Born near Cavite, Luzon, in 1869, Emilio Aguinaldo led Filipino revolutionary forces against Spanish rule from 1896 and declared Philippine independence on 12 June 1898 after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. He was inaugurated president of the First Philippine Republic, based at Malolos, in January 1899. When the United States refused to recognise Philippine sovereignty and asserted its own claim under the Treaty of Paris, Aguinaldo led an armed resistance that became the Philippine-American War, waging conventional and then guerrilla warfare against US forces until his capture at Palanan, Isabela, in March 1901. He swore allegiance to the United States and retired from active politics, later running unsuccessfully for president of the Commonwealth in 1935 and briefly collaborating with the Japanese occupation authorities during WWII, for which he was arrested but never tried. He remained a revered symbol of Philippine nationalism until his death in 1964.
- Lived: 1869 CE – 1964 CE
- Nationality: filipino
- Roles: President of the First Philippine Republic (1899-1901), leader_of_filipino_resistance_forces_in_the_philippine_revolution_and_philippine_american_war
