Aguinaldo Shrine

The Aguinaldo mansion in Kawit, Cavite, site of the historic proclamation of

Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898, was declared a national shrine in
June 1964 shortly after the death of General Emilio Aguinaldo.

A year before he died, the General donated the house and part of its grounds to
the Philippine government, a fitting last act of grand finale, it seems, for the man
who played so crucial a role in the history of his country.

The house was first built in 1845 from wood and thatch materials. Emilio
Aguinaldo was born there on March 22, 1869. It was reconstructed in 1849, and
then again in the early 1920s.

The main section of the house is a pyramid-like structure capped by a spired

tower at the very top. It takes five flights of stairs and a ladder to complete the
climb from the first to the highest floor.

A museum occupies the ground floor, an area which used to be unwalled s was
the architectural fashion of past eras. Perhaps this area was used for storing
grain.

The second floor consists of the General’s bedroom, the grand hall, the dining
room and kitchen, a conference room and an azotea. A corridor leads to the
eastern wing of the mansion where the General’s daughters, Carmen, Maria and
Cristina used to live with their families.

The next floor features a mezzanine library which overlooks the grand hall like
an alcove or balcony.

Another flight of stairs takes one to the bedroom of Miguel, the oldest son, which
was also once used as a study by the late Ambassador Jose Melencio, the
General’s son-in-law.

The next set of stairs leads to the bedroom of Emilio Jr and also said to be the
one Gen. Aguinaldo used in his last years. A brass bed and a huge roll-top
escritoire- the latter being a baffling phenomenon since its size could not have
permitted it to be transported through the narrow stairway-are the features of this
room. The room has a terrace where one may have an excellent view of the
Manila bay and the shoreline of Cavite.

A narrower flight of stairs, now barely a foot wide and almost ladder-like, leads
finally to the tower, said to have been the General’s favorite spot.

The house interiors are a collector’s dream: four-poster canopied beds, an

armoire, loveseats with in-laid ivory, Vienna rocking chairs, China cabinets.

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Most of these are of varnished Philippine hardwood, the kind that, in this day and
age, are either rare or too expensive. Furniture, and even pillars and doorways
are carved ornately in varied styles: rococo, baroque, and Gothic.

Some of these pieces yield certain delightful surprises. The clams, for instance,
which adorn every post or pillar in the spacious reception hall, can actually be
pulled out from the wall to serve as pot stands.

A number of chairs and cabinets have secret compartments which, one might
imagine, must have served a critical purpose in the past; to conceal important
documents, or even weapons perhaps.

There are secret passages, too. One that leads to the General’s bedroom on the
second floor is camouflaged by a wall of shelves at the landing of the main stairs.
Another leads from the kitchen to the air raid shelter below the ground floor. This
one is concealed by a slab of wood which served as a dining table.

Along the narrow stairways to the upper rooms, wall panels may be opened to
reveal storage areas for mattresses, brooms, and other utilities. Similar
ingeniously secreted cabinets are found in the bedrooms.

The main spectacle, of course, is the grand hall. Here, revolutionaries now long
gone must have held secret caucuses and made fateful state decisions. At the
end of this rectangular room is the historic window – a balcony had been added
and used often by the General and state officials during Independence Day
Celebrations – from which the Act of Declaration of Independence was read.

This room is a vital expression of one man’s affair with history and his country.

The floor is a mosaic of wooden trapezoids, a waxed-and-polished jigsaw puzzle

of flags. Even the pillars on the way to the dining room exhibit these mosaic
flags.

The ceiling is a gallery of soaring symbols: “Inang Pilipinas”; the eight rayed sun
depicting the revolt of the eight provinces; and the furled flags and dove. The
latter is symbolic of the hero’s aspiration for Philippine recognition as a member
of the League of Nations.

A relief map of the Philippines adorns the ceiling of the dining area.

Behind the mansion is the tomb of General Emilio Aguinaldo. He died of coronary
thrombosis on February 6, 1964 and was buried in the historic mansion with
which he is now enshrined.