 Spanish forces were decisively defeated by the American Navy in the Battle of Manila Bay.This defeat led to the return of revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo from exile and the beginning of the second phase of the Philippine Revolution, during which, on June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo issued the Philippine Declaration of Independence.Augustín attempted to create a consultative assembly of Filipino Ilustrados loyal to Spain and a militia of Filipinos, as a way to support autonomy in the Philippines.