The first president of the Philippines is officially recognized as Emilio Aguinaldo. He became the inaugural president of the Philippines under the Malolos Republic, also known as the First Philippine Republic, and was inaugurated on January 23, 1899. Aguinaldo led the proclamation of Philippine independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, and served as president until 1901 when he was captured during the Philippine–American War
. There is some historical debate about whether Andrés Bonifacio, founder and leader of the Katipunan revolutionary society, should be considered the first president, as he led a revolutionary government known as the Tagalog Republic starting in 1896. Some historians argue Bonifacio was effectively the first president of a Filipino government, but his presidency is not officially recognized by the Philippine government because the Katipunan was initially a secret society and not a formal republic
. In summary, Emilio Aguinaldo is the officially recognized first president of the Philippines, while Andrés Bonifacio is regarded by some historians as an unofficial or revolutionary president preceding Aguinaldo.
