FROM MENTOR TO A MILITARY MAN. Guagua-born Col.Miguel Nicdao, whose family settled in San Fernando, belonged to the first wav of government scholars known as "pensionados". He made a career shift, never looked back, and became a bemedalled officer during the Commonwealth period. Source: Mr. Arnold Nicdao.
Once in a long while, we uncover stories of extraordinary
Kapampangans, who, despite their
remarkable lives and achievements, remain unremembered, their memories known
only to their family circles. Such is the case of Guagua-born Col. Miguel Nicdao
(b. 8 May 1888/d. 1938), whose story came to light courtesy of his
grandchildren, who, through their tireless research efforts, managed to piece
together the life of Col. Nicdao, their lolo whom they have never seen nor met.
Miguel Nicdao’s father, Jose Bonifacio Nicdao, was originally
from Cavite; his mother, Bonifacia Jose Tablante, was a homemaker who tended a
sari-sari store on the side. The young Nicdao was home-schooled, but with the
coming of the Americans and their introduction of the public school system,
education in the country took a turn for the better. This led the Nicdaos, who
have resettled in Bacolor, to move again to San Fernando, where the “Thomasites”
set up new schools with exacting standards.
In 1903, the Pensionado Act was passed, which gave opportunities to Filipino students
to study and earn college degrees in America. 15-year old Nicdao took the
competitive exams and topped the field with an average of 94.8; kabalen Jose
Abad Santos placed third. The teen suddenly found himself sailing to America on Oct. 9,1903, aboard the
Japanese ship Rohilla Maru, as a member of pioneering group of 103 pensionados.
Arriving in November, the pensionados were distributed to different high schools in Southern
California to brush up on U.S. history, math and English. A year after, they
hied off to their respective colleges. Six Filipinos, Nicdao among them, began
their studies at Illinois State Normal University (now Illinois State
University).
The young Filipinos quickly made their presence felt in
the school, as all six were featured in the school’s weekly paper, “The Vidette,”
in 1904. Nicdao, however, made noise
when his article “Religions of the Philippines” saw print in the school organ.
Nicdao, a Methodist, assailed the Catholic friars’ intolerance of other
religions, warranting a reprimand from the U.S. War Department, after an Illinois
priest demanded that the article be censored.
But it was in the classroom that the young Kapampangan
showed his brilliance, specifically in the field of Oratory and Debate. His
public speaking skills earned him membership with the Wrightonian Society,
Oratorical Association, Cicero and the YMCA. He put his voice to a test, when, on
Feb. 23, 1907, at the Edwards Oratorical and Declamatory Contest, he won the
Gold Medal with his piece “The First Need of the Filipinos”. In March, he unanimously won the Inter-Normal Contest,
with the same piece, trumping Arthur Thompson of Macomb.
His Edwards gold medal earned him the right to represent
ISNU at the Inter-State Contest held on May 3, 1907 in Emporia, Kansas. Those who witnessed the excited
5-school match were effusive with praise for Nicdao’s performance: “His
gracefulness, directness and earnestness were pleasing and convincing. There
was, of course some peculiarity in his speech but his long, patient labor accomplished
remarkable results. Many said they missed no words at all”. In the end, he placed third, behind the
Missouri and Kansas bets, despite having “a concrete and definite subject”. A
school observer could only surmise that his “ridiculous ranking” was due to his
Philippine-accented English.
By 1907, Nicdao was ready to return to the Philippines
after graduating with an Education degree from ISNU—the youngest of the batch
at 1907. Once home, he quickly rolled up his sleeves to start work as Principal of the San Luis
Intermediate School in San Luis, Pampanga (Oct. 1,1907-March 31, 1908). He was
promoted as Superintendent/ Teacher, and was assigned briefly to Mabalacat
Intermediate School from June-Jul. 1908, and then to Apalit Intermediate School
from Aug.-Sep. 1908. He stayed for 3 years in his next post, Pampanga High School
(Aug. 1908-Aug.1911) in his adapted hometown, San Fernando.
Much as he loved teaching, the young teacher found it
frustrating to advance in his career what with Americans well-placed in the educational
system. In 1911, the civil government opened
the Camp Henry T. Allen Constabulary School in Baguio (now Philippine Military
Academy), envisioned to be a training ground for an all-Filipino constabulary force.
Jumping at this chance, Nicdao joined and underwent an intensive 3-month boot
camp training. After completing the
program and graduating as 3rd Lieutenant, the 23 year-old embarked on a new military
career.
In the succeeding years, Lt. Nicdao undertook assignments
in different parts of the country, and got involved in campaigns in Lanao and
Cotabato, during the Moro War years (1909-1923). He learned Arabic, which enabled him to deal
more effectively with the Muslim leaders of Mindano, where he would eventually
become its District Commander.
By 1917, he had attained the rank of a First Lieutenant of
the PC, with missions in Cagayan and Misamis. He was kept busy as ever through
the 1930s, leading campaigns against lawless elements, including fighting off
the Sakdalistas in Cabuyao, Laguna in May 1935, where 300 rebels took over a
church. Under his helm, the revolt was crushed. For his meritorious military
accomplishments, Nicdao, now a Colonel, was awarded three medals by
Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon.
In between his military exploits, the colonel found time
to marry Natividad Neri Rivera, whom he met down South, during his Mindanao stint.
She had descended from Muslim royalty; her forebear Rajah sa Lansang, was a
Christian convert and who assumed the name “Neri”. The two were married on May 22,
1914, and together, they had 7 children: Charito, Napoleon, Abelardo, Antonia,
Cleopas, Hortencia, and Benjamin.
In 1938, during a military training exercise in Leyte,
Col. Nicdao came down with peritonitis. Unfortunately, no medical supplies were
available; they could not even be flown in from Manila due to a typhoon in the island.
He passed away at age 50, and was given full military honors during his burial.
For those who say that Pampanga seems to be short of idols
and icons, one need only to look at the life and legacy of Col. Nicdao, both a
scholar in the classroom and a soldier in the battlefield. He proved that as long
as you have the heart to serve and the will to succeed—you could be a jack of several
trades, and be a master of all. For that alone, he should never be forgotten.
SOURCES:
All photos and information, courtesy of Mr. Arnold Nicdao, grandson of Col., Miguel Nicdao.
Article, “MIGUEL NICDAO – A FILIPINO GRANDFATHER’S LEGACY . by A, Joy Nicdao-Cuyugan.
