How Leon Gallery got a hold of the copy of declaration of Philippine independence for auction

A rare manuscript copy of the “1898 Declaration of the Philippine Independence” is up for bid!

Dubbed “The Birth Certificate of the Filipino Nation,” the known handwritten copy of the proclamation will be auctioned at the Leon Gallery on Saturday, September 14, 2024.

Valued at P1.6 million pesos, the manuscript is among the 146 historic pieces that will be up for bid at The Magnificent September Auction 2024 of Leon Gallery. 

The 12 page-manuscript was a handwritten copy of the original proclamation, penned by Lt. Col. José Bañuelos, one of Aguinaldo's military men and one of the 98 signatories to the proclamation.

According to Joseph Morong's report on "24 Oras," the copy was made by Jose Banuelo, one of the soldiers of General Emilio Aguinaldo.

“This was at a time na wala pang photocopy, wala pa tayong iPhone to ensure everything is captured in a picture,” said art collector and Leon Gallery founder Jaime Ponce de Leon.

The manuscript being auctioned is the only copy of the original proclamation document, written by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista and currently kept at the National Library of the Philippines.

While there are some modifications made in the manuscript, the contents written in it remain the same. 

In the auction catalog written by Spanish academic and professor Jorge Mojarro, the manuscript is said to be written on the same date as the original Act of Independence on June 12, 1898, and copied directly from the original document by Bañuelo.

Mojarro adds that the manuscript is a “key document” of the existence of the Philippines as an independent nation. 

“It is not only a foundational document, but in its very content, reference is made to the history of the Philippines: it speaks of recovering an independence that was taken away from them by Legazpi in 1571; it mentions alleged abuses by the Civil Guard in recent times; it refers to the alleged greed of the friars of the religious orders; and it even speaks of Magellan and Lapulapu in Mactan,” he noted.

The document also explained that the red, white, and blue colors reflected in the Philippine flag symbolize gratitude to the United States in their “aid” to liberate the Philippines from Spain.

But how did the rare manuscript end up in the hands of Ponce de Leon?

Unlike his 10-year quest for Juan Luna’s long-lost masterpiece "Hymen, oh Hyménée,” acquiring the proclamation manuscript was no challenge for Ponce de Leon as it was personally brought to him by an unnamed consignor. 

According to de Leon, when the consignor first brought the manuscript of the proclamation, he thought it was one of a few copies of the original document. 

“When the consignor brought us the manuscript, I thought it was a document pertaining to the 1898 Declaration of the Philippine Independence or probably one of the few copies. Until historians informed me that it is the only known manuscript copy of the 1898 Declaration of Independence,” he shared.

De Leon said he asked and consulted historians like Xiao Chua and Ambeth Ocampo for the authenticity of the manuscript. "Ocampo examined everything, every single detail, every page. Other historians too have come to see this important document," he told GMA News Online.

De Leon, who graduated from Dumaguete's Silliman University and later took a course at the Philippine School of Interior Design as well as classes at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Harvard University, felt “blessed and grateful” for having to auction such “incredibly important relic” of our nation’s history. 

“I was truly blessed, fortunate, and thankful that he chose Leon Gallery to be the auction house to handle the sale and the sealing of the ownership of this incredibly important relic of our nation’s history,” he said. 

According to de Leon, he decided to put the document up for auction to introduce to the public the existence of such an artifact. 

“The good thing about selling things in an auction is that it is always to the advantage of everybody that such things are being broadcasted because everybody will know the existence of such things, and everybody will have an online copy. Everybody will be aware of these things,” he said. 

De Leon also believes that putting a certain artifact in an auction can lead to further discussion and research developments. 

“It is very good to sell something at auction because every single detail will be scrutinized, will be discussed further, will be researched further and perhaps it can piece together the missing portions of our history,” he added.

The Magnificent September Auction is happening on September 14, 2024, at 2 p.m. at Eurovilla 1, Rufino Corner Legaspi Streets, Legazpi Village, Makati City. Preview week is from September 7 to 13, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.