Copy of declaration of Philippine independence to be auctioned

A copy of the Acta de la Proclamacion De Independencia Del Pueblo Filipino or the Declaration of Philippine Independence will be auctioned along with some of the finest art pieces of Filipino masters.

According to Joseph Morong's report on "24 Oras," Leon Gallery founder and director Jaime Ponce de Leon referred to the document as the country's "birth certificate." 

The declaration was written by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista. A 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,” De Leon said.

(This was when there was no photocopy, a time when did not have an iPhone to ensure everything was captured in a picture.)

The copy being auctioned is the only copy of the original that is in the National Library.

It will be auctioned at a starting price of P1.6 million in Leon Gallery.

“Nakita ni Jose Banuelo baka ang importante ng kasaysayan ang pag declare ng independence ng Pilipinas. In the Phlippines, ito pa lang ang alam ng mga historians natin na declaration of independence in existence,” De Leon said.

(Maybe Jose Banuelo saw the importance of the Declaration of Independence in the country’s history. In the Philippines, this is the only Declaration of Independence in existence.)

Other masterpieces of Filipino artists will also be actioned like Cesar Legaspi’s works and Juan Luna’s artwork that was painted during the same period the Spolarium was created.

Ferdinand Amorsolo’s “Under the Mango Tree” will also be auctioned at P18 million.

De Leon got Amorsolo’s painting in the United States two months ago after Edward Nell, the person who introduced airconditioning in the country, owned it for almost 100 years.

He said it was important that the artworks of Filipino masters would return to the country.

"I felt that it had to come to the Philippines to be seen by Filipinos because this is a source of pride that we can create, achieve something this beautiful," De Leon said. —Celine Serquiña/NB, GMA Integrated News