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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/mabini-usa-400.webp" alt="Apolinario Mabini" loading="lazy" />
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(Apolinario Mabini, after a painting by Fabian dela Rosa, 1911)
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<h3>
A Revolutionary Mind in Exile
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<p>
Apolinario Mabini, often called the "Sublime Paralytic" due to his polio-induced disability, was <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1564/july-23-1864-apolinario-mabini-was-born-in-talaga-tanauan-batangas" class="news_link">born on July 23, 1864</a>, in Tanauan, Batangas. A brilliant lawyer and writer, he emerged as a key figure in the fight against Spanish rule, serving as <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1028/today-in-philippine-history-march-22-1869-emilio-aguinaldo-was-born-in-kawit-cavite" class="news_link">Emilio Aguinaldo</a>'s chief adviser during the 1898 revolution. His "True Decalogue" and constitutional drafts laid the philosophical and legal groundwork for the <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/7/1899-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines-known-as-the-malolos-constitution" class="news_link">Malolos Republic</a>, the Philippines' first independent government.
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However, the arrival of American forces in 1898 shifted the struggle. After the Spanish-American War, the United States acquired the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris, sparking the Philippine-American War (1899 - 1902). Mabini, staunchly anti-imperialist, opposed American occupation and urged continued resistance. His outspoken criticism of U.S. rule led to his arrest in 1899 and exile to Guam in January 1901, alongside other Filipino leaders who refused to swear loyalty to the new colonial power.
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<h3>
The Path to the Oath
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Mabini spent two years in exile, enduring harsh conditions that further weakened his health. By 1903, the war had largely subsided, with American victory solidified through military campaigns and the <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1657/march-23-1901-general-aguinaldo-was-captured-by-the-americans" class="news_link">capture of Aguinaldo</a> in 1901. The U.S. colonial government, under Governor-General <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1717/september-15-1857-william-howard-taft-first-civil-governor-of-the-philippines-was-born-at-cincinnati-ohio" class="news_link">William Howard Taft</a>, sought to pacify remaining resistance by offering amnesty to exiles who would pledge allegiance. For Mabini, this posed a profound dilemma: remain in exile, clinging to his principles, or return home to a Philippines under foreign rule.
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February 26, 1903: Apolinario Mabini took oath of allegiance to the United States