By Ewriwn Bonifacio
Following the withdrawal of Spanish colonial troops from Capiz on November 25, 1898, General Ananias Diokno, commander of the Batallon Expedicionario Maluya, proceeded to reorganize municipal governments throughout the province through commissioned Capisnon leaders such as Ramon Contreras, Salvador Laguda, and Serafin Advincula. This reorganization was carried out through a series of local electoral assemblies, or Junta Magna (Grand Assembly), held from December 1898 to February 1899. The process represented an effort to establish functioning municipal institutions under the revolutionary government following the collapse of Spanish authority.
These elections, however, should not be understood as popular elections in the modern sense. They were conducted through assemblies composed of a limited number of locally prominent residents rather than through universal or broad-based suffrage. The regulations governing the process provided for the assembly of residents distinguished by their education, social standing, and honorable conduct.
The elections were held in different venues according to local circumstances. Electoral assemblies convened in plazas, schoolhouses, churches, convents, municipal seats or Casa Consistorial, and, in the case of Kalibo, at the military headquarters.
The earliest recorded election took place in Kalibo on December 1, 1898, where Don Francisco Tansingco was elected as local president. On December 13, Don Pablo Belo was elected in Panay, followed by Don Agrifino Albaladejo in Pontevedra on December 15. On December 16, Don Ismael Imperial was elected in Malinao and Don Leon Bauson in Dao. On December 17, Don Fermin Habana was elected in Cuartero. On December 18, Don Elias Oro was elected in Sapian and Don Serafin Advincula in Dumarao. On December 19, Don Pedro Bernas was elected in Pilar, while Don Vivencio Villaruz was elected in Capiz. On December 20, Don Ramon Hontiveros was elected in Mambusao.
On December 21, Don Wenceslao Frial was elected in Dumalag and Don Mariano Isiderio in Sigma.
The elections continued on December 22, when Don Eusebio Motos was elected in Numancia and Don Juan Villeza in Jamindan. On December 23, Don Antonio Manicang was elected in Ibajay and Don Alfonso Gardose in Tapaz. On December 24, Don Macario Enero was elected in Lezo and Don Simeon Leonor in Jagnaya. On December 25, Don Julian Torres was elected in Makato.
On December 27, Don Miguel Cordovero was elected in Loctugan. On December 28, Lucas Venturanza y Teodosio was elected in Banga, Emilio Nabor in Madalag, Roque Antaran in Tangalan, and Don Tomas Delfin in Panitan. On December 29, Don Benedicto Roxas was elected in Maayon, Don Adriano Calizo in Balete, Don Fernando Jacinto in Batan, and Don Domingo Mateo Aguinaldo in Libacao.
The process continued into 1899. On January 1, Don Lucio Gueverra was elected in Navas, followed by Tiburcio Ascaño in Buruanga on January 4. The latest recorded election in this series took place on February 14, 1899, when Don Raymundo Boy was elected in Aguinaldo, formerly known as Casanayan.
The surviving record from Sigma on December 21, 1898, provides a more detailed view of how one of these assemblies operated. The Junta Magna was convened at the town convent following a formal summons of residents considered distinguished for their education, social position, and honorable conduct. The assembly was presided over by Salvador Laguda, who had been commissioned by General Diokno. Before proceeding with the election, the relevant provisions of the June 18 decree of President Emilio Aguinaldo and its accompanying regulations were read and interpreted in the local dialect. The assembly then elected two tellers and a secretary before proceeding to the selection of municipal officers.
The elections were conducted by plurality of votes, meaning that the candidate who received the highest number of votes for a particular position was elected. The municipal offices included the Jefe del Pueblo or Presidente Local, the Delegate for Police and Order, the Delegate for Justice and Civil Registry, and the Delegate for Property Revenues. The Vice Presidente Local was the elected Cabeza of the town Poblacion. The assembly also elected the Cabezas or heads of the different barrios.
Following the election, the four principal municipal officials—the Jefe del Pueblo or Presidente Local, the Delegate for Police and Order, the Delegate for Justice and Civil Registry, and the Delegate for Property Revenues—took their prescribed oath before the Politico-Military Governor of Capiz, Severino Caoibes.
The newly elected local officials, including the Cabezas of the barrios, subsequently became important components of the revolutionary government’s local administrative and financial network. Their responsibilities extended beyond municipal administration to the mobilization of resources for the revolutionary cause. They were involved in soliciting war contributions, not only for General Diokno and his forces but also for the Philippine Republic. Through their positions and connections within their respective communities, these local officials helped connect the revolutionary authorities with residents who could provide financial and material support.
Following the American occupation of the province on December 10, 1899, records suggest that some of these officials continued to operate underground and to solicit war contributions for the Diokno Brigade. In doing so, they exposed themselves and their families to the risk of retaliation or other forms of harm from American troops. Their continued activities suggest that the local administrative network established under the revolutionary government did not immediately disappear with the establishment of American authority. Instead, elements of this network could continue to function clandestinely as channels for communication, resource mobilization, and support for the continuing resistance.
