June is the month of Philippine independence, so we celebrated by visiting Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy’s house on June 20, 2025. His house is located in Kawit, Cavite. Cavite was one of the eight provinces that rebelled against Spain. This revolution spread, leading to Aguinaldo declaring independence from his balcony on June 12, 1898. He became the President of the First Republic.
After a long ride through Cavite, we made it to Aguinaldo’s house. I was greeted by many Philippine flags. I saw the same balcony where Aguinaldo declared independence from Spain. On the first floor, there was a museum about Aguinaldo with artifacts and facts. I loved the dioramas of major events in the revolution. Additionally, I saw real weapons from the revolution. There were maps of the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War. Aguinaldo ran for president in 1935, so we found a campaign ad. Aguinaldo also had a personal cigarette box and handkerchief.
This is my favorite diorama.
Outside, there were stairs that led to the second floor, which was the actual house. We saw bedrooms and even Aguinaldo’s bathroom. We saw his dining room, his piano, and the door to his balcony. (I could not go to the balcony because it was restricted.) I felt bad that the second floor was very restricted, but it is probably to prevent disrespectful people from destroying it.
This was me giving a pretend speech from what I thought was the balcony.
This was Aguinaldo’s piano. I do not know if he played it.
This is one of the bedrooms.
I think it is good that we can celebrate our heroes by reliving their experiences. I appreciate seeing our heroes’ daily lives. I am also pleased that, unlike most other historical tourist attractions (such as Fort Santiago, which I have visited before), there was no garbage on the grass or in other areas. (In Fort Santiago, there were chip bags in the cannons.)
I have learned that Aguinaldo was around long after the revolution, living until 1964. After the Philippine-American War, he experienced the entire American colonization, witnessed the transition to the Commonwealth, and ran for president in 1935. He collaborated with Japan in World War II due to his extreme hatred for the American regime. He experienced the transition from calesas to jeepneys. During the Third Republic, he experienced the Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, and Macapagal eras. He lived for around a year after John F. Kennedy died. He truly was a remarkable and long-living man.
This visit took around an hour, but it was an hour worth spending. I recommend visiting Emilio Aguinaldo’s house in Kawit, Cavite. 100/100
Works Cited
Ara, Satoshi (2015) “Emilio Aguinaldo under American and Japanese Rule: Submission for Independence?" Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 2018. Vol. 63: No. 2, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13185/2244-1638.4071
Available at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/phstudies/vol63/iss2/2
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