7 stolen insurrection records rescued from ebay

MANILA, Philippines —  Seven stolen historical documents have been rescued from ebay and have finally come home to the National Library of the Philippines where they belong.

All are from the Philippine Insurrection Records – that alongside Rizal’s “Noli” and “Fili” – are the most important treasures of the library and the Filipino nation.

It is the first case of the surrender and recovery of these priceless papers since 1993. Unfortunately, they are just the tip of the iceberg, with thousands of documents possibly changing hands in the last four decades, with new collectors today unaware that they are stolen government property — and that they can be easily identified through telltale marks.

The recovered documents were presented to the historical and academic community at simple ceremonies recently. National Library director Cesar Adriano made an appeal to any collectors who may have any of these invaluable documents in their possession. “We guarantee that the handover will not cause you any kind of inconvenience and we will not hold you responsible,” Adriano said.

The Insurrection Records are the irreplaceable record of our country’s journey to freedom from 1897 to 1898 — they include Bonifacio’s Trial and the June 12 Declaration of Independence to name just two —  but also the day-to-day running of the First Philippine Republic, both its civilian government and its army. It thus contains the heart and soul of the Philippine Revolution and the years of Asia’s first democratic republic and its war to remain independent until 1903.

Sadly, the June 12 Declaration of Independence and the Trial of Bonifacio (along with many others such as the letters of Leonor Rivera and various Katipunan documents) were stolen between 1986 and 1993.

The thefts were discovered several years later in 1994 when PIR documents were being offered for sale at some Mabini Street antique shops in Ermita, Manila. A certain Ronaldo Bayhon, who was then a researcher at the National Historical Institute and who had special access to the PIR, was subsequently charged and after a long trial found guilty by a Manila court in 2008 for having “taken, stolen, and carried away from the National