Anything Under the Sun
Iloilo Fiasco (3)
In reply to the letter of Miller dated January 1, 1899, Gen. Lopez replied writing that "the council of state of this region of Visayas area are, at this present moment, between the authority of the United States, that you try to impose on us, and the authority of the central government of Malolos."
Lopez argued: "The supposed authority of the United States began with the Treaty of Paris on the 10th of December 1898. The authority of the Central Government of Malolos is founded in the sacred and natural bonds of blood, language, uses, customs, ideas (and) sacrifices."
The Ilonggos were further emboldened when some American ships left on January 29. These ships brought some elements of the 51st Iowa Volunteer Regiment who were now restless having been aboard for 89 days after they left San Francisco, California.
Then, Miller sent a diplomatic mission to the rebels headed by Maj (Dr) Henry Du R. Phelan.
During the conference between Phelan's group and the rebel delegation led by Gen. Raymundo Melliza, the latter said that "all the Americans had is Manila" implying that United States sovereignty did not include Iloilo and therefore, the Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation of US President William McKinley was nothing.
The Ilonggos further explained that their orders were not to allow the Americans to disembark, and that they were powerless to allow them to come without express orders from Aguinaldo.
Phelan evaded the issue saying that the Americans had sacrificed lives and money in destroying the power of Spain to which Melliza retorted that the Filipinos had made great sacrifices in lives and that they had a right to their country which they had fought for and that the Americans are here to take from them what they have won fighting and that the Filipinos had been the allies of the Americans who used them.