| Conventional Long Name: | Republic of Negros |
| Common Name: | Negros |
| Status: | Provisional Revolutionary Government (1898) Constituent of the Federal State of the Visayas (1898–1899) U.S. protectorate (1899–1901) |
| Year Start: | 1898 |
| Date Start: | November 27, |
| Event Start: | End of the Negros Revolution |
| Date End: | April 20, |
| Year End: | 1901 |
| Event End: | Annexation to the Philippine Islands |
| Native Name: | |
| P1: | Spanish East Indies |
| Flag P1: | Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg |
| P2: | Federal State of the Visayas |
| S1: | Federal State of the Visayas |
| S3: | United States Military Government of the Philippine Islands |
| Flag S3: | US flag 45 stars.svg |
| Image Map Caption: | Map of Negros Island in 1900 |
| Capital: | Bacólod |
| Common Languages: | Hiligaynon, Cebuano and Spanish |
| Government Type: | Republican canton |
| Title Leader: | President |
| Leader1: | Aniceto Lacson |
| Year Leader1: | 1898–1899 |
| Title Representative: | Governor General of the Provinces |
| Representative1: | Melecio Severino |
| Year Representative1: | 1899–1901 |
| Legislature: | Chamber of Deputies |
| Title Deputy: | President of the Chamber of Deputies |
| Deputy1: | José de Luzuriaga |
| Year Deputy1: | 1899–1899 |
| Era: | New Imperialism |
| Today: | Philippines |
The Republic of Negros (hil|Republika sang Negros; ceb|Republika sa Negros; es|República de Negros) was a short-lived revolutionary entity which had existed on the island of Negros first as a canton of the First Philippine Republic and later as a protectorate of the United States.[1]
The entity had gone by multiple names throughout its short existence: the Negros Canton (hil|Kanton sg Negros; ceb|Kanton sa Negros; es|Cantón de Negros) of the First Philippine Republic,[2] and the Federal Republic of Negros (hil|Republikang Federal sg Negros; ceb|Republikang Federal sa Negros; es|República Federal de Negros) or Federal State of Negros (hil|Estadong Federal sg Negros; ceb|Estadong Federal sa Negros; es|Estado Federal de Negros) under U.S. protection.[3] [4] According to Gregorio Zaide, the protectorate had been annexed to the Philippine Islands as simply the Republic of Negros.[5]
See main article: Negros Revolution. From November 3 to 6, 1898, the Negrenses rose in revolt against the Imperial Spanish authorities headed by the politico-military governor, Colonel Isidro de Castro. The Spaniards decided to surrender upon seeing armed troops marching in a pincer movement towards Bacólod, the main city of the island. The revolutionaries, led by Generals Juan Araneta, from Bago and Aniceto Lacson, from Talisay, were actually carrying fake arms consisting of rifles carved out of palm fronds and cannons of rolled bamboo mats painted black. On 5 November, Spanish officials surrendered themselves to native leaders. A provisional government was then established with Aniceto Lacson as President, and a notice of this was sent by Melecio Severino to Emilio Aguinaldo on Luzón.[2] On November 27, 1898, the unicameral Congress of Deputies (es|Congreso de Diputados) met in Bacólod and declared the establishment of the Republican Canton of Negros (es|Cantón Republicano de Negros). The Congress of Deputies acted as a constituent assembly to draft a constitution.[2]
Motivated by either economic interests or sheer realpolitik,[2] [3] [4] [6] the hacendero-led cantonal government surrendered to U.S. forces on March 4, 1899, following the outbreak of hostilities between the nascent First Philippine Republic and the U.S. military government which had been established during the Spanish–American War, and came under U.S. protection on April 30, 1899 as a territory separate from the Philippine Islands.[3] [7] [8] A constitution for a Federal Republic of Negros,[3] which proposed two governors, a U.S. military governor and a civil governor elected by the voters of Negros, was framed by a committee sitting in Bacólod and sent to General Otis in Manila and was proclaimed to take effect on October 2, 1899. The Negros government operated smoothly under this constitution until the province of Occidental Negros was established on April 20, 1901,[9] and annexed to the Philippine Islands by the United States as the "Republic of Negros".[5]
The leaders of the short-lived republic were:[10]
| Aniceto Lacson (November 5, 1898 - November 27, 1898) November 5, 1898 - July 22, 1899 | (President in Negros Occidental only until November 27, 1898) President |
| Demetrio Larena (November 24, 1898 - November 27, 1898) November 5, 1898 - July 22, 1899 | (President in Negros Oriental only) Vice-President |
| José de Luzuriaga July 22, 1899 - November 6, 1899 | President of the Chamber of Deputies |
| Eusebio Luzurriaga | Secretary of the Treasury |
| Simeón Lizares | Secretary of the Interior |
| Nicolás Gólez | Secretary of Public Works |
| Agustín Amenábar | Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce |
| Secretary of War | |
| Antonio Ledesma Jayme July 24, 1854 - October 9, 1937 | Secretary of Justice |
| Melecio Severino November 6, 1899 - April 30, 1901 | Governor-General of the Provinces |
November 5, popularly referred to by the Negrenses as Cinco de Noviembre, has been officially observed since 1989 as a special non-working holiday in Negros Occidental.[11] The republic itself has been commemorated in a historical marker in the main square of Bago, on which is inscribed: