Comaparative Analysis of General Luna\'s Death PDF

Preview

Summary

An analysis of General Luna's Death based on the Luna telegram and the description from its auction catalog, and on Ocampo's account on the telegram's message....

Description

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY GE2 - A

ASSIGNMENT 1.2: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

ROMA DONNA L. CONSAD SUBMITTED BY

MRS. JESA S. SELIBIO SUBMITTED TO

A Comparative Analysis on the Accounts of General Antonio Luna’s Death

Author’s Background

When the account was written

Primary Source: The Extremely Historically Important Hen. Luna Telegram from Emilio Aguinaldo summoning him to his death This account is authored by Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Republic of the Philippines and the alleged suspect behind General Luna’s assassination. There were unpublished notes said to be written by Aguinaldo himself regarding on the killing of the general, but this account was never authenticated. The telegram was sent to Tarlac in June 4, 1899.

Mention of important dates

June 4, 1899 – date in the telegram.

Mention of important places

Cabanatuan – where Luna is to report to Aguinaldo only to find out that the former president was not there; location of the source of the telegram. Dagupan – where the telegram was addressed.

Key personalities

Emilio Aguinaldo –the author of the account;

Secondary Source: Discrepancies and more questions about Luna’s ‘deadly’ P3.2M telegram

Ambeth R. Ocampo is a historian born in Manila in 1961. He was known for his editorial column in the Philippine Daily Inquiry, tagged as Looking Back and for his writings about our national hero, Jose Rizal. He had written some articles on the account on Luna’s telegram regarding its authenticity, Luna’s ‘reply’, and raised more questions regarding of Luna’s death since the discovery of the said telegram.

December 09, 2018 May 14-June 24, 1899 – the period in the log book that was investigated by Ocampo to spot any ‘deadly messages. June 4, 1899 – the transmission of the telegraph June 5, 1899 – the assassination of General Luna The National Library of the Philippines – the location where the Philippine Insurgent Records was housed. Cabanautan – location of the President’s Headquarters and of Luna’s assassination. Dagupan – location where the telegram was addressed. Hen. Luna – the assassinated general and the recipient of the telegram.

Antonio Luna – recipient of the telegram Felipe Buencamino – a name scribbled by Luna as a response to the telegram and a member of the Cabinet as the Secretary of foreign Affairs at that time; known to have a heated encounter with Luna during one of the cabinet meetings.

Sequencing of events (short summary of the content)

Emilio Aguinaldo – alleged sender of the telegram; never accused as the mastermind behind Luna’s assassination throughout the article. Jim Richardson – authenticated the Luna telegram. Felipe Buencamino – had conflict with Luna; the subject of interest in the telegram whom Luna wishes to settle the dispute with before the President. Paco Roman – accompanied Luna to Cabanautan; died with Luna. 1. Authenticity of the telegram. Ocampo clarified to the Aguinaldo partisans, who claimed that the telegram was fake, the said account was authentic based on the log book found within the documents, Philippine Insurgent Records; account was authenticated by another historian Jim Richardson. The log book contains copies of the telegram in the telegraph office in Dagupan. Numbers in the 1. The message was logbook corresponded to the number in received by General the telegram. The log also confirms that Luna on June 4, 1899 there were three telegrams sent from the ordering him to report President’s Headquarters to Luna in to Cabanautan for an succession within June 4, 1899. urgent meeting in 2. Luna’s ‘reply’. Although the auction response to his (Luna) catalog claimed that Luna drafted a previous telegram. reply at the bottom of the page, Ocampo 2. At the bottom, was rebutted that Luna had merely decoded General Luna’s the message which translates, “Felipe handwriting Buencamino is detained without translating, “Felipe ordering the formation of the case. I Buencamino not yet await your reply to my previous detained based on my telegram where I request the basis for accusation.” your accusation. Beseech urgency.” 3. Glaring. Ocampo claimed that the discovery of this telegram posed more question than answers due to the discrepancies produced by the auction catalog. It was mention from the auction catalog that there were four telegrams sent yet the log only reveals three, each carrying the same message that was not rendered by Ocampo as ‘deadly’.

Differences between the two accounts

4. Speculated event on Luna’s death. Ocampo never accused Aguinaldo as the mastermind of Luna’s assignation but rather blamed Luna’s temper as the flaw that has led him (Luna) to his downfall. The following are the speculations given that Buencamino, who was accused of treason by Luna, has not been detained: a. Upon learning from the three telegrams that Buencamino’s detainment was put on-hold by the President who was waiting for the formation of the case, Luna traveled to Cabanautan to settle it himself before the President. b. Luna’s tempered erupted when he learned the President was away from Cabanautan and even more so when he saw Buencamino in the President’s Headquarters, never detained. This temper reached its peak when he finds Aguinaldo’s Kawit bodyguard whom he dismissed for insubordination, likewise, stationed at Cabanautan. c. Luna then promised punishment to the soldiers once he returns to the President’s Headquarters with his troops. d. The soldiers proceeded with Luna’s assassination along with his company Roman. Later, these soldiers claimed self-defense. 5. Due diligence. Meanwhile, Richardson found a telegram inviting Luna to a meeting in the Insurgent Records with its date still obscured. Ocampo hopes that further research could reveal evidence that the messages Luna received was indeed as ‘deadly’ as the auction catalog had claimed it to be. The account on the telegram alone claims only so little but the accusation that Aguinaldo had made sure that Luna will meet his death. However, the second account was rather passive on Aguinaldo and has never accused him as the mastermind. Then there is a matter of Luna’s handwriting at the bottom of the telegram which was claimed as his reply to the message. Ocampo opposed that the words written by Luna only

meant he was decoding the message himself. Ocampo never confirmed the implication that Luna wrote a telegram to the President’s Headquarters before the other telegrams were sent to the Secretary of War yet this was the implication of the translation of the message quoting, “…in response to your previous telegram…”. However, the translation of the message from the start were different on both accounts. According to the auction catalog, the translation was, “Paging for an important meeting, therefore you are ordered to come here immediately. This is in response to your previous telegram about urgent matters to discuss. It is really an emergency.” Meanwhile, Ocampo had it translated as, “Felipe Buencamino is detained without ordering the formation of the case. I await your reply to my previous telegram where I request the basis for your accusation. Beseech urgency.” The ‘previous telegram’ referred by the latter translator only meant that there was/were indeed an/other telegram/s sent to Luna while the auction catalog implied it as Luna’s previous telegram to the President’s headquarters. The primary account did only state the address of the source of the message and therefore, I cannot easily accuse Aguinaldo as the mastermind of the assassination. Anyone could have sent that message, if it is someone from the President’s Headquarters. However, to talk about Buencamino’s detainment suggests that this message could only be from Aguilnaldo who cannot proceed with Luna’s demand (the detainment) Own analysis of the without formally settling the case. Who else could have that power at that differences between time but the President himself? Sending the message thrice posed as an the two accounts urgent matter for Luna regardless of the different translations of the message (the log book confirms there were previous messages anyhow). Yet, how can a case as urgent as that can be dismissed by not showing any presence at the meeting place (Cabanatuan)? Was Aguinaldo washing his hands? I leave that to the ‘fourth’ telegram which might hold the answers and might prove that the messages were indeed ‘deadly’ – an opinion I shared with Ocampo....