The Life and Death of General Pantaleon Villegas (Leon Kilat)

FRANCISCO Llamas. Nicolas Godines. Eugenio Gines. Luis Flores. Luis Abellar. Candido Padilla. Jacinto Paca�a. Andres Abellana. Lucio Herrera. Mariano Hernandez. Nicomedes Machacon. Alejo Mi�oza. Ambrocio Pe�a. Hilario, Felix and Potenciano Ali�o. Estanislao Larrua. Pascasio Dabasol. Wenceslao Capala. Daniel Ca�edo. Silvestre and Simeon Ca�edo. Regino, Nicanor and Jaime Enriquez. Pantaleon Villegas (aka Leon Kilat). Bonifacio Aranas. Juan Climaco. Justo Cabajar. Florencio Gonzales. Arcadio Maxilom.
Sounds familiar? They should be. After all, many Cebuanos today bear the same family names, being their descendants. Streets are named after many of their ancestors. They - and several hundreds of others who participated in the Cebuanos' struggle against 400 years of Spanish colonial rule - are your local heroes.
A hundred years ago, they put their lives and limb at stake so that their children and great grandchildren could be free from tyranny. Many of them died to make freedom and independence a reality at a time when only fools dared to dream dreams.
Beginnings
The beginings of the revolutionary movement in Cebu is still not very clear. There are reports that Tagalog katipuneros had a strong influence in shaping the events leading to the uprising which finally drove out the Spaniards in December 1898.
Some local historians credit Anastacio Oclarino for the formation of the local chapter of the katipunan. He was from Sta. Cruz, Laguna and worked in the ships "Mariposa" and "Bohol". That was where Gil Domingo and Hermogenes Plata recruited him into the movement and later ordered him in the later part of 1897 to form a chapter in Cebu.
Domingo and Plata were identified with the faction of the Bonifacio brothers which opted to continue the revolution after Aguinaldo's compromise agreement at Biak-na-bato.
The order was given despite the truce between the Filipino revolutionaries under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and the Spanish authorities. Those oppposed to Aguinaldo's compromise disseminated propaganda materials that urged Filipinos to continue the fight. Some of these materials were brought by Oclarino to Cebu in Jan. 1898. Oclarino was also helped by another Tagalog Gabino Gabucayan.
In Cebu, Florencio Gonzales met Oclarino who recruited him to the KKK. Gonzales was interested. Since he was going to Manila to settle a case being a procurador (a helper of a lawyer), he decided to meet Gil Domingo and Hermogenes Plata. The two appointed Gonzales to spearhead the katipunan in Cebu, with Oclarino as courier.
But in the accounts of Gregorio Abellana, a participant of the revolution, the first chapter of the katipunan was formed in Cebu even before Oclarino came. This was organized by natives of San Nicolas in June 19, 1897. Their leaders were Gavino Padilla, Teofisto Cavan and Frisco Abriyo.
The group sent a letter to Gen. Gil Domingo who replied that a man known in the locality to be an expert in firearms will be sent to Cebu. In the meantime, they started recruiting other members to the katipunan.
Like their counterparts in Luzon, the local katipunan chapter used the cell system of organization. Each head of the cell known as "cabecilla" would recruit their own members who would not know members of the other cells. By mid February 1898, the cabecillas recruited were: Mariano Hernandez, an operator of Smith Bell and Co., Luis Abellar, Nicomedes Machacon, Alejo Mi�oza and Ambrocio Pe�a.
Mariano Hernandez was later appointed colonel by Domingo and Plata upon the recommendation of Oclarino.
Very soon, the katipunan was making inroads to Cebu's middle class. Francisco Llamas, Nicolas Godines, Eugenio Gines and Luis Flores were some of its early members.
Leading members of the San Nicolas community likewise began to feel the pulse of the revolution throbbing. Prominent among the early recruits were Luis Abellar, a former teniente; Candido Padilla, former capitan and currently juez de paz; ex-capitan Jacinto Paca�a; ex-capitan Andres Abellana; Lucio Herrera, a wealthy Chinese; and Spanish mestizo lawyer Isidro Guibelondo of Mabolo.
But the Cebu chapter seemed to lack a solid leadership. It had to have an outsider to provide the organization an adequate leadership.
Leon Kilat
The man who was expected by the locals was Pantaleon Villegas or more popularly known as "Leon Kilat."
Villegas was born on July 27, 1873, in Bacong, Negros Oriental, to Don Policarpio Villegas and Do�a Ursula Soldi. His grandfather was Don Pedro Villegas, a native of Spain, and Dorotea, a daughter of a capitan of Bacong.
His trip to Cebu in 1897 was not his first because he was here two years earlier working in Botica Antigua . This was located in the corner of Calle del Palacio and Calle Legaspi (Burgos and Legaspi). It was a well known drug store frequented by many Cebuanos.
With him were Ciriaco Murillo and Eulogio Duque who told the writer Manuel Enriquez de la Calzada that Pantaleon actually used the name "Eulogio", instead of Pantaleon. Because there were two Eulogios working in the drugstore, the German owner had to call him instead "Leon". Why he used the name "Eulogio" was not known.
Villegas did not stay long there. He transferred to a bakery in Pahina. From there he moved on to a circus owned by Tagalogs on their way to Manila. The circus happened to be owned by a katipunero. It was there that he was recruited into the secret council of the KKK which also taught the occult sciences, magic, and other esoteric practices.
It was possible that he was also brought to Cavite, Malabon, Calamba, Pasig and Malolos which were centers of the revolutionary movement in Luzon. He was known for his bravery and daring, his firm defense of his comrades and his stand on issues.
He was likewise known to follow orders and suggestions of superiors in the movement. Comrades in Luzon were always surprised at his courage to be ahead of the group whenever there was an encounter. In San Roque, Cavite. In Binondo. In Malolos. Very few demonstrated such courage, they noted.
All these were related by Eulogio Duque. It was in his house in front of the Roas in General Serrano street (later called Martires, now M.J. Cuenco Ave.) where Villegas lived when he arrived from Manila. From here he carried his mission in Cebu for the katipunan.
The Spanish authorities later visited Duque in that house to arrest him, suspecting that he was Pantaleon Villegas. But he told them that his name was Teodorico - thus, the nickname "Dikoy" - and his family name was Duque, not Villegas. Fortunately, the botica owner vouched for him. Thus, he lived to tell his story.
Although Plata and Domingo had already an appointment for Gonzales to lead the revolt in Cebu, that order must have been supplanted by a new one. When Villegas arrived here, he was able to show a letter from the katipunan leaders endorsing his appointment.
Gavino Gabucayan was supposed to have been sent here, but the Visayans in Luzon would not permit him to go because he was also needed there. He was credible and had leadership capabilities. They were in a quandary. But after learning that Villegas was from the Visayas, they lost no time in sending him to Cebu. That had to be done in utmost secrecy because by now the Spaniards had become extremely suspicious of persons coming from Manila.

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BEFORE Leon Kilat's arrival in Cebu, the Cebuanos were already organized under the following structure: Candido Padilla, chief; Teofisto Cavan, secretary; Alejandro Climaco, treasurer; and Atilano Lopez, Frisco Abriyo, Luis Flores, Eugenio Gines, Florencio Gonzales, Lucio Herrera, Jacinto Paca�a, Francisco Llamas, Arsenio Cabreros, Justo Cabajar and P. Toribio Padilla as members.
They would often meet in secret places, sometimes in the house of Cabeza Llamas or the Chinese Lucio Herrera. Or at Jacinto Paca�a's place or at the house of Capitan Candido Padilla. Andres Abellana would relate that the house of Paulino Solon in Sambag (where the Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Hospital is now located) was used often because it was secluded and had plenty of trees. Solon (also known as Paulino Bungi) had a huge front yard where a tamarind tree stood and benches made of wood or split bamboo.
No exact date is given when Leon Kilat arrived for his final mission in Cebu. Some sources say he arrived in Mid-February or late March of 1898. But according to Andres Abellana in 1928, Kilat visited him sometime in December 1897. Afterwards, he was introduced to other cabecillas and leaders of the local chapter.
But before him, Kilat had already met Mariano Hernandez, one the organizers of the katipunan. Kilat had hesitations about Abellana being a former capitan who might report him to the authorities. Abellana in turn had his own apprehensions about Kilat whom he suspected of being a spy who was just fishing for information.
Thus, Abellana told him he did not want the Spanish regime to fall. Still Abellana would introduce him to other ring leaders like Candido Padilla and Florencio Gonzales who, like Abellana, refused to trust him.
"Nagkinidhatay lang ug mibalidad," recalled Abellana.
Finally, they brought him to Mariano Hernandez who showed them Aguinaldo's letter introducing Leon Kilat. The letter erased all their doubts, and they were happy that the man they had waited for was here at last.
In the meantime, the propaganda materials prepared and compiled by Domingo and Plata reached Cebu through Anastacio Oclarino and Gavino Gabucayan in January 1898. The latter had instructions to organize the katipunan in the Visayas and Mindanao and prepare the plan of establishing a dictatorial government. But this would not materialize due to the arrest and execution of Cavan and Gonzales.
In the instruction of Plata and Domingo, the persons appointed to lead this government were: Florencio Gonzales, as general in chief; Luis Flores, general for war plans; Jacinto Paca�a, supplier of weapons; Lucio Herrera, treasurer of war; Solomon Manalili, auditor; Candido Padilla, captain of the army; Fortunato Gonzales, lt. col. of the army and Bonifacio Arenas, division colonel. Mariano Hernandez was the supreme military authority who appointed the members of the macheteros (bolomen) against the cazadores, the bodyguards of Gen. Montero.
Aguinaldo's letter must have superceded the order of Domingo and Plata because it was Leon Kilat who had now assumed the leadership of the katipunan. He met with Luis Flores, Florencio Gonzales, Alejandro Antequia and Crisologo Franco Bermejo in whose presence he organized barangay no. 1 with Flores as chieftain in Sawang, Cebu City.
In the town of San Nicolas, he made contact with Teopisto Cavan in his house, then requested him to fetch Gregorio Padilla. In a meeting with the latter, Leon Kilat asked the latter not to divulge the plan of the revolt if he valued his own life. Then he organized barangay no. 2 with Padilla as chief of San Nicolas.
Leon himself assumed command of the katipunan army in the same locality, ordering every person to produce bladed weapons following certain measurements and telling each one to remember him only as Leon Kilat.
The katipunan was growing fast. While Leon Kilat was in Cebu, many young men were drawn to the organization. In the workplaces where abaca was being processed and in commericial houses, very few were not members of the katipunan. The young men of San Nicolas and the city Cebu were one in their aspirations for the motherland. In practically all places, there were groups headed by their own jefes, ready to fight.
Then an important meeting took place on March 11, 1898 at the sugar cane field of Jacinto Paca�a where it was decided to start the revolt on April 8 (Good Friday).The suggestion was brought up by Catalino Fernandez who argued that the all the Spaniards would be joining the procession on Good Friday and their guns would be facing down and without cartridges. They could take all the leaders in one blow with the least resistance.
Present in that meeting were the leaders of the katipunan in Cebu: Leon Kilat, Candido Padilla, Luis Flores, Eugenio Gines, Florencio Cavan, Jacinto Paca�a, Atilano Lopez, Francisco Llamas, Alejandro Climaco, Justo Cabajar, Alejo Mi�oza, Hipolito Labra, Placido Datan, Alipio Barrera, Alejandro Villona, Nicanor Avila and others. They resolved to keep their agreements in secret that not even their wives, parents or brothers and sisters would be told about their fateful decisions that day.
They also conspired with the members of the voluntarios leales (royal volunteers) that in case of a shooting match with katipuneros, they would fire over their heads. Or they would aim their guns at the Spaniards should the latter refuse to surrender. Everybody in the meeting agreed.
That same March 11 meeting decided to send three leaders to Manila for military training. Francisco Llamas was told to leave immediately, bringing money and bladed weapons with him. Nicolas Godines and Eugenio Gines would follow later. This they did to avoid detection by Spanish authorities who were getting more and more suspicious of people going on boat trips to Manila.
But these activities could not go on without being detected by the Spanish authorities. By the middle of March 1898, they began to notice certain conditions in the city and San Nicolas. Rumors floated about the existence of a secret society. Many of the katipuneros, especially those who frequented Manila, were placed under surveillance.
A SOCIAL upheaval, like that which happened in Cebu in 1898, always has its share of casualties. As so often in the past, the first casualties were those who had minimal involvement in the planning and execution of the events fast shaping up.
The Spaniards were looking for something to start with - the names of persons involved. To verify their suspicions, two guardia civil fetched teniente Januario Gabrillo of Basak, San Nicolas from his house to find out who went to Opon for the mass at the church of Virgin sa Regla. It was reported that the ones involved in the katipunan prayed at the church prior to launching their revolt. The Spaniards felt uneasy about it.
So Gabrillo was brought to the tribunal of San Nicolas and subjected to interrogation. This tribunal was made of five persons who looked threatening enough with their looks, their voices and their eyes. Gervasio Padilla interceded for his release for not having done anything wrong, to no avail. The arresting officers simply refused, saying they were under the orders of Captain Revilla, chief of the local volunteers of Cebu.
During this time, the members of the voluntarios locales were: Florentino Rallos, Francisco del Mar, Francisco Sales, Arsenio Climaco, Manuel Roa, Jose Ocampo, Juan Borres, Esteban Manuel, Angel Iriarte, and very few Cebuanos. It was Remigio Gutierres, registrar of Cebu, who made efforts to set it up, bringing with him Fidel Moa, Pedro Royo, a certain Cuito, Eduardo Lopez and others.
Complete with firearms, each one had a Remington, were trained and also training others. They were fulltime in their job, made to believe that they would be fighting the North Americans, but they would be used against their fellowmen instead. Many of them joined the revolutionaries when the Spaniards left to fight against the Americans.
In behalf of the chief of the guardia civil district, Gabrillo was brought to Fort San Pedro where Captain Revilla was waiting. Again, Gabrillo was interrogated by Revilla through an interpreter, asked about his name, age, civil status and profession as well as the names of his companions who went to Opon for the mass at the Virgen sa Regla church. He was promised freedom if he revealed their names.
The ruse worked. Gabrillo revealed 15 names. Among the prominent ones mentioned were Teopisto Cavan, Presco Abreu (Frisco Abriyo in some accounts), Florencio Gonzales, Gregorio Abellana, Gavino Padilla and Andres Abellana.
But instead of being released, he was tortured some more until he died. He was buried on the right side of the fort. The incident happened on March 21, 1898, a Palm Sunday.
According to local historian Manuel Enriquez de la Calzada, many bad things happened on a Palm Sunday in the storied past of San Nicolas. It was a Palm Sunday in March 21, 1521 when 800 natives were baptized in Sugbu (the old name of San Nicolas).
On April 3, 1898, a Palm Sunday, the bell in San Nicolas was raised up, the same day that Sanicolasnons took up arms against their colonizers. (On another Palm Sunday, March 26, 1945, American planes bombed the church and destroyed it. Was Palm Sunday a jinx in the history of San Nicolas?)
On the early morning of March 22, the list was secretely delivered to the Tribunal of San Nicolas by a certain Sargeant Mastache and two soldiers. An rrder was issued to arrest all suspected members of the katipunan, prompting all katipuneros to go into hiding.
But unfortunately, not all were informed. Among those caught unaware was Pinsoy (Florencio) Gonzales. He was also tortured and made to reveal the names of the other katipuneros. However, Gonzales kept his mouth shut.
His arrest was made possible through a woman informer of Labangon who told authorities about their presence in the area. Then Candido Padilla, Julio Llorente and the Regis brothers were also nabbed while asleep.
A few days later, Pisto (Teopisto) Cavan followed Gonzales to the fort. Upon his arrest, he was politely told that they were investigating something and needed to ask some questions. His family was even assured that he would return soon. A few days later, his parents went to the authorities, only to be told that Pistoy would go home in due time. But he never did.
Gonzales and Cavan were imprisoned inside the fort which was hot during daytime and made to sleep on stone floor which had the suffocating smell of urine. The food given was often stale, and they could not sleep. Interrogation came at the most unexpected hours. They were often breathless because of the rapidity with which questions were asked. They were boxed, kicked and slapped during these sessions.
When the tribunal was finished with them, it sent a summary of their "crimes" to General Montero who never knew what transpired. As usual, Montero would issue a sentencia de muerte (death sentence). This order could not be revoked, rescinded or opposed. Montero's decisions were always absolute.
So Gonzales and Cavan followed the fate of Gabrillo, becoming the first martyrs of the revolution in Cebu.
The wealthy Chinese Lucio Herrera was also summoned to see General Montero at his office. He was questioned about his relationship with Francisco Llamas, his brother-in-law. The latter replied that he knew nothing about Llamas' activities. Despite several slaps and kicks from the governor, the latter was still allowed to go home because of his strong connections with his countrymen and the influential Chinese community.
In the meantime, some leading members of the katipunan managed to escape the dragnet of the guardia civil. Gregorio Abellana left his house at Mindanao St. (now B. Aranas), luckily, just a few minutes before the arrival of the soldiers.
Then he met Crispin Echevarre, servant of Gervasio Padilla, who accompanied him to the latter's house. Padilla advised Abellana to leave immediately for Kabkab (Carcar)and stay there until April 7 (Holy Thursday), the eve of the revolt. So Abellana, accompanied by Severo "Iray" Padilla, left for Kabkab on horseback. They stayed with the Enriquez family of Miguel, Apolinaria and their sons Regino, Nicanor and Jaime who all became members of the Katipunan.
Unknown to them, their companions met on Friday (March 25 or April 1) to thresh out their plan of preparing a revolt against the Spanish government. They finalized the April 8 revolt, and agreed to place the quarters of the Carbineros, infantry and the guardia civil under watch with 50 men each. The signal for their attack would be the sky rocket to be launched by Jorge Nombrado.
At this time, the schedule for their uprising was still on Good Friday, April 8, 1898.
AMULETS are part of the Filipino's arsenal of defenses against unknown forces in a world he knows very little about and which he is afraid of. In the Cebuanos' struggle against the Spanish tyranny, the odds were stacked against the local katipunan forces. They barely had time to organize themselves before they were discovered and some top leaders were arrested. They were ill-equipped to fight against a better-organized, better-armed and better-fed Spanish troops.
Rather than plunge into suicidal attacks against their enemies, it became necessary for the local revolutionaries to have a psychological prop to strengthen their resolve to fight. With Leon Kilat who had shown an extraordinary prowess, their handicap was solved.
Relatives in Bacong, Negros Oriental would testify that Leon Kilat had the uncanny ability to appear in places from seemingly out of nowhere and disappear, using his handkerchief like a magic carpet. Thus the name "Kilat" (lightning).
"Si Leon Kilat dunay hiyas nga nabantug ug gikaintapan sa mga kaaway (Leon Kilat had this quality which was reknowned and feared by his enemies)," recalled Andres Abellana 30 years after the revolution.
"Ako, nakakita gayud. Moasdang siya sa mga kaaway bisan naghadyong ang mga bala. Makuli nga maigo ug kon maigo man gani, maorag dili siya dutlan kay mamapha lang ug dili maunsa," added Abellana.
(I really saw it myself. He would advance towards his enemies even with bullets buzzing around him. It would be difficult to hit him. Or, even if he is hit, he simply dusts himself and he is not even hurt.)
But unlike others who are said to possess amulets, Leon willingly shared his ability with fellow katipuneros to shield them in battle. Whether or not these were actually effective did not seem to matter then. The katipuneros apparently believed they became invulnerable to bullets like their leader, and that kind of belief was important if they were to win their battles against the superior weapons of the Spanish guardia civil, cazadores and voluntarios locales.
First was the vistidora, a chasuble-like cloth worn over one's clothes. Printed on it were synbolic words and religious pictures and corrupted Latin and Spanish words and phrases.
The frontal part had God the Father's image at the upper portion, accompanied by images of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, heads of the Three Persons, the heads of the 12 Apostles, angels, archangels and seraphims carrying swords and chalices.
Corrupted Latin and Spanish words - like Cruz passion y muerte cruz de Cristo salva mi tress Ave Maria, Adit Dium Empacturom en visto virgo Jesus Jesus - completed the chasuble's front.
The back part of the clothing also bore the image of God the Father at the uppermost portion, with the images of St. James the Apostle and St. Michael, both riding horses and carrying swords, occupying the lower part. While at the center lowermost portion was the palm of the right hand which had the usual Latin and Spanish inscriptions.
Another amulet was a triangle-shaped clothing inscribed with several words and numbers and divided into nine smaller triangles. Gibison Gaodio magnobaldi contra bala epica egosom pactom Dominom Diom Pactom Jesom Pleom Tom Jesus were some of the words found in that piece of clothing. This was wound around the katipunero's head to shield him from head injuries.
A substitute was a small triangular piece of cloth or paper on which the magical words have been written. This was attached to the brim of the hat.
A third clothing, about two fingerbreadths in width, had the image of an angel carrying a kris, with the following Spanish words: Salvate Deus, Los que defienden de la patria como nuestro defensa en la patria celestial contra los demonios.
The local katipuneros were also made to place inside their mouths a round piece of paper about the size of one peso, with the following words inscribed in the center: Hiesus lamuroc milano. Around the paper were written: Panes teurom nam butrates luz itirre quetram bobis viva buturiam. At the other side of that paper was written the letters K.K.K. It was called hostia redentora and believed to be powerful in preventing feelings of hunger or thirst during a long fight or long journey.
Entrusted with the task of writing the magical formulae, after receiving special instructions from Leon Kilat, was the young katipunero from San Nicolas, Francisco Ma. Labrador. To hasten this task, he used a wooden stamp marker.
Others who helped him with this task were Elpidio Rama, Anastacio Rama and Simplicio Alaura. Rama was entrusted by Kilat with the task of giving out the correct measure and appearance of the vistidora.
All those who were given these objects were repeatedly warned not to carry money or other metal objects, aside from their weapons, and not to allow themselves to be touched by women, else the effectivity of the anting-anting would be jeopardized.
THE untimely arrest and execution of Gonzales and Cavan on April 2 changed a lot of things for the katipuneros of Cebu. Both were deeply involved in the revolutionary movement and knew a lot about its leaders. It was only a matter of time before all of them would be caught and executed.
So an important meeting took place to change the original plan to start the uprising on April 8, Good Friday. Among those who attended this meeting were Leon Kilat, Eugenio Gines, Arsenio Cabreros, Mariano Hernandez, Francisco Labrador, Justo Cabajar, Catalino Fernandez, Rufo Abella, Francisco Llamas, the Paca�a family, the Abellanas of Dulho, Atilano Lopez, Benito Aves and many others. This meeting was said to have taken place in the house of Isidro Guibelondo at Carreta (possibly near the present Roman Catholic cemetery along Gen. Maxilom Ave.)
In this meeting, one leader forewarned about the danger of being arrested because the list of the revolutionaries was in the hands of Canvan and Gonzales, and this might be discovered by the Spaniards. Thus, it was impossible to wait for Good Friday.
Change of plans
Gregorio Padilla suggested the change of date to Arpil 3 in order to rescue Gonzales and Cavan alive from prison. Fernandez and others objected for reasons not explained. But Kilat approved of the proposed date. Luis Flores, chief of barangay 1, had to be informed only because he was not present.
With the revolt being on the next day, Leon ordered the making of all the needed weapons. The man incharge of preparing the exact measurements of the dagger was Crispin Echevarre. In charge of printing the words of the anting-anting with the use of a wooden marker was Francisco Labrador, while Anastacio Rama was assigned to take charge of the measurements and shape of the chasuble that bore the magical Latin and Spanish words.
These were supposed to protect them against the bullets of the Spanish forces. Everyone present was told to inform others about the change of plans.
Talisay ambush
Unknown to the Cebuano katipuneros, the group in Talisay could no longer wait for the uprising to begin. This was composed of the Ali�o brothers (Potenciano, Florencio, Felix and Januario), Pascasio Dabasol, Silvestre Ca�edo, Simeon Ca�edo and Wenceslao Capala. They were surprised when someone informed them to get ready. So they waited at the junction of Tabunok until 12:00 noon.
In Talisay at that time, six guardia civil were assigned, headed by a Spaniard named Sgt. Moscoso, with another Spaniard Engeniero Baldomero and four other natives. That evening of April 2, at around 9:00, three of them were patrolling the area when suddenly they were ambushed by katipuneros coming from Tabunok in barrio San Isidro and their arms were confiscated. These the katipuneros used to kill the two Spaniards who were resting at their headquarters.
In the meantime, at San Nicolas at 2:00 early morning of April 3, the guardia civil raided the house of Presco Abreu at El Pardo St. (now C. Padilla) corner Aragon st. (now Figueroa). Presco was a neighbor of Teopisto Cavan. He was taken by the guardia civil hogtied.
When discovered by the katipuneros, a member immediately went to Candido Padilla but he was no longer at his house having gone early to the cockpit. It was Gregorio Padilla who took the responsibility of informing his comrades in the katipunan about Abreu's arrest.
That very same day, the town officials woke up all the men in the locality to let them attend the first mass and ask their help in raising up the new church bell in place of the broken one in the belfry. But the authorities had other reasons. They wanted to check on all the men in the area.
Earlier, General Montero was informed by Father Tomas Gimenez about the surprise attack of the katipuneros through a confession of a certain Potenciana from Pardo. Thus, he instructed his cazadores, guardia civil, voluntarios locales and carraveneros to watch the men of San Nicolas grouping themselves together without the presence of soldiers and shoot them if necessary. He had now assumed command of the Spanish forces, not trusting his men completely.
At the San Nicolas church that morning, people came in their Sunday best. After all, it was palm Sunday. The officials (capitanes, pesados, tinientes and subalternos) were dressed in black "americana abierta con chalico y corbata", "adolfo" hat and "sapatos con charol". While others of lower social classes "igo lang sa sinina nga dublawo, camisa de chino, karsones nga puti."
After the mass, the Sanicolasnons converged around the new church bell which was to be raised to the belfry that morning. The palms were blessed, while the band played "Marcha de Cadiz". The sponsor of the bell at that time was Ceferina Llamas, who was then a young woman. While outwardly, things seemed normal, those who knew kept their own thoughts to themselves. The arrest of Abreu earlier that morning was already being whispered about.
At 9:00 o'clock that morning, as Luis Flores, Leon Kilat and Eugenio Gines were about to finish their breakfast, they were startled when Gregorio Padilla on horseback suddenly stopping at the doorstep of the house they slept in at Carreta. The night before, the three leaders had transferred there (probably in the house of Isidro Guibelondo, a Spanish mestizo lawyer who helped the katipunan) because the guardia civil were looking all over Cebu for them. Now Padilla arrived, breathless. They invited him inside and told him to sit down. Then Padilla gave his account of Abreu's arrest, which saddened the three.
Leon was the first to speak up: "Kon mao kini, kitang tanan mahanaw. Kinsa pa ma'y mopatuman sa atong mga plano?" (If that is the case, all of us will perish. Who is going to implement our plans?)
Flores took it hard upon himself, while Gines was speechless. A lot of questions came to their minds. Who will advance in battle when nobody knew? Who will come in so short notice? Who is going to follow if the agreed time has not arrived yet? Who will fight unprepared?
Leon who was firm in his resolve said: "Tana, moalsa kita karong adlawa. Kadtong saad ayaw na'g hulata, dili ta kini palabyong adlawa. Kay usa ka gutlo nga paglangan, libo ka dupa ang kadaugan sa atbang."
(Come, let us start the uprising today. Let's not wait for the promised help, we will not let this day pass. A moment wasted means a thousand steps victory for the enemy.)
He ordered Luis Flores to prepare his forces in the city. Eugenio Godines was to go to Tinago, call a meeting and get inside the prison to free the prisoners. They would meet at the intusan (sugar mill) of Paulino Solon at Sambag in the afternoon to consolidate their forces. Leon Kilat himself would take charge of San Nicolas. The uprising would begin before 3:00 in the afternoon.
THREE o'clock in the afternoon of April 3, 1898 was an exciting moment in Cebu's history. Whatever would be the outcome of that would decide the fate of Cebuanos in the next century.
But there were other events outside Cebu that were beyond the control of the protagonists here. Spain had entered into another war with the United States, and this was sapping her energies and resources. Unknown to the katipuneros in Cebu, the ships of the American Admiral Dewey were now patrolling Manila bay, threatening Spain's once-invincible armada.
Still that did not deter the Spaniards here from holding on to their colony. This they did with a fierceness of a cornered dog, ready to bite back when provoked.
But it was a different story for the civilian Spaniards, the aliens, the pro-Spanish Cebuanos and the non-aligned ones. They began to leave their homes, carrying their belongings with them to Fort San Pedro, the only place safe enough for them.
Others went to the government house near the fort, the bishop's palace, the seminario de San Carlos, the Colegio de la Immaculada Concepcion (at its old site near the cathedral) and the offices of foreign business firms.
At the fort, Gen.Adolfo Montero tried to calm down the evacuees, telling them that the insurrectos would soon be crushed with the might of the Spanish arms. It would be foolish for the 'indios' to fight, he said confidently.
The turmoil among the Spaniards did not pass unnoticed. On their part, the katipuneros started to mobilize their own forces. According to one source, after the group decided on the 3:00 o'clock uprising, Leon Kilat rode a flecha (a horse-driven cart) owned by Simplicio "Titoy" Salcedo around San Nicolas, informing katipuneros of their final decision.
He rode towards Labangon, shouting the first names of katipuneros in the street and announcing that they should proceed to a place near the San Nicolas cemetery along Guadalupe river. From Labangon, he proceeded to Carlock, pasing through Paseo de Labangon (now Tres de Abril) until Tisa, turning at Punta Princesa, then to Basak and back to the house of Paulina Padilla (Ulinday), sister of Fr. Toribio Padilla, where he ate his lunch. It was one of the houses where Leon Kilat lived.
In response, the men who were called to the uprising immediately put on their clothes, without telling their wives, families, parents, not knowing where the movement was taking them.
At Paulina's house, Leon Kilat urged the women gathered to go inside and pray the rosary, leading the prayer himself. He finished it until the Litany. After the prayer, the women could not control themselves and started to wail (nagdanguynguy), while one of them fainted. Kilat had to tell them to shut up, chiding them and saying their actuations would only cause their defeat.
At that moment, a group of guardia civil passed by the house. Afraid that the troops would hear the women crying, he threatened to lunge at the enemy from the window if they did not stop wailing. They stopped when he made motions to open the windows.
Apparently, the loyalist soldiers were on their way to Talisay to reinforce the guardia civiles who were ambushed the night before. The other katipuneros with Kilat were Andres Abellana, Leon Cabase, Floro Echevarre and others. The men wanted to attack the troops but Kilat prevailed upon them and told them to wait for a more opportune moment. The two groups, Barangays 1 and 2, still had to meet at the designated place near the Guadalupe river.
Other katipuneros soon joined Kilat on the way to their assembly point: the Padillas (Gavino, Especioso,and Gregorio), Estanislao Sarion, Doroteo Bacayo, Gregorio Abellana, Leon Cabase, Agustin Ylaya, Pascual Ybuna, the Cabarrubias (Catalino and Miguel), the Calinawans (Brigido and Severo), Lucas Abellana, and others.
At corner of Rosalia (now Carlock) and Mindanao (now B. Aranas) streets, the group was joined by Isabelo Zabate, Julian and Teodoro Villona, Eulogio and Eleuterio Abellana, Anacleto and Francisco Cavan, and some others. The group was swelling.
In the meantime, Barangay 1 under Luis Flores passed by Catalona St. towards Guadalupe road (now V. Rama ave.) until both Barangays would finally meet under ther mango trees near the San Nicolas cemetery in Calamba.
At this point, the two group leaders agreed on their respective plans of action against the Spaniards. Final instructions were given. Barangay 1 under Flores was to assault San Pedro and to free all its prisoners, while Barangay 2 would attack the Spanish troops in city and San Nicolas. Eugenio Gines would gather katipuneros from the northern parts of the city and join the bigger group.
Another group lead by Machacon was also gathered at Paulino Solon's intusan (sugar mill) in Sambag (near the present Urgello). They had no guns, but had bolos, spears and knives. They were in high spirits, confident that the habak and anting-anting given by Leon Kilat would protect them from the Spanish guns. They crossed the Guadalupe river and started marching eastward towards San Nicolas poblacion, following the present V. Rama Ave. They would also join the bigger group massed at the cemetery. Their number had now swelled to an estimated 2,500.
In the meantime, the parish priest of San Nicolas, Fray Pedro Medina, informed Gen. Montero that the residents of San Nicolas were moving towards Guadalupe. Then more detailed reports came from Santiago Ferraris and Luciano Bacayo, both from San Nicolas. They confirmed that a big gathering of San Nicolas residents were in the cemetery in Calamba. Apparently, the two were also recruited into the katipunan but for reasons of their own betrayed it. Montero was mad and threatened the two with death if a revolt erupted in area.
Gen. Montero lost no time and ordered Capt. Joaquin Monfort and Capt. Ciriaco Gutierrez to lead a mixed company of soldiers - guardia civiles, carabineros, cuadrilleros, violuntarios and vigilantes of the ayuntamiento. To assist the captain were Sgt. Cueto, Sgt. Pedro Pedro Royo and Cpl. Fidel Moas.
Among the Cebuano violunteers were Jose Atillano, Eduardo Lopez, Manuel Maldonado, Arsenio Climaco, Apolinar Kabilbil. Godofredo Lago, Simeon Padriga, Pedro Sanson, Juan Borres, Raymundo Enriquez (father of Manuel Enriquez de la Calzada). They were instructed by Montero to proceed to the area and find out what the people were gathering for.
THE katipuneros were ready to fight their battle of a lifetime. It was as if their anger, repressed in three centuries of docility and subservience, was now bursting from its shell.
Loyalist troops upon orders of Gen. Montero arrived at bridge of the southern end of Colon (Puente de la Revoluccion), then divided itself into two groups. The first group led by Capt. Monfort and Sgt. Cueto followed Tres de Abril St. (then called General Weyler St.), while the second group under Capt. Gutierrez and Sgt. Pedro Royo followed El Pardo (now C. Padilla) for a short distance, then turned right following V. Rama Ave., going towards the cemetery in Calamba.
The two columns of loyalist troops converged at the crossing of Tres de Abril and V. Rama Ave., then stopped to ascertain the whereabouts of a crowd reported to have gathered near the Calamba cemetery.
The guardia civiles assigned for patrol duty in Basak and Labangon encountered Gines' men on the road leading to Mambaling near Candido Rama's residence. Another group bound for Talisay also failed to reach their destination for the same reason.
Meanwhile, Leon Kilat was informed that soldiers had arrived near Pahina bridge. He met Justo Kabajar and his men at the northwestern end of the JM Basa st. which intersects V. Rama Ave., hiding behind trees and other structures. They were preparing to ambush the approaching loyalist soldiers marching westwards along Guadalupe road (now V. Rama Ave.). Kabajar did not know that another column of soldiers was at that time also marching along Tres de Abril St.
Kilat ordered Kabajar not to attack prematurely, and instead wait for other katipuneros coming from the cemetery. He also instructed the latter to surround soldiers when attacking.
Knowing the movement of the enemy, Leon Kilat went in haste towards the main body of the katipuneros, avoiding Guadalupe road as he moved towards the Calamba cemetery where the huge group of katipuneros was concentrated. He did not have to walk far when he met them. Immediately, he assumed command, leading them to the location of the enemy troops.
At intersection of V. Rama and Tres de Abril st. where the enemy troops had stopped, Kilat deployed his men. The left wing of katipuneros was placed under Eugenio Gines and Francisco Llamas, to be assisted by Arsenio Cabreros, Rufo Abella, Pio Lopez and Dionisio Abellar. The center column, commanded by Kilat himself and assisted by Alejo Mi�oza, took position at the intersection itself.
The majority of the katipuneros were massed here, using as cover the stone corner of the house of Nicolas ("Lasay") and Antonio Lopez. The distance between the katipuneros and the loyalist troops were now only 15 meters.
Loyalist soldiers saw them, noting their lack of arms. Sgt. Pedro Royo shouted: "You stupid people. What do you want? Return to your homes. Go away before you are hit by the bullets and killed."
The katipuneros answered back, taunting them with their own challenges. Evidently, they were not afraid of the Spaniards' rifles. So the loyalist troops started firing. At the same time, Kilat told his men to lie flat on the ground, knowing that the rifles of the enemy would be good for only five shots. After that, they have to load their rifles again. Those brief seconds would give them enough time to rise up and swing their bladed weapons.
After five shots from the Spanish rifles, Kilat personally led his men to a hand-to-hand skirmish, resulting in the beheading of Lt. Cueto by his kris. Another Cazador, trying to run away, also met his death after his shoulder was sliced from his body by Kilat.
Spaniards retreat
In due time, the soldiers realized that they were no match for the bolos of the katipuneros. The retreated towards the Puente de la Revolucion (Colon bridge) with the katipuneros close in pursuit. The loyalists' second column shooting effectively managed to protect the retreating soldiers. Then both Spanish columns retreated beyond the bridge, taking up another position with their rifles.
While this battle was going on, Baragay 1 under Luis Flores heard the gunshots and this led to join him with Barangay 2, thus failing to reach his objective which was the fort. It would have been possible for him to take the fort easily as it was defended by very few soldiers.
From the scene of battle, Leon recovered one Remington rifle with several rounds of ammunition; Abellana got one Mauser; and others firearms of different calibers from dead Spaniards, or a total of 15 rifles and several hundred rounds of ammunitions.
Seeing the number of dead companions, the voluntarios locales at the San Nicolas Tribunal retreated towards the direction of Calamba st. leading to Ermita but were pursued by a group of rebels led by Justo Cabajar, Mi�oza, Gines, Rufo Abella and others. Near this place, Cabajar shot one of them with a rifle earlier confiscated, forcing others to escape towards the city. Kabajar's group brought along five newly captured rifles.
Afterwards the voluntarios beat a hasty retreat towards Puente Forbes (at the southern end of Magallanes st.), just within sight of Recoleto barracks where they could hide in case the fighting got worse.
Another group of cazadores on their way to reinforce the guardia civiles in Talisay was surprised by rebels at Dulho. At Basak the group led by Arsenio Cabreros chased one group of guardia civil on its way to Labangon.
At the Puente de la Revolucion (Colon bridge), the confrontation and exchange of fire between the two groups continued for some minutes. But the Spaniards, sensing that they would be overpowered, withdrew to Fort San Pedro to make their last stand against the victorious katipuneros.
They brought their dead and wounded companions to the infirmary of the Colegio de San Carlos (now the University of San Carlos) on Martires st. (now Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco Ave.) where all the wounded, numbering about 30, died within a week of confinement and treatment.
On the side of the katipuneros, Doyong Flores, Atilano Lopez, Gregorio Salazar from Sangi, San Fernando, died on the spot. Titoy Saceda died later from wounds suffered in the battle. Eight KKKs were wounded including Eugenio Gines who was hit with a bullet from a Mauser, and Martin Cabreros who was hit by the same caliber with two bullets near his heart.
THE Spaniards were finally on the run. The troops of Gen. Montero were fleeing for their lives to Fort San Pedro before the sharp bolos of the katipuneros under the leadership of Leon Kilat. With the newly seized rifles from the fleeing Spaniards, they gained new weapons and renewed confidence to win the war.
By 5:00 in the afternoon of April 3, 1898, Capt. Monfort who held his ground near the Puente de la Revolucion (Colon bridge) had no choice but to order his men to the fort. Just to show that they were not yet beaten, loyalist soldiers shouted while on their way:"Viva Espa�a!" Not to be outdone, the katipuneros shouted back:"Viva katipunan! Viva Filipinas!"
At the fort, Montero was mad. He ordered all government military personnel to leave their stations outside to come to the fort. Only those areas which had munitions and food, like the San Agustin church and the cathedral, were not deserted totally.
Many Spaniards who did not heed Montero's order were executed by the katipuneros. One was a Spaniard Enrique Carratala from Dulho, San Nicolas. A group caught up with him, then killed him.
Outside the fort, the katipuneros had a heyday. On the suggestion of Severo Padilla, telegraph lines were cut. These were the city's connection to Balamban, then across the sea to Escalante in Negros Oriental. From escalante, the lines continued to Iloilo and to Manila. Reinforcements could come from these two places with the lines open.
Katipuneros led by Llamas, Abellar and Hernandez freed all prisoners at the carcel without any objection from the chief warden Telesforo Salguero, who was himself a katipunero. Then they proceeded to Carreta where the Hospital de Lazarinos was located and freed the lepers.
In the meantime, Leon Kilat ordered some of his men led by Elpedio Rama and Gregorio Padilla to buy medicines for their wounded from Botica Antigua. The drugstore owner Andres Krapenbauer allowed them to enter the premises upon knowing that their leader, Leon Kilat, once worked for him. He gave the medicines for free, saying it was his contribution to the movement. The wounded were treated in the residence of Jacinto Paca�a at Labangon which was now converted into the general headquarters of the katipunan and infirmary. Among the wounded were Gines and Cabreros.
That night, the katipuneros of Talisay, led by the Ali�o brothers, attacked the guardia civil detachment, killing the Spniards, the administrator, his wife and children. The parish priest Fr. Valerio Rodrigo (Fr. Pedro Medina in another account) managed to escape on a banca to Cebu and sought refuge at the fort.
The rebels also captured the cartilla teacher, Maestro Hilario Gandiongco. But he was subsequently released upon learning that he was not known to mistreat Filipinos.
In Pardo, the parish priest Fr. Tomas Jimenes was murdered by the rebels of Tabunok. The cartilla teacher maestro Mariano Crisologo was taken prisoner.
At the fort that night, the Spaniards still felt they could defend it indefinitely. Their confidence was bolstered with the presence of two gunboats, Maria Cristina and Paragua, which bombarded areas in San Nicolas, burning some houses there. The latter arrived from Iligan that afternoon.
The Spaniards reasoned that the two could guard the two sides facing the sea, leaving only one side to be defended by those at the fort. However, during a conferece with his officers, Montero admitted that a massive attack by the insurrectos could overwhelm them since they were vastly outnumbered. They had to ask for reinforcement.
At around 10:00 pm, Montero sent out a patrol to verify if the katipuneros were still in the city. They were met by a group of katipuneros at at the corner of Escolta and Lutao st. (now M.C. Briones), who were only too eager to fight. The soldiers beat a hasty retreat to the fort.
The next three days
The next three days, the rebels were in complete control of the city. The formed a temporary government under Leon Kilat because new recruits had to have a semblance of organization. The katipunan had spread throughout the province when it was learned that the Spaniards were on the retreat and holding out only in the fort.
New recruits had to undergo training in miltary tactics and reconnaisance, but they could not be trained to shoot due to the shortage of ammunitions. At this time , the katipuneros had swelled to 2,000 in Cebu province. They also appointed Fr. Toribio Padilla as their chaplain even if he was still under house arrest in the Seminario de San Carlos.
With more recruits coming in, discipline had declined. Looting was reported in establishments known to be strongholds of the Spaniards: at the Recollect convent, in the houses of Spaniards, Chinese stores at Lutao and mestizo-Chinese at Parian. The Recollects reported a loss of P19,000 in cash, while the Campa�a de Tabacos (Tabacalera) P30,000 and an undetermined property destroyed.
In the meantime, the victorious katipuneros conducted patrols in the city. Groups were sent to various parts - to Carbon, Tinago, Parian, Zapatera and San Roque - keeping a safe distance from the cannons at the fort and the riflemen stationed at the church towers of San Agustin and the cathedral and the David Sommer building.
Attack on the fort
But the leaders of the katipunan were uneasy. As long as the Spaniards were at the fort, they had something to worry about. They wanted to finish them off. So on Tuesday, April 5, Leon Kilat riding a horse led a group and attempted to stage a breakthrough. But the attack failed due to the rapid firing of rifles and a volley of cannon fire. He fell off his horse, stood up, dusted himself, and continued riding his horse. The legend of his invulnerability was bolstered.
The news of that incident not only proved to other rebels that his "talisman" was reliable, but it also served as a rallying point for them to continue their struggle against the enemy.
So they did not give up the seige of the fort. Instead, they tightened their watch so as to cause the death of Spaniards from hunger or thirst sooner or later. At this point, the rebels captured one Cebuano who stayed inside the fort and revealed to Leon Kilat its actual situation. The occupants were suffering from food and water shortage, he said. So the katipuneros decided to attack the fort the next day, Wednesday.
THREE days after katipuneros drove the Spaniards to Fort San Pedro, the former still wanted to storm it. The Spanish occupation of a portion of Cebu made them uneasy. But the problem was how to get inside. And there was no way to get there except by scaling the walls, which meant they had to have ladders.
Moreover, they had to face the bullets of the fort's defenders, which did not look too inviting to the revolutionaries. They knew a lot of lives would be wasted. No one, except Leon Kilat, appeared willing to risk his life this way.
In the meantime, unknown to revolutionaries, the arrival of steamer Venus brought some good news to the beleaguered Gen. Montero. The Spaniards in Iloilo had sent a message to Manila asking for reinforcements for Cebu, offering some bright hope for their salvation.
But by Wednesday, April 6, their supplies inside the fort were dwindling rapidly. Montero tried to remedy the situation by sending some soldiers to Lutao to secure food. But they were seen by katipuneros who were only too eager to gun them down. So they beat a hasty retreat to the fort.
In other places, the success of the revolt in the city and San Nicolas prodded on residents in other towns to take up arms also. In Carcar that Tuesday, April 5, shouts of "Viva Katipunan!" and "Viva Filipinas!" were heard in Valladolid.
The Carcar uprising was led by the Enriquez brothers (Severino, Nicanor and Jaime) and the Regis brothers (Magno and Eliseo). One of their trusted man was Apolinario Alcuitas who was later to go down in history as a traitor to the revolutionary cause.
The Carcar group swelled as it marched up to the tribunal and the Catholic convent. There they looked for the priests and were able to capture three Agustianians, while two others escaped. A few guardia civil defending the tribunal in were killed and their rifles seized.
A group subsequently went to Sibonga where they captured the parish priest Fray Emiliano Diez who had escaped from Carcar. The group was led by Jaime Enriquez and Antonio Mi�oza.
Mi�oza went farther to Argao 18 kilometrs away with another group. The parish priest Fr. Antolin Frias was nowhere to be found. Some of the guardia civil surrendered, while others joined the katipunan.
In Barili, the most important town in the western coast of Cebu, the pro-Spanish officials fled to Cebu city by sailboat. One of the prisoners there, Aguedo Batobalonos, broke out of his cell and freed other prisoners. Then they burned documents of the court and the treasury. The guardia civil also surrendered. By Wednesday, Batobalonos had a few hundred followers. By Thursday, they were joined by the KKK from Dumanjug led by Nicolas Godines and Saturnino Echavez.
In Opon and Cordova, katipuneros led by Pascual Tuada and Pio Lopez also took up arms against the Spaniards. The guardia civiles detailed in Opon could not be found, while the priest also fled to the fort.
But the priest of Cordoba, Fray Jose Baztan, could not escape the angry residents there. Earlier, he had aroused their anger by requiring them to carry massive rocks for building and lashed them if they did not follow his orders. He was captured by the revolutionaries and executed at the town plaza on April 4, 1898.
In Mabolo, Mandaue and Consolacion, residents also took up arms after the learned of the successful April 3 uprising. They were led by Francisco Llamas, Luis Abellar and Mariano Hernandez. In Mandaue, the guardia civil and priest also fled. The same was true in Consolacion. The priest Fray Agustin Martel had beaten them to the draw.
The tide turns
By early morning Thursday, April 7, unknown to katipuneros, the cruiser Don Juan Austria chartered merchant steamer Churruca arrived from Manila. Aboard were loyalist troops commanded by Gen. Celestino Fernandez Tejeiro. These were seasoned veterans.
Much as the katipuneros tried to prevent them from landing on the beach at the northeastern end of M.C. Briones st., they appeared helpess. Immediately, the mood at the fort changed. Their morale was boosted. There was shouting and rejoicing among the fort's occupants.
Then the two generals Montero and Fernandez sat down to plan a counterattack. All non-combatants (the Spaniards, mestizos, pro-Spanish Flipinos) were to stay inside fort. Then three groups would be deployed by the soldiers. Others were to remain to guard fort.
The gun boat Paragua and Don Juan Austria took positions at sea between Kawit island and barrio Pasil of San Nicolas. To the shock of San Nicolas parishioners, the two boats started bombarding huts in San Nicolas, resulting in the panic of many residents.
After a few hours, the gunboats changed targets. They began hitting Lutao, Carbon, Ermita, areas facing the sea, putting these places in flames. Katipuneros had in the meantime retreated. But the boats avoided hitting the Recoleto barracks, apparently acting on instructions from Recollect priests holed in at the fort.
The Parian residences of the Chinese and and a few Spanish mestizos were also burned down by loyalist soldiers. They were mad because some of them gave assistance to the katipunan.
Retreat
Sensing that they were up against a better-armed enemy, the katipuneros started a retreat, with a lot of them finally looking for refuge in the mountains of Cebu. They abandoned their positions in the city. Those from Lutao joined the large group from Recolletos and took positions beyond the Forbes bridge. The cruiser would later drive them off by massive bombardment, leaving behind a good number of casualties.
Those at Parian and Tinago retreated towards Puente de la Revolucion at the southern end of Colon st. Here they tried to hold their ground. In the early afternoon of Thursday, the counter-attacking Spaniards renewed their attacks against the two groups, inflicting a large number of casualties on the latter. The bolos and massed attacks now proved to be ineffectual. So were the amulets given by Leon Kilat.
The massive attacks forced the katpinan forces to disperse outside the city. A group led by Leon Kilat proceeded to Kabkab (Carcar), thinking that because there was a group there, they would not starve. Kabkab was also far from the sea, thus, making it difficult for the ships to bombard them. Little did Kilat suspect that his retreat would end tragically.
With him in Kabkab were Andres Abellana, Gervacio Padilla, Luciano Bacayo and Nicanor Enriquez. They were tired and sad due to the deaths of their relatives. Many of them were wounded.
The others, like Luis Flores and Candido Padilla, found sanctuary in other towns. Some went to the mountains of Sudlon, while others fled as far as Negros and Camotes island, thinking that the hand of the Spaniards would not reach them any longer.
THE retreat of the katipuneros from San Nicolas and the city paved the way for the widespread arrests and executions of other civilians, whether or not they were involved in katipunan. Among those captured when the Spaniards retook the city were Alejandro Antioquia, Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, Prudencio Camara, Lucio Herrrera, Placido Datan, Jose Abelgas, Raymundo Jurado, Agapito Nadela, Andres Abellana who was recaptured after his release in Carcar, Januario C. Veloso, Carlos Casta�ares, Pedro Cui, Pascual Antonio, Epitacio Agustin, Cristino Lopez and Isidro Guibelondo (who was arrested in Talamban).
Also taken was Fr. Toribio Padilla, parish priest of the cathedral. He was placed undr house arrest at the Colegio-Seminario de San Carlos.
Later, these were released by the Spaniards. The lesser known civilians were summarily executed. The cousins Olimpio and Emilio Regis tried to use the "amnesty pass" offered by Gen. Montero, convinced that they would be granted clemency because they were not involved. Instead, the two were arrested and executed together with Candido Padilla.
Padilla, an ex-capitan of San Nicolas, could not save himself despite the petition of Fr. Jorge Romanillo, the parish priest of the town at this time. During the last hours of his life, he was however given the privilege of having his confession heard and allowed to visit the Santo Ni�o at the San Agustin church.
Another pro-Spanish Tagalog who served as a spy, Crispulo Valderrama, was also arrested and shot to death without trial. With him were Raymundo Jurado and Jose Abelgas from Carcar. The two were also executed.
So fierce and swift was the jeuz de cuchillo of Cebu's colonial masters that all adult males met by patrols in the streets were considered enemies who were to be shot if they did not know the password.
Betrayal
But of all the katipuneros who met their end, it was their leader Leon Kilat who died most tragically not only for the manner of his death but for the betrayal by one of his men in Carcar.
Even before the katipuneros' arrival in that southern town, Kabkab (Carcar) residents already learned of their defeat at the hands of the Spaniards, following the arrival of reinforcements from Manila. They had mixed feelings about accepting Leon Kilat, afraid of retaliation from their Spanish masters.
Kabkab leaders, like kapitan Florencio Noel (Tan Insyong), Timoteo Barcenilla, kapitan Kadyo Jaen, kapitan Jacinto Velez, kapitan Simeon Paras, told Andres Abellana: "Tell Kilat to finish fighting in Naga, not in Kabkab."
To which Abellana retorted: "Sa wa pa mosibog si Don Leon nganhi, ang mga tawo gipahibawo una nga anhi padangpon sa Kabkab kay anhi tapusa ang away. Ug karon nga anhi na ang mga tawo, malisud na ang pagsulti kanila sa tagsa-tagsa nga ang away adto usab tapusa sa laing dapit."
(Before Leon retreated here, people were informed that they should proceed to Carcar because the fight will end here. Now that people are here, it is difficult to tell them that the fight will be somewhere else.)
In the story of Vicente Alcoseba who was with the group of Kilat at that time, the plan to kill the latter was actually hatched at the confessional in the church. The coadjutor at the time, a Fr. Francisco Blanco who was teaching Latin at the Colegio-Seminario de San Carlos, would not meet kapitan Florencio Noel at the convent because it would be suspicious.
Alcoseba said it was Blanco who suggested to Noel that the only way Kabkab could avoid the retaliation of the Spaniards was to kill Kilat.
Little did Kilat suspect what would befall him that fateful Good Friday in 1898 in Carcar because when he arrived in the evening of Holy Thursday, he was accorded a courtesy due a visiting dignitary. First, he went to the house of kapitan Paras, then later transferred to the house of kapitan Tiyoy Barcenilla where he and his men were tendered goat's meat, chicken and pork. After supper, he was offered coffee and ginebra at the sala.
While his men were telling stories of the uprising in Cebu, he asked kapitan Tiyoy if he could call a tailor who could make a "traje de rayadillo" which had become the katipunan's uniform. He wanted to change his clothes the next morning after he took a bath. Minutes later, a tailor named Segundo Alcordo came with his metrosan (a tailor's tape measure) to take his measurements.
Meantime, the plotters appeared ill at ease, said Alcoseba. Tiyoy Barcenilla could not stay put in his seat. Sometimes, he would confer with kapitan Kadyo at the back of the house and talk in whispers. Minutes later, he would shift to Kapitan Gundoy, as if something else was going on.
Then Apolinario Alcuitas, a recruit of the katipunan in Kabkab, shouted for everyone to hear: "Mga kaigsoonan, ipahibalo ko kaninyo nga karong gabhiona, may ihawon akong kabayo."
(Brothers, I would like to announce that tonight I am going to slaughter a horse.) At that time, Alcoseba could not understand the meaning of all these.
Since Leon Kilat was tired, it did not take long before sleep was in order. The room assigned to him was the one near the stairs of the five-bedroom house of Barcenilla. A son of the owner, Vicente, curious about Kilat's exploits, had a brief talk with the latter. He was the last person to talk to him alive.
For a while, Vicente and his uncle Mariano Alfafara talked for some minutes in the corridor outside the room occupied by Kilat. Very soon, they too, went to sleep in another room. Mariano was persuaded by Vicente to stay that night.
Vicente would wake up a few hours later when he heard loud noises coming from Kilat's room. He awakened Mariano and both went outside at once, only to be met by Florencio Noel coming up the stairs, carrying a huge crucifix and asking excitedly: "Naunsa na? Naunsa na?" (Has anything happened yet?)
Then Noel shouted: "Viva Espa�a! Viva Espa�a!" Several others outside the house responded.
Vicente found the maid Kitay and both went inside Kilat's room from where loud noises came. There he saw to his shock the limp body of Kilat being pinned down by eight men, with some of them taking turns at stabbing it. The skull had been earlier smashed with with the butt of Kilat's own gun.
"Buhi pa ba?" Vicente heard Vinsyong Cui ask.
"Patay na intawon," answered Kitay. Vicente who was speechless leaned against the wall, in shock.
Then they took his body down the stairs till Cui told the other conspirators: "Ihunong. Ibutang una ninyo. Atong sulayan, ambi tuod dili ba dutlan." (Stop. Put it down. Let's see if he is invulnerable.)
Each one took turns at stabbing the dead body and breaking some of his limbs. Then they carried Leon Kilat's body to the center of the town where it was displayed for all residents to see. It was 5:00 early Friday morning.
THE situation of katipuneros in other towns were not as desperate as that of the group which fled to Carcar that fateful Holy Thursday, April 7, 1898. Arcadio Maxilom and Emilio Verdeflor, earlier appointed as captain and lieutenant by the revolutionary government president Luis Flores, had just arrived Thursday in Tuburan.
It was his hometown and his power base, being a former capitan of that town. He did not know what happened to the katipuneros that day. Immediately, he went to Ernesto Tabotabo, one of the wealthiest residents of Tuburan, recruiting him into the KKK. The latter aceepted without hesitation.
Their first task was to make the guardia civil at the tribunal surrender. And surrender they did without firing a shot, including their firearms. In preparation for the battles ahead, Maxilom also urged the local KKK members to make bladed weapons and spears from anahaw (a type of palm tree). That was when he learned of the katipunan's defeat in the city.
Meanwhile, Bonifacio Aranas, one of the katipunan's early members, fled to the mountains of Cebu together with other members after San Nicolas and the city were recaptured by the Spaniards. His area of operations were now the mountains of Toledo and Balamban.
Then on April 11, Aranas and his men raided some barrios near the poblacion of Toledo, capturing local prominent men like Angel Libre, Jose Rodriguez, Francisco Villaester and Juan Climaco. Climaco was an ex-capitan of Toledo and owned large tracts of lands in barrio Madugo. His house was made into the headquarters of the katipunan in the area.
At that time, a farmer by the name of Claudio Bacus was also organizing his own group in the mountains of Toledo and Balamban. He soon established links with Aranas and agreed to cooperate with him in their operations.
On 12th of April, the guardia civil detachment of Balamban offered to surrender to Aranas. But the offer looked suspicious. So Bacus and Aranas approached the tribunal from two different positions, expecting to be tricked by the enemy.
They were right. Shots rang from the bell tower and from trenches near the church. The katipuneros returned fire, then engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand skirmish. The latter had to scamper to the forest. Sgt. Claudio Gomez who led the loyalists fell from the bolo of Bacus, while the priest escaped by boat to Cebu.
After that incident, Aranas left Balamban for Tuburan to coordinate with Arcadio Maxilom and Tabotabo. Bacus on the other hand went to Toledo to consolidate his forces.
Pro-Spanish residents had deserted the streets when the katipuneros led by Aranas passed by Asturias. Eugenio Alonso, the owner of 400-hectare hacienda near the problacion, also fled. Many Asturias residents wanted to join KKK.
Battle at Tuburan
In Tuburan, Aranas, Verdeflor, Batobalonos and their men were joyfully received by residents led by Maxilom and Fausto Tabotabo. Maxilom had earlier returned to Tuburan after he heard of katipunan reverses in the city. But instead of getting discouraged, he redoubled efforts to recruit new members.
For a while, Tuburan was a liberated town. The shouts of KKK members "Mabuhi ang Pilipinas" and "Mabuhi ang Katipunan" reverberated in the streets. At the house of Tabotabo, amulets like the ones introduced by Leon Kilat were being made according to specifications. Training of residents to fight against Spanish rifles also went on.
The Tuburan katipuneros were reinforced by the presence of Enemecio and Samuel Maxilom, both brothers of Arcadio, who had recruited members and assembled in the mountain of Anijao.
It would not be long before they would have their first taste of battle. On April 15, warning shots told them there were two boats slowly approaching Tuburan. Hastily, katipuneros assembled at pre-arranged places under their respective jefes and took their positions.
At 7:00 am, Spanish soldiers led by cazadores and Tagalogs of the 73rd regiment disembarked, marched to the town center and started firing at suspected hiding places. Then the katipuneros returned fire and surrounded the loyalist troops. A shooting spree erupted, resulting in several casualties from both sides. The loyalists had to retreat.
An hour later, the loyalists from the other boat disembarked, but they did not wade ashore immediately. The second gunboat trained its guns on poblacion, hitting houses and trenches which the katipuneros could do nothing about. The had to retreat to the mountains. With them were other civilians who had not evacuated earlier.
So the soldiers went ashore to an empty town. They started looting valuables and slaughtering domesticated animals for food. After raping the town, they carried dead Spaniards to their boats, but left the dead bodies of loyalist Filipinos. Then they burned the houses, sparing the convent, church and municipal building.
When the Spaniards left, the residents went back and treated their wounded comrades. It was their worst tragedy. They lost their properties and buried their dead, friends and foes alike. In the final count, 80 loyalist soldiers and three of their officers died.
On the side of the katipunan, 45 were slain here. The number included relatives of Maxilom, seven cousins and his own brother, Cesario.
On April 18, the Spaniards came to stay longer. Another boat asrrived, forcing residents to flee for their lives to the mountains. The loyalist soldiers took Tuburan and quartered themselves in the convent and church.
In Toledo
Claudio Bacus was less lucky. In the town of Toledo, he heard of pro-Spanish agitators led by capitan municipal Francisco Rodriguez, the former cuadrillo chief in force. In ensuing confrontation, he killed Rodriguez and his men.
Bacus then roamed the countryside, recruiting new members into the movement. One British couple, a certain Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, gave support to his group and allowed them to recruit among his farm laborers.
But an encounter with loyalist troops there left Bacus routed. He and 40 of his men were surrounded and massacred.
In Sudlon mountains
It was in Sudlon mountains west of the city that the katipuneros were finally able to regroup and consolidate their forces against the Spaniards.
That dawn of Good Friday in April 1898, Jacinto Paca�a, the wife of Candido Padilla and Eugenio Gines escaped from Labangon. The group went directly to Jacinto's farm in Barrio Bukawe, then transferred to another corn barn in Biasong where Pedro Abarca joined them. Gen. Montero had a P500 reward on the heads of each of the three.
Soon, they transferred to a cave but that too was discovered. They left for the wooded areas in Sudlon where they built trenches.
When the Tabal brothers (Rafael, Natalio, Quintin and Serafin) of Sudlon heard about them, they were invited to their place and offered a refuge. Jacinto was happy to accept Tabal's offer. He then persuaded his wife and children to leave for the foothills of Labangon and live there. The Spaniards were not noted for harming women and children.
The male members of group - Jacinto, his two sons Felipe and Dalmacio, a son-in-law, Eugenio Gines and Pedro Abarca - accompanied Tabal to mountains of Sudlon. From there, Jacinto got in touch with other revolutionaries, using trusted couriers.
Luis Flores was found in Arsobing mountains near Barrio Paril, while the Ali�o brothers were at Bucatol, Talisay. Padilla remained at Buhisan hills six kilometers from the city proper. Addiction to opium prevented him from going up with the group. He was later captured and executed.
Flores arrived on the second week of May, followed by other leaders, among them Arcadio Maxilom. The latter had been hiding in the mountains of Anijao after the battle of Tuburan. On May 20, he left Anijao with his men and 12-year old son Emiliano and went to Sudlon to help reorganize the KKK. It was here that they plotted the second phase of the revolt.
TO survive at Sudlon mountains, the revolutionaries now led by Luis Flores and Arcadio Maxilom had to have food. At first, the produce of the Tabal brothers, Jacinto Paca�a and Ciriaco Genia from their farms were sufficient. But that would last only for two months. There had to be other sources.
One source was the cedula. An imitation of the Spanish system, the katipunan cedula charged lesser. Possessing it meant that one was either a member or a sypampathizer. The task of collecting fees for the cedula was given to Anastacio Rama, having previously served as an employee of the public treasury.
Besides the cedula, sypathizers contributed cash, food, clothing and medicines. As the movement gained ground and turned against the Spaniards, the middle classes from the city also started contributing to the coffers of the katipunan. Philippine flag
Another element katipuneros felt they needed was the Philippine flag, the symbol of their nationhood. According to one source, Manila's KKK had spelled out the exact measurements and design of the flag in their regular letters to Cebu katipuneros.
Ambrocio Pe�a, known by the leaders as a secret follower of the movement, was then ordered to produce it. He in turn contacted three women - Mauricia Gahuman, Buena Ricardo and Justina Pe�a - to make the flag. Weeks later, a courier from Punta Princesa delivered it to Sudlon where it was raised near their headquarters.
Immediately after its arrival, some 300 katipuneros took their oath in front of it. All those who came to Sudlon would also take their oaths administered by Flores and other top officers. Those who could not come to Sudlon took the same oath before their officers, swearing their commitment to the struggle for independence.
Sudlon battles
One reason why the Spaniards could not penetrate Sudlon was its strategic location. Although no higher than 1,000 meters above sea level, it is located deep in the interior of the island, was forested and surrounded by steep gorges. Later attempts by the enemy troops to attack it failed because katipunan guerillas used the terrain to their advantage.
As soon as they arrived in the area, Flores immediately ordered work on its defense. Trenches were dug at strategic points, and piles of stones prepared to be rolled down in case of enemy attack. This was going to be tested soon.
On May 28, loyalists troops tried to climb the narrow passages guarded by the katipuneros led by Rafael Tabal at Bitlang hill. But the attackers could not reach the top of the before they were repulsed. Their guns were not of much use. Twelve loyalist soldiers were slain, while the katipuneros had nine casualties.
A few days later, the loyalists again planned to pass through another route at Ginkiutan hill. This time, the katipuneros were led by the Tuburan veteran Arcadio Maxilom. As in the first attack, the enemy troops were only frustrated. After this, Maxilom was promoted from captain to major.
In Talamban, Lorenzo Eje and Alejo Mi�oza trapped the Spaniards in the forested areas, surrounded them and engaged them in a bloody hand-to-hand fighting with macheteros, outnumbering attackers. The Spanish cavalry retreated in disarray. One historian said about 70 loyalists lost their lives, while katipuneros had 10 wounded and six dead.
But in Liloan with the katipuneros under the command of Enrique Lorega, they were not as successful. They used the same tactics as in Talamban, using machetes and utilizing trees for hiding themselves. However, Spaniards learned their lesson. As a result, casualties were almost even on both sides. But the chief of the voluntarios of Liloan was slain, while one of their officers was captured.
Reversals
It was not all victory for the reinvigorated katipuneros. In Minglanilla on September 28, 1898, the katipuneros encountered a large band of cazadores led by Ramon Villordon. Although they fought bravely, each side had a dozen casualties and scores were wounded.
In El Pardo (presently Pardo), the katipuneros had long wanted to attack the cazadores stationed in the parish. One Sunday in September 1898, Rafael Tabal led a few katipuneros against the group, expecting them to be unprepared. A bloody encounter followed.
But Tabal was not aware of a another group of cazadores coming from Minglanilla who had heard of the shooting. With the latter coming in, the battle turned against Tabal and the katipuneros, resulting in several dead and wounded. Tabal himself was killed. In Bogo and San Fernando, the KKK also lost their battles in November 1898.
But the katipunero general who had a big impact on the tide of events was Arcadio Maxilom. Given a contingent of some 300 soldiers and having Brig. Gen. Hilario Ali�o, Col. Fermin Ali�o and Col. Emilio Verdeflor as his adjutants, he scoured the mountains of Cebu from Aug. 28 to Sept. 4, establishing bases and offering protection against lawless elements, promising swift justice in case they served as spies for the government. Residents who attempted to take advantage of the abnormal situation were warned.
With a solid guerilla front up in the hills, Maxilom was ready to take on the towns and the city of Cebu.
The tide turns
The Spaniards at this late in the year were now under pressure from several quarters. The entry of the United States at the height of the revolution in May 1898, coupled with Aguinaldo's return from Hongkong to resume the struggle, only made matters desperate for the Spaniards.
By August 13, 1898, the Spaniards surrendered Manila to the Americans even if its forces in the provinces outside the capital fell to the revolutionary forces one after another. Tayabas, the last one to surrender, fell to Miguel Malvar's troops on August 17.
Here in Cebu, preparations were under way for the eventual evacuation of the Spaniards. They had lost their will to fight, letting the voluntarios locales and cazadores do the fighting for them in the towns surrounding Cebu.
In Mandaue they tried to hold their ground, but the forces under Lorenzo Eje and Anastacio Engayo, who had established their base in Tigib, a mountainous area, was threatening to overwhelm them and, subsequently, the city.
By December 8, the two leaders decided to attack the poblacion. They were met by local volunteers led by Cesario Mendoza, the capitan municipal of Mandaue. The fight did not last long. The voluntarios were routed by the katipuneros. Seven of them were captured, brought to Sudlon and tried for treason under the military tribunal headed by Maxilom.
Earlier, in Talisay on the 10th of November, the katipuneros had occupied the town without firing a shot. The Spaniards and their muslim volunteers occupying the town decided not to fight against the overwhelming number of katipuneros under Maxilom.
Instead of meeting rifles pointed at them, the katipuneros were welcomed by a joyous population. It was only seven months earlier that a small band of katipuneros under the Ali�o brothers had overwhelmed the guardia civil detachment in barrio San Isidro.
Preparing to leave
As early as October, the Spaniards in the city had "seen the writing on the wall." One of the first to leave were the Spanish priests under the Agustinian and Recollect orders. They left in October and November of that year.
Still not all the priests fled. Among those left behind was Bishop Martin Alcocer who tried to brook the relationship between the revolutionary forces and the Spanish troops. When Maxilom started to occupy El Pardo, some residents who had heard all sorts of stories about the katipuneros pleaded with Alcocer to intercede with the revoltuionaries. They knew the presidente of the provisional revolutionary government Luis Flores was once a protege of Alcocer.
Here Alcocer tapped the services of Manuel Velez, a scion of the respected Velez family of Cebu. His arrival in Sudlon was eyed with suspicion. So they had him hostage in Sudlon while Maxilom and Flores sent a delegation to Cebu to confirm the situation. They released Velez when they learned the truth about the situation in Cebu.
In the meantime, the Spaniards had began their strategic retreat from the towns. Detachments in the towns of Barili and Carcar were disbanded and recalled. Voluntarios from San Nicolas were withdrawn to the Recoleto barracks.
Then sometime in December, the guardia civil and local volunteers were disarmed, leaving only the muslims and the soldiers of the 73rd regiment with arms.
Katipunan occupation of Cebu
Also that December, Flores called for a conference in Sudlon regarding the plans to establish revolutionary governments in the different towns, following directives from Aguinaldo. The report was received with enthusiasm. They would begin at once.
As for the Spaniards at the fort, some katipuneros wanted to besiege them if not for cooler heads who prevailed. More blood-letting was not necessary, they were told.
First to be organized was the Mabolo-Talamban government in Mabolo. Stories earlier circulated by the loyalists had created an atmosphere of fear among residents, because when the katipuneros arrived, the town of Mabolo was empty. They discovered that the residents had gone out to sea in their bancas, including capitan municipal Ceferino Borces. They were persuaded to come to shore only after their leaders were convinced of the sincerity of the katipuneros.
That very day, an election of officers were held after they were told of the directive of Aguinaldo. Elected presidente municipal (town mayor) was Celedonio Mina, an ex-capitan. Short acceptance speehes followed, then the residents were instructed how to defend themselves in case of an attack by the Spaniards. A platoon of katipuneros was left to defend Mabolo.
On December 16, about 50 soldiers under Col. Ravago threatened to attack Mabolo. Eje and Engayo took up positions at the bridge, ready to fight. But the loyalist officers instead came across the bridge and talked peace with Eje and Engayo. Both told the Spaniards that the katipuneros will fight back if attacked and that they had enough men and firepower to defend themselves.
After the organization of Mabolo government came Mandaue. Election was also held there. Practically the same persons who held the former town council under the Spanish regime were elected, except that the names of their positions had changed.
The next followed Consolacion, Liloan and Opon. Cordoba likewise organized its own junta popular. From Dec. 18 to 23, Emilio Verdeflor starting organizing the town juntas of Toledo, Balamban, Asturias and Tuburan. All these took place while the Spaniards were still holed up in the city.
While Eje and Engayo were organizing municipal juntas in the north of the city, Maxilom and his army of revolutionaries from Sudlon were preparing to occupy El Pardo in the south. It was a large force with the contigents under Eugenio Gines, Alejo Mi�oza and Nicolas Godines under the overall leadership of Maxilom. Their mission: to force the spaniards to surrender El Pardo. If they refused, they would take the town by force.
Fortunately, the Spaniards saw no reason to defend El Pardo. The negotiations to end the Philippine-American war had started, and the Treaty of Paris annexing the Philippines to the US had been signed in Dec 10, 1898, although no formal order was received yet. So Montero ordered a retreat to the Recoleto barracks in the city. As in Talisay earlier, the katipuneros entered El PArdo without firing a shot.
The revolutionaries then occupied the church and convent, raising the Philippine flag there in simple but memorable rites.
After that, Flores appointed Maxilom as "gobernador interno" of Cebu province for as long as the Spanish government was still in the city. Two days later, KKK military officers and the junta popular confirmed Maxilom's appointment and also named him as general-in-chief of the city. El Pardo was designated the temporary capital of the province.
That very day, Maxilom sent a formal communication to the Spanish government and and other foreign consuls that a revolutionary government was installed in Cebu with its center in Pardo. Maxilom also demanded that the Spaniards surrender.
The Spaniards hastily answered Maxilom's letter, asking that they be given two to three days because they would be leaving the province soon.
Spaniards leave
By the morning of December 24, most of the Spaniards were ready to leave. A company of government soldiers stationed themselves at the plaza as some pro-spanish Cebuanos also stood nearby. At sound of trumpet, the Spanish flag was lowered. Spanish officers nearby tore the flag into pieces in their anger and frustration. Some Spanish and Cebuano women cried because it was their last moment in Cebu.
By mid-morning, Spanish soldiers and civilians and Filipio loyalist soldiers started boarding the boats with their belongings. With them were the muslim volunteers. By noon, Montero also boarded boat and the ships were soon on their way to Zamboanga.
Only three spaniards were left in Cebu: Bishop Martin Alcocer, Fray Lorenzo Perez of the San Carlos Seminary and Fr. Pedro Julia. The convoy of ships was still between Ermita and Kawit island when the Filipino flag was raised in Fort San Pedro.
Christmas in 1898
In their entire lives, the Christmas of 1898 was decidedly the most memorable day for Cebuanos. The revolutionaries roamed around its streets unperturbed, free at last to visit friends and relvatives. The fort became an instant tourist attraction.
The day before, the last batch of prisoners were released, including Pedro Cui, Julio Llorente, Pascual Antonio, Alejandro Valle, Florencio Camara and Isidro Guibelondo. Cebuanos flocked to fort and for the first time in their lives examined the dreaded prison cells.
By December 29, a thanksgiving mass was held at the Cebu cathedral officiated by Bishop Martin Alcocer, with the martial band of San Nicolas of which Justo Cabajar was a member. The cathedral overflowed with people. Joyous shouts of "Mabuhi ang katipunan!" and "Mabuhi ang Pilipinas!" broke intermittently with harmless shots from their rifles. At the end of the mass, the Te Deum was intoned in thanksgiving.
Priests, former government officials and employees, members of the Cebu's elite and heads of foreign business houses all came to greet Maxilom and Flores and the other leaders. They were now recognized as the new leaders.
Little did the lower-class katipuneros suspect that political power, which had eluded them for hundreds of years, would soon be seized from them by the local elite in legal maneuvers. All they wanted at that moment in their lives was to cherish the new-found freedom and independence from Spanish colonial yoke.
In a letter addressed to the new revolutionary government, Apolinario Mabini enjoined them to "pevent and repel all foreign invasion at whatever sacrifices." It was a portent of things to come. Cebu would enjoy at most two months of self-government before some of its leaders surrendered their sovereignty to the Americans in February 1899.