421. FRAY BALDOMERO ABADIA: Martyr of O’Donnell

SACRIFICE IN O'DONNELL. The saintly Recoleto, Fr. Baldomero Abadia, who was a friend to two holy men--St. Ezekiel Moreno and Bl. Vicente Pinillo,  met his martyrdom in O'Donnell, Tarlac, a casualty of the Philippine Revolution.

That Kapampangans' reverence and love for their Augustinian friars could be gleaned from the many letters of praises written by town leaders and local folks, kept in the archdiocesan archives of Manila and in Spain. Many of these include requests for extension of the friars' terms, due to their good deeds and selfless service. Indeed,  the 18th-century chronicler Fray Gaspar de San Agustin described the faithful of Pampanga as being “ very good Christians, most respectful of their ministers.”

This kindly and accommodating attitude, however, was severely put to a test during the Philippine Revolution against the repression of Spain. The revolutionists’ growing animosity towards their colonial master spilled over to the Catholic church and its leaders, with fatal consequences.

One such tragic victim of circumstance was the saintly Fray Baldomero Abadia. Abadia was born in Jarque del Moncayo in 1871. His father Marcos had this idea of naming his sons after Queen Isabel’s generals—and so this son was named after the Prince of Vergara, Don Baldomero Espartero. His older brother had earlier been named Leopoldo, after the first Duke of Tetuan, Don Leopoldo O’Donnell.

Baldomero entered the Recoletos community of Monteagudo, Navarre province, where, on 4 October 1887,  he professed his vows.  During his stay at the rectory, he became acquainted with two future holy men—St. Ezekiel Moreno, who, in 1885 had just returned from the Philippines to be chaplain at the Augustinian Rectory at Monteagudo. The saint corresponded with  Baldomero before he embarked for Colombia in 1888.

With Blessed Vicente Ibanez Pinilla, Fray Abadia formed a lasting friendship.  They were after all, from the same province of Zaragoza (Pinilla was from Calatayud town), and knew each other’s families. Their friendship would even deepen when they had their 5-year philosophical and theological formation in the convents of San Millán de la Cogolla (La Rioja) and Marcilla (Navarra). The two missionary priests would make a trip to Philippines together, arriving in Manila on 18 September 1892.

Initially, both were assigned in Manila, but Fr. Pinilla was shuttled from Mindoro to Manila and back to Mindoro where revolutionists held him captive in Bongabong. His superiors thus recalled him from the Philippines and shipped him to Brazil. He would be martyred in Motril, Granada in 1936, along with seven others, during the Spanish Civil War. He and his companions were beatified by Pope John Paul II on 7 March 1999.

Meanwhile, Fr. Abadia’s assignment took him to Alaminos. Sometime in January 1896, he was made parish priest of a newly created O’Donnell town in Tarlac, a canny coincidence as the town—like the friar’s brother, Leopoldo O’Donnell—had been named after the same Spanish general. There, Fr. Abadia worked with tirelsslsy, unmindful of the dangers of a brewing revolution.  Historiologist Fray Francisco Sadaba noted of his work inn Tarlac:  "There he fulfilled the functions of his sacred ministry, for he was a young man of angelic customs and a truly apostolic spirit."

But at the end of August 1896, the Philippine revolution had exploded, spreading  quickly from Manila to the border provinces. Several Recoletos were murdered, and Fray Baldomero found himself in the danger zone. In his last letter to his family dated Oct. 27, he calmly reassured them that, for his safety, he was sleeping in the soldiers' barracks.

But he was not safe at all—Fr. Abadia  could not trust even his own parishioners. On October 31, Filipino insurgent troops entered O'Donnell and, as Sadaba described his cruel passing, the revolucionarios  "inhumanly sacrificed him in hatred of Religion and Spain." Fray Baldomero Abadia was not even 27 years old.

SOURCES:
http://www.agustinosrecoletos.org/noticia.php?id_noticia=11442&id_seccion=9&idioma=1
Romanillos, Emmanuel Luis A. The Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines, Hagiography and History., Recoletos Communications Inc. 2001.

*285. IS THERE A HERO FROM MABALACAT?

VENERABLE REVOLUCIONARIO. Emilio Dominguez, who rose to become a lieutenant who fought alongside Gen. Francisco Makabulos as part of the infantry brigade against the Spaniards, in his old age.

In 1996, when a call was sent out by Dr. Serafin D. Quiason, Chairman and Executive Director of the National Historic Institute for information on Pampango heroes and revolutionaries, the names of many illustrious Kapampangans from towns big and small, came to fore: Aguinaldo's officer, Isabelo del Rosario from San Fernando; Macario Yap (Arayat); Joaquin Gonzales (Apalit); Macario Bacani (Guagua); Cayetano Lopez (Magalang); Mamerto and Ruperto Lacsamana (Mexico); Tranquilino Arroyo (Candaba) , among many others. Yet, not one hero from Mabalacat was ever mentioned.

Do we have a local icon of heroism somewhere? A forgotten figure, perhaps, who deserves to be memorialized as one of Mabalacat's movers and shakers?

Surely, there are hundreds of Mabalacat Negritos who resisted Spanish dominion, but they remain anonymous to this day.

Local town historian and poet Querubin Fernandez cites a brave Mabalaqueno - Lt. Emilio Timbol Dominguez--who fought alongside General Francisco Makabulos in Tarlac as part of his infantry brigade against the Spaniards. In the same manuscript, he also mentions a Philippine-American War hero-- Captain Domingo Tanhueco Dizon, unit commander of the local Katipuneros, who led a group of Mabalaquenos and helped win the Battle of Camansi in Magalang. Tanhueco fled to Japan with Artemio Ricarte, when the Americans occupied the country, and died there in 1903.

Also during the revolutionary period, captured leader Bernardo Tanglao Sr. of Dolores, was made to suffer personal indignities for refusing to reveal the names of his companions who formed part of a contingent of Filipino freedom fighters.

Kudiaro Laxamana, an Ayta tribal chief and leader of the 55-155th Squadron, Northwest Pampanga Mountain District, distinguished himself by becoming a guerilla hero for his annihilation of 50 Japanese while harboring 10 U.S. airmen during World War II. Born in the foothills of Mt. Pinatubo in the Porac area, he rose to the rank of a Colonel, 13thAirforce, U.S.A.F, after having protected the life of Col. Gyle Merrill and Maj. Henry Conner Jr. of the 27th Bomb Group. He also served as a Vice President to Alfonso, King of the Negritos, who, himself was made an honorary U.S. Air Force Brigadier General #. His exploits were finally honored with a posthumous award on 28 January 1995 in Mabalacat. The plaque was accepted by his children Elena, Juanito and Indon Edwin.

Mabalacat Chief of Police Victor D. Medina, who originally hailed from Lara, San Fernando, served during the term of Mayor Jose Garcia in the 1930s. His battle with the Huks is legendary, earning the appellation "Sergeant York of the Philippines" with his sharp-shooting skills. An ambidextrous target shooter, it was said that he could shoot a coin in mid-air. In Barrio Dapdap, he gained prominence in dramatic fashion by killing 15 Huks and delivering their bodies in a gareta (bull cart) in front of the municipio.

Named by Gov. Sotero Baluyut as head of the elite Pampanga Police Force, he was sent on missions all over the province, killing notorious Huk Commander July, in the process. Unfortunately, luck ran out for Officer Medina when, on the eve of the town fiesta in 1952, he was gunned down in a restaurant while sipping his coffee.

Mabalacat's heroes may not be as well-known and as acclaimed as those of other towns, but their role in shaping our destiny and history cannot be denied. As ideals of patriotism and bravery, they stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of our national icons, for they had the same aspirations, fought for the same cause and pursued the same dream for a free and peaceful Philippines.

*272. FR. JUAN HERRERO OAR: In the Crossfire of a Revolution

RECOLETO IN THE REVOLUTION. Fr. Juan Herrero OAR, a former assistant parish priest of Mabalacat, was a tragic figure in the Revolution, killed defending the Spanish flag along with 9 other fellow priests in Imus, Cavite. Picture from the Recoleto digital archives.

One tragic figure of the Revolution of 1896 was a distinguished priest of the Orden de Agustinos Recoletos, who once ministered in Mabalacat: Fr. Juan Herrero. The Recoletos were the last missionaries to arrive in the Islands, arriving only in 1606, years after the Augustinians, Dominicans, Jesuits and Franciscans have chose prime mission fields. The “Barefoot Augustinians” (to differentiate them from the shod Augustinians) created the Provincia de San Nicolas de Tolentino from what remained of the unclaimed territories which were often remote and populated with hostile tribes.

Mabalacat was one of the “final frontiers’ where the Recoletos labored to win souls for God, along with southern Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan and Cavite. Slowly, but surely, the hardy Recoletos not only succeeded in their missionary work but also managed to amass large tracts of land through generous donation which were transformed into prosperous haciendas. The Hacienda San Juan in Imus was by far, the most progressive, which included built infrastructures like bridges and canals, as parts of its assets.

The Recoletos were already firmly established in Pampanga and Tarlac when Fr. Juan Herrero OAR was called on to help the thriving mission center in Mabalacat from where Recoletos fanned out to neighboring places to evangelize. Fr. Herrero had been previously assigned in Dagami, Leyte where the conditions there had prepared him for the arduous task ahead in this northernmost Pampanga town. In 1885, he was named as a compañero or assistant priest to Fr. Gregorio Bueno de la Virgen del Rosario, who had been serving the town for quite awhile. Fr. Herrero stayed for just 5 months—from July 11 to December 10, but long enough to be facile with the Kapampangan language, a talent which earned him an amount of respect among the natives.

A major assignment awaited him on 30 April 1891 when he was named as the Prior-Administrator of the order’s hacienda in Imus, a job that he performed with exemplary zeal and efficiency. But the looming revolution would change the course of history and of the good father’s life, as Cavite started to feel more intensely the stirrings of unrest.

Anxious about their properties, the Recoletos decided to put their haciendas for sale in October 1893, an almost impossible venture in such unsettling times. The Comisario General of the Recollects in Madrid formed a dummy company called “El Fomento de la Agricultura en Filipinas”, instituted on 24 February 1894 with Fr. Juan Herrero as manager of the said company. To this fictitious company, the hacienda was ‘sold’ for 4 million pesetas.

When the flames of the Revolution reached Cavite in 1896, violent attacks against Spaniards were waged with varying degrees of success in many towns, Imus included. In the last days of September 1896, the Recoletos’ hacienda in Imus became the scene of a bloody siege, in which advancing Cavite revolucionarios managed to corner Spaniards— soldiers and Recoleto priests led by Fr. Juan Herrero who bravely rallied around their country’s flag.

Holed up in the hacienda without any hope of escape, Fr. Juan Herrero and 9 other Recoletos were killed in the crossfire by passionate revolutionary forces. In an eerie twist of fate, a similar drama would unfold two years later in the same Pampanga town that he once served and involving the parish priest that he once assisted. Fr. Gregorio Bueno would die in the hands of Mabalacat revolutionists upon the order of the municipal presidente, a murder that would spawn the tale of the town’s infamous curse.

*257. FELIPE SALVADOR: A Rebel Messiah Comes to Pampanga

SALVADOR DEL MUNDO. Felipe Salvador, "Apo Ipe", the Supremo of Santa Iglesia, a religious/revolutionary cult group which had its base at the foothills of Mt. Arayat and which wielded influence over the Central Luzon area. From El Renacimiento Filipino.

During the years of the Philippine Revolution, a man who spent much of his time communing with God in the slopes of mystical Mount Arayat, organized a controversial religious movement that led armed campaigns against Spaniards and the succeeding colonial masters, the Americans, but remained alienated from the Katipunan. Dismissed as a dangerous ‘bandolero’ by Americans, Felipe Salvador, founder of the cult group Sta. Iglesia, would eventually be executed for his perpetrations in Pampanga, Bulacan, Nujeva Ecija and Tarlac.

Felipe Salvador (“Apo Ipe”) was born on 26 May 1870 in Baliwag, Bulacan, the child of a well-off family. His father, Prudencio had been an official in the Spanish government. The Salvadors had many relatives in nearby Pampanga province and it is even possible that Felipe was born there as his name is not recorded in the canonical books of Baliwag.

Even as a profoundly religious young man, he had a rebellious streak, defying the parish priest by dissuading a group of vendors from paying dues to the Church. Felipe soon became the head of a cofradia (confraternity) called “Gabinistas”, originally founded by Gabino Cortes of Apalit. Cortes was said to possess supernatural powers, conjuring food, money and male guards to appear using a magic ball. Gabinista members were mostly Kapampangans from Apalit, San Luis, San Simon, Santa Ana, Candaba, Macabebe and Santo Tomas.

Upon reorganizing the cofradia and renaming it as Sta. Iglesia in 1894, the self-proclaimed Pope joined the armed struggle by raiding garrisons and joining skirmishes against Spain. In one battle in San Luis, Salvador was wounded and fled to Biak-na-Bato where he consolidated his forces with Aguinaldo’s.

Social squabbles between the two factions, however, caused Salvador’s fall from grace. Elitist Kapampangan officers, for instance, did not want an outsider like him to command Kapampangan forces. Gen. Maximino Hizon even ordered the execution of 5 Sta. Iglesia members without proper trial. Two of Salvador’s soldiers also suffered by being falsely accused of committing ‘abuses’; they were later found shot and floating in the river. Meanwhile, in Floridablanca, Sta. Iglesia members were harassed by being forcibly ejected from their lands.

Despite these setbacks, Salvador continued his warfare, this time, against the Americans from his command post at Barrio Kamias. Refusing calls to surrender, he was captured in 1900 and dumped in prison. But after swearing allegiance to the United States, Salvador rejoined the resistance and was branded as an outlaw. Captured in Nueva Ecija by the police in 1902, he was charged with sedition. But while being transferred to the Bilibid Prison in Manila, Salvador eluded his guards and escaped to Mount Arayat.

There, Salvador revitalized his ‘diocese’ and found wide sympathy from the central Luzon peasantry. He became a sort of a demigod, subsisting on his brotherly relationships with certain people he met on his journey, like Vicente Francia, Epifanio de la Cruz, a certain Juan and Damaso. They not only helped him find sustenance, but also provided security as he worked his way around the area. Ipe was warmly welcomed by people in the community who offered generous gifts, and he used these opportunities to recruit members and generate funds.

His modus operandi was simple: he would enter a town with some 20 chosen disciples, plant a cross and exhort people to donate money and join his brotherhood while projecting an image that is at once poor, pitiful and prayerful. As membership grew, so did the number of fanatical attacks launched against the American-run government—with the biggest ones waged in Malolos, San Rafael and Hagonoy in the summer of 1906, led by Capitan Tui.

On 17 April 1910, Salvador did the unthinkable—he and his group of about 20 “Salvadoristas” strode to the center of Arayat town to purchase supplies and provisions, knowing full well that they were under tight surveillance. Yet, the police officials and the rest of the populace were too stunned to do anything—with some even spontaneously giving their donations. To cap their visit, Salvador and his group knelt in prayer in front of the church, leaving the residents in complete awe.

Shortly after this remarkable event, he was captured just as he prophesied on 24 July 1910—a Sunday. An informer, Eusebio Clarin, motivated by the 5,000 peso reward on the Supremo’s head, led policemen to his lair in Barrio Kamias of San Luis, as he was in prayer with his family members. He was convicted and sentenced to die by hanging on 15 April 1912. Still, his faithful followers were confident that he would work a miracle and escape once more. But this was not to be. Salvador faced death calmly , “in high spirits , without a frown on his forehead”, as Taliba reported.

Even in death, his devotees believed he would rise again—after all, he seemed like “he was only asleep, happy, his complexion not darkening as is usually expected of him who has died of unnatural causes”. But his passion has clearly –and finally ended. Apo Ipe—sinner or saint, villain or hero, fanatic or patriot--was laid to rest the next day at the cemetery at Paang Bundok.

*210. TEODORA SALGADO: San Fernando’s Woman of Influence

GRAND DAME OF SAN FERNANDO. Her life reads like a soap opera: Teresa Salgado, twice-widowed, thrice married, childless--yet she surmounted all these trials to emerge as Pampanga's most successful--and richest-- businesswomen. Ca. 1930s.

In recent years, focus has been given to several heroines of Pampanga who played important roles during the Philippine Revolution. Foremost among them are Nicolasa Dayrit, Felisa Hizon, Felisa Dayrit, and sisters Consolacion and Encarnacion Singian. These brave women tended the needs of Kapampangan revolucionatios who were wounded or stricken sick in the battlegrounds. Others chose to work in the sidelines, quietly working for the same cause. One such woman was the wealthy businesswoman Teodora Basilio Salgado.

Teodora (or “Dorang”) was born to Joaquin Salgado and Filomena Basilio on 7 May 1866 in San Fernando, Pampanga. She was the eldest in a brood of 5, that would come to include Juana, Joaquin, Honorio and Francisco. She developed her business acumen early; as a child of 12, she helped start a business in her hometown, which would grow into the prosperous “El Progreso Bazar”. For her higher education, she went to the Colegio de Santa Rosa in Manila.

The enterprising Dorang would also learn the ropes of the sugar business and enjoyed much success. She had also felt the stirrings of nationalism as the winds of war started being felt in Pampanga. It was at this crucial time that she became a silent financier of the Philippine cause, a role that she would embrace for years only to end with the coming of the Americans.

With her patriotic advocacy and flourishing businesses to attend to, it was no wonder that Dorang married late, at age 33 to Don Felipe Campomanes. But her marriage was shortlived; Felipe died a few years after, leaving her without a child.

Dorang’s various business ventures would enable her to cross paths with Benito Ullman, a successful businessman of French descent. The Ullmans had established a company called American-French Depot at Plaza Moraga that imported goods from around the world like Swiss timepieces and watches. Teodora and Benito were married in January 1911 and they set up their residence at 204 Nebraska St., in the affluent enclave of Manila, Ermita.

With their consolidated wealth, the Ullmanns lived it up, and from 1929-1930, they embarked on a world tour . By then, Teodora had also diversified her business, becoming an even more successful jeweler. But sadly, she outlived Benito. The childless widow could do nothing but carry on with her life and busied herself with her business. She also kept residences at Soler and Misericordia St.

To amuse herself, she would watch shows, gala events and cultural performances in the city. It was in one such affair that she would meet a visiting magician who had come to the Philippines to perform. Count Saa, a Spaniard, had been touted as the “Houdini of Spain” and performed his illusions around the world with much fanfare and success. Count Saa would become her third and last husband. Dorang kept her peripatetic husband company as he brought his shows to Europe and South America.

Too old to have a child, Dorang sought the comfort and presence of her many grandchildren on who she lavished her love and affection. Before her death , she had insured all of them with Insular Life. She is interred at La Loma Cemetery.

Despite her material wealth and influence, Teodora Salgado remained modest and self-effacing, living by her simple motto : “E map ing catasan keti king qng yatu; uling ing egana-gana, pante-pante eng arap ning Miglalang”. (Superiority has no place in this world; because every one is equal before the Maker).

*105. THE KAPAMPANGAN SOLDIER

ATTENTION! An unidentified Kapampangan military man, possibly a member of the Philippine Scouts, addressed his smart-looking photo to his lady love Celiang Pineda. Dated 14 June 1929.

Brave, loyal, daring, fierce and at times, reckless and misunderstood. Such are the characteristics of the Kapampangan as a soldier that have endured, as painted and mythicized by recorded history. Indeed, our men of the military are a breed apart, with their predecessors showing a predilection for the vocation of arms upon unwarranted provocation.

Rajah Soliman for instance, a Macabebe warrior, fought the Spaniards together with Rajah Lakandula in 1574, dying a here’s death while fighting for his people’s freedom. In 1660, the trio of Francisco Maniago, Nicolas Manuit and Agustin Pamintuan led Kapampangans in an uprising against Spain, stemming from unfair abuses in connection with the cutting of timber. Two years after, Francisco Laksamana led a 400-strong contingent to quell a Chinese revolt in Manila, killing many of them and capturing their trenches in Antipolo. And, when the British invaded Manila in 1764, a Kapampangan, Jose Manalastas engaged General Draper to a fight and stabbed him on the chest.

Much have been said about the loyalty of the Kapampangan soldier. When ordered by a superior to implement a course of action, he does so without question and without fail. When Macabebe town was besieged by revolutionists, the Spanish forces abandoned the town, except for Eugenio Blanco, a Macabebe native who was an honorary colonel of the Spanish Army. He organized a regiment of “Voluntarios Macabebes” to ward off the revolutionists and in so doing, suffered torture at the hands of his own countrymen who accused him of betraying his own people—but who was in fact, just obeying his orders.

Perhaps, it was this uncompromising loyalty of the men of Macabebe that led American military leaders to organize the first troop of 100 scouts in the said town in September 1899—the Macabebe Scouts. The troop was meant to help the American forces who were unfamiliar with the fighting conditions in the Philippines. Thus, the Macabebe scouts were used to engage the forces of General Emilio Aguinaldo, resulting in his ultimate capture.

Working with Americans became highly popular, resulting in an increase in enlistment. Thus, in this way, the Philippine Scouts under the command of Lt. A.M. Batson, was formed. The scouts participated in various campaigns throughout the country, and a large number of Kapampangan recruits were stationed at Forts McKinley, Mills and Stotsenburg—gaining a reputation as among the best soldiers in the Philippines.

Through the years, Kapampangan men in uniform have done our province and our country proud. In the days of the Revolution, we have Gen. Jose Alejandrino who became the chief commander of Central Luzon while Gen. Aguinaldo was up north. In 1934, he became the chairman of the National Defense Committee and a military adviser of Malacanang. Gen Servillano Aquino of Angeles was likewise a well known figure of the Revolution, but perhaps more well-known today as Ninoy Aquino’s grandfather. Gen. Maximino Hizon (Mexico), Gen. Francisco Makabulos (Tarlac) and Lt. Emilio Dominguez (Mabalacat) were all gallant Katipuneros who led offensives against our colonizers.

In more recent times, military notables have come to include: medical doctor Basilio Valdes (Floridablanca) who rose to become a Brigadier-General and Chief of the Police Constabulary in 1934. Lt. Gen. Gregorio M. Camiling Jr. (Bacolor) was appointed as the commanding general of the Philippine Army in 2002. Currently, the highest ranking Kapampangan in the military is Gen. Avelino Razon, head of the Philippine National Police.

(*NOTE: Feature titles with asterisks represent other writings of the author that appeared in other publications and are not included in the original book, "Views from the Pampang & Other Scenes")

*88.HUK ON FILMS: From Movement to the Movies

DANTE'S INFERNO. Film poster of Kumander Dante's (Bernabe Buscayno) biopic, portrayed by Phillip Salvador and filmed in 1988. Buscayno, founder of the New People's Army in 1969, was a former worker in the sugar plantations owned by the Cojuangcos. The film was directed by Ben Yalung.

The Philippine movie industry began in the early 1900s, and since then, the medium has become one of the more popular sources of entertainment for many generations of Filipinos. Early films about the Philippines were story-less, featuring scenics and events such as Fiesta de Quiapo and Panorama de Manila. Narrative films with patriotic themes like La Vida de Jose Rizal and Los Tres Martires became the vogue in the first 2 decades of the new century.

With the formalization of the studio system, the film emerged as an effective medium for storytelling, with themes that often mirrored the thoughts of the country. After World War II, the local film industry rose from the ashes quickly, with a motherlode of tales from the ruins of the war—the 1st postwar film was Manuel Conde’s Orasang Ginto (The Golden Clock) which pictured graphically the heroism and sufferings of the Filipino guerilla. The mood had shifted dramatically from innocent romance to the harsh realism of violence and criminality.

The end of the war also signaled the start of our independence, but the pervading euphoria quickly gave way to feelings of betrayal as corruption and the struggles of the social class all but erased the gains of our new independence. The Communist HUKBALAHAP (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon) movement had gained grounds and support—providing the film industry with more eye-opening stories to tell about the revolt of the masses. Agrarian unrest, peasants bound to the soil, the heroic lives of Huk kumanders—all these found expressions on the screen, providing the audience a real hard look into the movement and its causes, its often-bloody struggles and its larger-than-life rebel heroes.

A comprehensive list of Huk-inspired films:

BACKPAY. (1947) Plot: Post-war guerrillas, disappointed because of the non-payment of their benefits and failure of the government to implement agrarian reforms decide to join the Huk movement

MGA BUSABOS NG PALAD (1948, Slaves of Destiny). Cast: Leopoldo Salcedo, Gil de Leon, Plot: Guerrillas find themselves jobless and resort to stealing, begging and boxing.

LUPANG PANGAKO (1949, Promised Land). Cast: Leopoldo salcedo, Mila del Sol. Plot: Returning guerrillas find difficulties in adjusting to mainstream life and find unemployment.

CANDABA. (1950) Cast: Tessie Quintana, Teody Belarmino and Tony Santos. Directed by: Gregorio Fernandez. Plot: Agrarian conflict.

TIGANG NA LUPA (1950, Parched Land). Cast: Rogelio de la Rosa and Leila Moreno. Plot: Agrarian conflict.

HUK, SA BAGONG PAMUMUHAY (1953, Huks, A New Life). Cast: Jose Padilla Jr., and Celia Flor.

HUK. (1956) A U.S. made movie. Cast: George Montgomery, Mona Freeman. Plot: A plantation owner struggles to fend off native insurrectionists (the "Huks" of the title).

KUMANDER 13. (1956) Cast: Rogelio de la Rosa, Carmencita Abad.

KUMANDER ALIBASBAS. (1981) Cast: Joseph Estrada, Perla Bautista. Bipic of Cesario Manarang, Huk leader from Concepcion, Tarlac.

PEDRING TARUC. (1982) Cast: Joseph Estrada, Ronaldo Valdez. Biopic of Huk leader, Pedro Taruc. The showing of this movie was blocked by the Marcos regime, citing that no outlaw should be made into a hero for a film.

KUMANDER DANTE. (1988) Cast: Phillip Salvador. Plot: Biopic of Bernabe Buscayno, leader and founder of New People’s Army (NPA).

(*NOTE: Feature titles with asterisks represent other writings of the author that appeared in other publications and are not included in the original book, "Views from the Pampang & Other Scenes")

76. AGAPITO CONCHU: Kapampangan Martyr of Cavite

A KAPAMPANGAN AMONG 13 MARTYRS. Agapito Conchu of Guagua, made Cavite his home after his Manila education, settling down there and earning a livelihood as a musician and lithographer. Implicated in a revolutionary plot againt Spain, he was executed as one of the Trece Martires de Cavite on 12 September 1896. Picture from the book “Mga Anak ng Tangway sa Rebolusyong Pilipino by Emmanuel Franco Calairo”, from where most of the above information on Conchu were taken.

For my National Heroes’ day article, I decided to have for a subject, a little-known Kapampangan hero whose noble deeds—and even his name--have been blurred by time and forgotten in most history books. My rediscovery of him began in one of my visits to my favorite antique dealer who resides along a narrow street that cuts across the busy Zobel Roxas in Makati. Conchu Street, that’s how it is called, and if you don’t pay attention to the street signs, it’s easy to miss. When I asked for directions, people would scratch their heads and ask in return, “Conchu who?”. Just like them, I never knew who this Mr. Conchu was, until I later found out through the internet that he was, in fact, one of the 13 Martyrs of Cavite, and more significantly, a Kapampangan. Agapito Conchu, like the street named after him, is largely unknown to many Kapampangans but his role in the revolutionary history of Cavite and needs to be told and recognized.

Agapito Conchu was born in Guagua, Pampanga on 18 August 1860 to parents Saturnino Conchu and Nemencia Hocson. He obviously had Chinese mestizo roots judging from his parents’ surnames and his extant picture that shows him with distinct Sino features. His paternal aunt, Leonicia Conchu brought him to Manila, together with his two brothers to pursue their studies. Agapito attended Ateneo de Manila where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

It was also in this Jesuit-run school that Agapito began his love affair with music, an interest that earned him an assignment at the Binondo Church where he moonlighted as a church organist. Occasionally, he would also conduct the local orchestra which provided music during fiestas and other events. His brothers, Deogracias and Candido opted for more practical courses, becoming a seaman and a tailor, respectively.

Looking for a more stable job, Agapito worked in the printing press of Salvador Chofre. Here, he learned another trade: lithography printing. Having mastered this art, he set up his own printing shop at Calle Real in Cavite in 1890. His studio, established next to the pharmacy of Victoriano Luciano, was called Foto-Litografia Moderna de A. Conchu. Here, he printed colorful labels for medicines, cigars, perfumery and pharmaceutical products.

It was also at this time that Agapito settled down with Isabel Basa with whom he had 9 children. To supplement his income, he returned to his first love, music. He taught piano to children of government officials and other prominent families. When Agapito Escacio, the music teacher of the local elementary school, passed away, Agapito Conchu took his place.

Agapito lent his talent to the social events of the town, organizing orchestras for both young and old. He launched La Compaña del Trueno, a band which included Francisco Osorio (drums), Victoriano Luciano (bass, violin), Dr. Hugo Perez (fife, triangle), Basilio Borromeo (violin, piano, cantor). Agapito himself, aside from the organ and the piano, played the violin. Julian Felipe became its famed Conductor. On certain occasions, Agapito also sang at the Church of Porta Vaga, and as if his services to the church were not enough, assisted in painting the reredos of the Church of San Pedro. His main source of income however, was his burgeoning printing business. In 1892, during a regional exposition, Agapito’s lithographic prints won for him a Silver Medal and a Certificate of Honor. The winning works included paintings and artworks.

In the Revolution of 1896, Cavite and its towns actively participated in the revolt against Spain. A plot was hatched by the principalias in the province but was twarthed when Victoriana Sayat of Imus told Dña. Victorina de Crespo, the wife of military governor, of the suspicious moves of Severino Lapidario (jail warden), Alfonso de Ocampo (asst. warden) and Luis Aguado (connected with the arsenal).

On 3 September 1896, Agapito was arrested on the basis of the testimony of de Ocampo, who, under torture named him as one of the cabecillas of the revolutionary association of Cavite. He, together with 12 others (Victoriano Luciano, Maximo Inocencio, Francisco Osorio, Antonio San Agustin, Hugo Perez, Jose Lallana, Eugenio Cabezas, Maximo Gregorio, Feliciano Cabuco along with Aguado, de Ocampo and Lapidario) were arrested and executed at the Plaza de Armas at the Cavite arsenal on 12 September 1896. Thus one brave Kapampangan—Agapito Conchu of Guagua-- joined the pantheon of noble heroes collectively known today as the Trece Martires de Cavite.
(29 November 2003)