it in Mabini’s mind that made him stands out among his peers? To be called such sobriquets as “The Sublime Paralytic” and “The Brains of the Revolution” is as extraordinary as the pages of history written by his philosophy and thoughts.

 

The Hunger for Education

A rare very old photograph of Mabini (c. 1890s).

          Like many who aspire to do great things, the young Mabini or “Pule” to his family and friends, was hungry to learn. Born on July 23, 1864 in Barangay Talaga in Tanauan, Batangas, he was the second of eight children of Dionisia Maranan, a schoolteacher who sell vegetables on the side in the Tanauan market, and Inocencio Mabini, an unlettered peasant. It was his mother who taught him to read, write and do simple arithmetic. Later, he would often secretly bring home whatever books he could find and spent an entire afternoon inside their hut reading them. One day, his father scolded and called him lazy for not giving bath to their carabao. Pule’s maternal grandfather defended him and explained that “the young boy is not lazy, but just more interested in reading books.” The old man became his informal teacher. Next, he was enrolled to a regular school owned by Simplicio Avelino, where he worked as a houseboy, and also took odd jobs from a local tailor – all in exchange for free board and lodging. He later transferred to a school conducted by Valerio Malabanan, whose fame as an educator merited a mention in Rizal's novel El Filibusterismo.

          Mabini’s secondary education was interrupted several times because his parents could not afford to support him. He begged his parents to allow him to go to Manila to continue his education, promising to support himself by finding a job and working hard. He became a scholar at the San Juan de Letran and later took up Law at the University of Santo Tomas, while doing tutoring jobs to support himself. He earned a grade of “Excellent” in most of his subjects and in 1894, he was admitted to the Bar.

 

A Change of Mind

          Despite his intelligence, Mabini confined himself to notarial works, which puzzled his friends. He refused to accept legal cases and shunned publicity. This he did so that he could secretly help the cause of the Reform Movement. Mabini collected money for the La Solidaridad, a newspaper advocating reforms for the Philippines.

          At first Mabini believed with reservation that the Reform Movement still has a chance of succeeding. He joined Rizal’s La Liga Filipina wherein the members advocated to write instead of revolt and would rather be a colony of Spain rather than take up revolution for their freedom. When Rizal was executed, however, he changed his mind and gave the revolution his wholehearted support. Convince by the futility of asking for reforms, he espoused the need to take up armed struggle, “when the cries for reforms are no longer heard, then it is time for the people to free themselves from the oppressive rule. The time is ripe for a revolution!”

 

Paralyzed But Prominent

          In 1896, Mabini contracted polio that led to his paralysis. This, however, did not deter him from his cause.

          Mabini became General Emilio Aguinaldo’s chief adviser. He drafted decrees and formulated the first ever constitution in Asia (for the First Philippine Republic), including the framework of the revolutionary government which was implemented in Malolos in 1899.

Three 1964 Philippine stamps
(6-centavo, 10-centavo, and 30-centavo)
showing the seated Mabini.

 

         The mestizos in Aguinaldo’s midst were envious of Mabini’s prominence, so they concocted lies about his paralysis, saying it was caused by syphilis. But not even this could stop Mabini’s rise. Mabini served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government, and then as the first Prime Minister of the Philippines as well as foreign affairs minister of the newly formed dictatorial government of Aguinaldo on January 2, 1899.

        Two of his works, El Verdadero Decalogo (The True Decalogue, June 24, 1898), and Programa Constitucional dela Republica Filipina (The Constitutional Program of the Philippine Republic, 1898) became the guiding inspiration in the drafting of the Malolos Constitution (ratified on January 21, 1899). Eventually, the government declared the First Philippine Republic with appropriate ceremonies on January 23, 1899. But as history had written, after the near downfall of the Spanish colonizers came another, the Americans.

 

          When the Philippine-American war broke out, he was captured and exiled to Guam. Brigadier General Arthur MacArthur Jr was made to explain by the US Senate why Mabini, a paralytic, had to be deported, to which the general answered: “Mabini is a most active agitator; persistently and defiantly refusing amnesty, and maintaining correspondence with insurgents in the field while living in Manila..... He has a classical education, a very flexible, imaginative mind, and Mabini’s views were more comprehensive than any of the Filipinos that I have met..... He is a dreamy man, but a very firm character and of very high accomplishments. As said, unfortunately, he is paralyzed. He is a young man, and would undoubtedly be of great use in the future of those islands if it were not for his affliction.”

 

Legacy of Mabini’s Philosophy

          Mabini died shortly after returning from exile in May 13, 1903, a victim of the cholera outbreak in Manila, at a very young age of 38.

          Mabini stressed in his writings that a revolution should not only consist of taking up arms against the oppressors. He emphasized the need for the people to change their attitudes, priorities, ways of thinking, and relations with one another as a united people. “An internal and moral revolution must take place in the hearts and minds of the people to ensure the birth of a new social order.” Eight decades later, this same guiding principle was incorporated by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos in his “New Society” ideology.

Apolinario Mabini on a Marcos Era 10-peso bill.

          Quite a lasting thought that Mabini left us to ponder upon is how he describe his cabinet, which our present politicians should learn to adhere: “.....it belongs to no party, nor does it desire to form one; it stands for nothing save the interest of the fatherland.”
        The “Gawad Mabini” was instituted by President Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 490 in July 1974, and is awarded to Filipinos for distinguished foreign service, or promoting the interests and prestige of the Philippines abroad. The award was established in Mabini’s honor since he was the first Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the First Philippine Republic. There is also the  “Apolinario  Mabini Awards” given to outstanding persons with disabilities. It was launched  by the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Inc. (PFRD) in 1974 on the occasion of its Silver Anniversary. Since then, it has been a major biennial program of the PFRD. The Awards was named  after one  of the country’s foremost heroes, Apolinario Mabini, the “Sublime Paralytic,” whose disability was not a hindrance to his creative genius that provided inspiration to the Philippine revolution.