1898 Revolution

It was the first of May 1898, at around five to six o’clock in the morning when thunders of cannon volleys interrupted the tranquil sleep of the people of Bataan. American forces were bombing Corregidor, just off the coast of Mariveles. In less than an hour, Spanish defenses on the island were destroyed and by the afternoon of that same day, six American officials, including a captain, landed on the island from their vessel, Zafiro. The island was surrended.

THE FALL OF MARIVELES

By the end of the month, everything was ready for the conquest of Bataan by the insrurrectos, who had no choice but to raise a rebellion. Otherwise, it was known later, the American forces threatened to bombard the whole province.

Mariveles, therefore, was taken on May 30. Protected by eight regiments under Lieutenant Pavon, the town was attacked at noon when the soldiers were taking lunch. Though unprepared, the soldiers fought bravely – fifty to one. The battle left 16 young Spanish soldiers dead or gravely wounded.

THE FALL OF ORION

Orion was also taken on the 30th. Around 6 o’clock in the morning of the 29th, the infantry stationed in the town split up to survey the town. One division under the Señor Guerra, went northwards in the direction of Pilar. The other, under First Lieutenant Gomez, went southwards towards Limay. Only seven soldiers, under Sgt. Navarro, were left in town.

Soon after the two columns of soldiers left, cannon shots were heard – Balanga came under fire. And in a moment, from the forest of Orion itself, appeared troops of insurrectos. However, they could not approach the church and convent because of the armed soldiers who had taken refuge there.

Organizing themselves, the insurrectos marched towards Limay where they encountered the troops of Lieutenant Gomez – 20 infantry men with two guardias civiles against no less than four thousand rebels. The battle lasted for five hours, until two in the afternoon when the soldiers had used up their ammunition.

Victoriously, the rebels hastened to town where they kept vigil through the night, asking the priests of the parish, Fathers Ulpiano Herrero and Julian Misol, to surrender. In the morning of the next day, May 30, moved by the threats of the rebels to burn down the church and convent, the priests came down from the tower of the church and with them descended the Spanish flag in the town.


THE FALL OF PILAR

In Pilar, trouble also began on May 29. Ten infantry men who sought shelter in the convent found themselves surrounded by men armed with bolos – mostly Aetas who had connived with the few insurrectos in the town to occupy it. Prepared for battle, the soldiers stayed on the first floor of the convent for it was of concrete materials while the second floor was only of wood. Here, they were attacked by a native who had taken his subo, thinking that with it he could kill all the Spaniards in the convent, without getting himself killed. But before he could even reach the convent door, he was felled with a gunshot.

However, the insurrectos were able to set the convent aflame, and the soldiers had to flee to the church located at the other side of the road. In the process, the parish priest, Fr. Francisco Garcia, was wounded in the nose and left arm. And, after having been attacked by another superstitious fanatic, they were able to close the church and climb to the tower. From there, they heard the sound of trumpets from the direction of Orion. Thinking that it was help, they were overjoyed. Later, however, from the tower, they understood and saw that it was but a cry for help from the troops of Sergeant Guerra in Orion, being massacred by the insurrectos.

Hungry and thirsty, Father Garcia and his companions waited for any aid from Balanga or from any other place until the next day, May 30, when, convinced that no help was coming and assured by Gregorio Paguio, the captain of the insurrectos, that they would be treated with respect, they ended Spanish sovereignty in Pilar by surrendering themselves.


THE FALL OF BAGAC AND MORONG

On a Monday, June 7, a surprise attack was made on the 25 infantrymen of Bagac, and all were killed. The same was planned for Morong but the infantrymen of the town readily perceived their plan. They defended the quarters of the town for several days until they ran out of food and ammunitions. They retreated to Subic where, after a heroic defense, they surrendered to the Americans on Isla Grande where they had taken refuge. Admiral Dewey, however, later handed them over to the government of Aguinaldo.

THE FALL OF BALANGA

By May 26, rumors of revolution already permeated the town of Balanga. The day after, a certain Pantaleon, a former capitan of the town, asked for a sung Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin for the failure of the plot of the Katipunan to kill all Spaniards. By the 28th, revolution already started in the town under the leadership of a certain Jaen, a strong though uneducated man. Later, afraid of the anger of his fellow rebels for having advanced the date of the revolution from May 31 to May 28, Jaen committed suicide. His troops tried unsuccessfully to occupy the military quarters of the town.

The Spaniards, who took refuge inside the convent, lasted till the 30th, when their food began to run out. By May 31, they realized that no help was coming from Orani. So Baquero, the military chief in Balanga, negotiated the terms of surrender with the head of the rebels of the town, a man named Cardenas.


THE FALL OF SAMAL

On May 29, Lieutenant Salazar of the Guardia Civil gave instructions for the parish priest of Samal to leave town. Early the next day, the same lieutenant, with 50 men under him, proceeded to Balanga to provide support, passing by Abucay to ask Father Govea to leave. Meanwhile, Don Lucas Francia, the commander of the Bataan-Zambales zone, awaited help from General Monet who was assigned in Pampanga.

Two days, later, 150 Macabebes came. Together with 70 other infantrymen and guardias civiles, they tried to proceed to Balanga. But like the troops of Lieutenant Salazar, they did not enter the town for fear of being trapped inside. Instead, they retreated to Samal. The next day, Francia was informed of the surrender of Balanga. Sending a small troop to Samal, which also later returned, Francia retreated to Pampanga together with the priests of Abucay, Samal, Orani and Hermosa. So that when Lt. Salazar sent him a messenger to ask for instructions, he had already left.

That night, the revolutionaries attacked the town of Samal with arms taken from the Peace of Biak-na-Bato, from the infantrymen of Pilar, Abucay and Balanga which had surrendered, and from the Americans. Lieutenant Salazar wanted to surrender but the Macabebes, hoping for help from Pampanga which had been promised by Francia, refused.

Meanwhile, the insurrectos, having surrounded the Church, were able to dig a hole on the left side of the church, into which they poured petroleum which they later set aflame, burning the main altar. This led the defenders of the town to agree to the surrender provided their lives be spared.

But, afterwards, the rebels decreed that the Macabebes were not included in the agreement since they were Filipinos who turned traitor to their motherland by fighting under the Spanish flag. To regain their freedom, the Macabebes were required to shout, “Muera España, viva Filipinas!” Refusing to do this, the Macabebes answered: “Pensais que vamos a ser como vosotros que ayer jurabais ser eternamente fieles a España para hoy matar a sus hijos u pisotear su bandera?...” Because of this, they were all massacred.

In their honor, Father Ulpiano Herrero wrote:

“Descanded en paz magnanimos hijos de Macabebe! Con vuestro glorioso sacrificio cerrasteis brillantissimamente el libro de la fidelidad de Filipinas a España; y en ese asqueroso monton de traiciones y bellanquerias contra la Patria que dio a los Filipinos religion y cultura, constituis el unico oasis en que, contemplando los sucesos del perfido levantamiento, se recrea la mente del observador, a quien enthusiasman los sublimes cuadros de historia.”

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History of Faith & Governance

The Arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines

With the first mass at Limasawa on Leyte Island on March 31, 1521, Magellan solemnly established what was to become the long Spanish presence in the Philippines. Divine Providence so ordained it that even after the death of Magellan on Mactan Island in the central region of the archipelago, King Charles I of Spain continued to send expeditions to the east. Charles, however, was not successful in these enterprises --and it was Iris successor, King Philip II, who claimed the glory of having his group of islands, which was eventually named after him, among the list of Spanish dominions. It was during his reign and under his patronage that Miguel Lopez de Legazpi reached Leyte in February 1565.

By the year 1571, Rajah Matanda and Rajah Soliman, who reigned amongst the communities on the island of Luzon, were already vassals of the Spanish crown. It was only a matter of time before the immediate neighborhood of Manila eventually capitulated without bloodshed.

But further away from these environs, it was necessary for the conquistadores, as the Spaniards were called, to use arms. So Legazpi sent Martin de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo on the mission to subjugate the natives.

De Goiti was assigned to conquer the region known as Pampanga, of which Bataan was then a part. In this expedition, he was accompanied by Rajah Lacandula, who reigned over Tondo, Manila. This was fortuitous for De Goiti, for when the native chiefs realized this, they did not offer much resistance since the presence of the Tondo king augured well for them. They were weekly pacified and, like him, they acepted Spanish sovereignty.

De Goiti's early retum to Manila from Pampanga seems to have aborted the Spanish sojourn and settlement in the areas farther away from Manila, including Bataan.

But the Spaniards did reach Bataan - not as conquerors, but as missionaries.



Dutch Attack on Abucay & Samal


The first Dutch attack on the Philippines was led by Admiral Olivier van Noort, who landed in Albay in December 1600. On Saturday, June 22, 1647, the Dutch fleet appeared on the shores of Abucay.

In Samal, three enemy ships also attacked. However, they had hardly fired their cannons when they were driven away by the Filipino-Spanish soldiers, with the same courage as in Abucay.

In less than four days, there were 600 soldiers gathered to face the enemy should they return, as what actually happened. On July 11, 150 Dutch soldiers landed in Abucay led by the third in command of the fleet, to sack the town and take off with the livestock.

At the same time, Samal was also being sacked by the enemy when the troops of Captain Francisco Gomez Pulido arrived as reinforcement, having been sent by General Juan de Chavez from Abucay. Pulido, aided by the troops of Francisco Palmares, drove away the enemies, including the heretic who conquered Abucay. There were 14 killed on land and two were taken prisoners. It was not known how many were killed at sea, but undoubtedly, there were many of them. The rest managed to reach their ships anchoring at Mariveles Point, but an epidemic finally wiped out all of them.

After this event, the Governor General ordered that the dead be buried with honors for their loyalty to God and Country.

The British Invasion of Orion

The friendly relations between Spain and England were shared on August 15, 1761 by the signing of the Family Compact executed among the Spanish, French and Italian Bourbons. But even before Manila could hear of this, by the next year, 13 English ships, commanded by Admiral Samuel Cornish, with three to four thousand troops, entered Manila.

Due to lack of food, the British had to extend their invasion to the provinces surrounding Manila – San Pablo in Laguna, Santa Cruz de Malabon in Cavite, Pandi in Bulacan, including Caloocan, Navotas, and San Juan del Monte.

And it was at this period that the British thought of invading Bataan, and set their sights on landing in Orion.

However, before they were able to land and station themselves at the town-convent, General Anda had already heard of the news. Immediately he ordered 60 of his men, under D. Manuel Aspilla, to board their wagons and proceed at once from Guagua (Wawa, Pampanga) to Bataan where they were joined by 200 natives with their bows and arrows.

Separating 16 of Anda’s soldiers and 50 bowmen of Bataan to take possession and guard the only way by the river leading to the sea, the principal detachment marched towards the convent. But they had not yet completely surrounded it when the British soldiers began to run for the beach in confusion.



However, before they reached the shore, there was a short exchange of fire on the road by the river leading to the sea where a number of Spanish-Bataan men-of-war were waiting.

In this encounter, there were six or seven Englishmen and one native of Bataan killed.

Bataan Revolts Against Spain

The townsfolk of Bataan embraced the faith and culture introduced by the Dominican fathers who settled on their land. But, the Spaniards later realized, the people were not such a submissive lot in the face of extreme abuses. Like their counterparts in other provinces around the archipelago, the Bataan natives strained against the tightening noose of subjugation and plotted to shed off the foreign burden.

The Uprising of 1600

Tremors of war in Bataan began as early September 1, 1660. On that day, the Council of Mayors from different parts of Pampanga, the province of which Bataan was then still a part, met without due consideration to the then Alcade Mayor.

The point at issue was the uprising which began when a worker cutting timber in Bataan for the construction of the ship San Sebastian in Cavite, attacked his foreman in retaliation for the extreme abuses against him. His cause had been taken up by his fellow workers, who collectively denounced the abuses committed against them, including that they were not paid on time and, if it all, they were unjustly paid, and that because of this, some of them had already died of hunger.

Emotions were then at fever pitch, it was said, so that even if the governor, Sabiano Manrique de Lara, appeared at the head of the troops, bringing money, he would not have succeeded in pacifying the insurgents.

They had already burned the warehouse of the Dominicans when a Dominican priest, Fr. Pedro Camacho, helped by three other Augustinian friars, tried to pacify them by giving them a ration of rice enough to last for a month.

But all was in vain. The rebels took their families to the mountains, formed themselves into a band, and occupied Lubao and Bacolor, which was then the capital of Pampanga, using the churches as their quarters and holding the Alcade Mayor hostage.

News of this rebellion reached Manila on October 4 of the same year. At once, eight artilleries with 300 Spanish soldiers with the best military men, including Japanese and Mardicas, were dispatched. The forces drove the rebels to other provinces, particularly Pangasinan, where they were led by Andres Malong. However, majority of them remained and were pacified. And, having made it clear that they were not against all Spanish sovereignty but were only for justice, no penalty was meted out to them. On the contrary they received 14,000 pesos which were due to them, as was clear from the Royal Cedula.

Since then, except for the 1787 Tobacco Monopoly unrest in Samal and some occasional attacks of pirates, bandits and Aetas which caused the death of Father Antonio Perez in 1727, Bataan became a very peaceful province until the year 1898 when the insurrectos murdered Fathers David Varas, Domingo Cabrejas and Jose de San Juan.

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