Is Andres Bonifacio the Philippines' first president? Historian Xiao Chua says yes

In 1899, Emilio Aguinaldo was proclaimed the first-ever president of the Republic of the Philippines.

However, historian Xiao Chua is among those who believe that it's actually Andres Bonifacio who should have that title.

"We have now evidence based on the Archivo Heneral Militar de Madrid, confiscated documents of the Katipunan by the Spaniards, Spanish guardia civilles," he said in an interview on 'The Howie Severino Podcast.'

Dubbed the 'Father of the Philippine Revolution' and considered one of the country's national heroes, Bonifacio was a founder, and later the president, of the Katipunan.

According to Chua, the argument against Bonifacio being a Philippine president is that the Katipunan was a secret society, not a government. It was founded in 1892.

"But we have documents now, that we did not have ... After a few years, lumabas 'tong evidence that there was a Haring Bayang Katagalugan which they called the government," Chua said.

"It had its headquarters in Pantayanin, which is the boundary of Pasig and Antipolo and that it actually ran as a government," he added.

Chua said that Bonifacio started appointing generals on August 24, 1896.

"So that means from August 24, 1896, as leader of Katipunan, they disbanded the old society and transformed it into a government, a revolutionary national government," he said. "A revolutionary government but the perspective of it was national. Now, 'yun 'yung basis ko by saying Bonifacio is the first president of the Philippines. That is the basis, and I still believe it."

"I also admit that it is not a republic. It's not a republic, it's an indigenous, it's something we call our own," he added.

Chua said that even if people don't want to accept it, it doesn't change the fact.

"He still was president, pangulo pa rin siya. So bahala na kayo sa buhay niyo kung ayaw ng Malacañang na maglagay ng portrait, 'di huwag kayong maglagay ng portrait." —JCB, GMA Integrated News