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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Legend of Leon Kilat


He was born on July 27,1873 in Bacong Negros oriental. he joined the Katipunan after he witnessed the gruesome murder of Filipino fishers who came from the Visayas in Calle Camba, Binondo, Manila in September 1896.
Shortly thereafter, he was arrested and jailed by the Spanish authorities at that time. Yet Villegas was able to escape from jail, and joined the revolutionary forces in Cavite in 1897.
He received specific instructions from Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo to lead and expand the revolutionary movement in the Visayas where Villegas came from. Villegas headed to Cebu province where he recruited brave Filipino men in the country's struggle against the colonizers. Villegas then headed the rebellion in Carcar, Cebu known as Tres De Abril where many Spanish colonizers suffered many casualties. Unfortunately, a few days after the rebellion, Villegas suffered the same fate as several of our national heroes like Andres Bonifacio. While sleeping in his safehouse in Carcar, Cebu
after the slaughter of Spaniards days earlier, his most trusted lieutenant committed the ultimate act of betrayal and killed Pantaleon Villegas. It was said that because of the major casualties inflicted upon the colonizers, the Filipinos in Cebu feared the dreaded huwes de kutsilyo, the equivalent of our modern day extrajudicial killings. because of this engulfing fear in the community, some of his own compatriots plotted to exterminate Leon Kilat.
Such is the tragedy besieged by many of our heroes who struggled for freedom from tyranny and oppresion. His remains were buried in Carcar, Cebu.
However, by virtue of a resolution by the municipal government of Bacong on August 2, 1926
the bones of Leon Kilat were transferred and finally laid to rest in his hometown of Bacong.
The legend and memory of Pantaleon Villegas, known as Leon Kilat still stands tall and a monument in his honor has been erected right in the heart of his hometown in Bacong, Negros Oriental.

*comprehensive accounts of General Pantaleon Villegas can be viewed at my October 2009 blog.
just click on blog archives.

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