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Gabriel & Espiritu Salaysay at Saysay Manuscript (Unedited) 19
Chapter 9
The Generals’ War Exploits
As the whole of Cavite fell in the hands of the revolutionaries at the outbreak of the revolution in August 30, 1896, the province was witness to the ascent of several middle class Caviteños into generals. Among them was the former cabeza de barangay of Binakaya, the former gobernadorcillo of Cavite Viejo or Kawit, Capitan Miong or Capitan Emilio Aguinaldo; Capitan not because he was a military captain but the title was derived from the office of gobernadorcillo or municipal-capitan. But after the successful defense of Imus on August 31, 1896 which defeated the offensive of the Spanish regiment under the command of Gen. Ernesto Aguirre, Capitan Miong and the triumphant revolutionaries at the acclamation of the crowd and the rejoicing Caviteños chanted Heneral Miong; thus he got the rank from them Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo (Agoncillo 1956:178). If this happened to Miong, the same would have happened to other members of the principalia and middle class men who speedily assumed the ranks of generals and colonels only days after the outbreak of the revolution. These ranks were never commissioned from the Katipunan hierarchy since the Katipunan only had three ranks: Katipon, Kawal and Bayani. Thus it would be clear how these men of power as members of the principalia, men of means as belonging to the middle class, and men of prestige as those having educational degrees or at least had entered San Juan de Letran or Ateneo de Municipal, and men of rank as sudden generals and colonels would not bow down to Bonifacio during the Tejeros Convention of March 1897. The memoirs of Gen. Emilio Aguinlado and Gen. Artemio Ricarte present not just their military acumen but also their recollection of therevolution.
Preliminary Activity
Figure 9.1 shows the map of Cavite during the Revolution of 1896. The Katipuneros used codes or symbolic names to hide the identity of the pueblos under their control. The coded names were enumerated by Gen. Artemio Ricarte (1963:4) in his memoirs. Table 9. enumerates the pueblos and their corresponding codes. On the map shown on Figure 9.1, write the equivalent Spanish names of the pueblos on the blank spaces after thecodes. Table 9.1 Spanish Names and their Corresponding Codes Spanish Names Codes(Insurgent Names) Noveleta Magdiwang San Francisco de Malabon (Gen. Trias) Mapagtiis Rosario Salinas Santa Cruz de Malabon (Tanza) Pangwagui Naik Magwagui Maragondon Magtagumpay Ternate Katua-tua and later Molucas Indang Walangtinag Cavite Viejo (Kawit) Magdalo Imus Haligue Bacoor Gargano Perez Dasmariñas Magpuri Silang Bagongsinag Amadeo Magpagibig Alfonso Naghapay kay Alfonso (Source: Ricarte 1963:4)
Gabriel & Espiritu Salaysay at Saysay Manuscript (Unedited) 150
Process
Question
Figure 9.1 Map of Cavite during the Revolution of 1896 In Chapter 3, you will find the pueblos under the control of Magdiwang and Magdalo factions. What are these pueblos belonging to either side? Draw the boundary line that separates bothfactions. The Spanish forces were concentrated in Manila. The Spanish forces woud march from Manila to attack the province. What pueblo will first beattacked? Under what command was thispueblo? The pueblos you have designated close to Manila were the seat of the heaviest battle from August 1896 to January 1897. These were the seat of heroic war exploits and eventual controversies and rivalries among the revolutionists.
Historical Context of the Document
August 24, 1896,… Andres Bonifacio while at Pasong Tamo, wrote a manifesto to all provincial Katipunan councils that the assault of Manila would take place on August 29,
- Katipuneros on all provinces were ordered to reinforce the attack which will commence
gobernadorcillo of the town having sworn in to the Katipunan and having been initiated into the masonry on January 1, 1895, together with his men, waited for the dimming of the lights in Intramuros all that suspenseful night until dawn of August 30, but the lights kept ablaze until the next day. With no attack, the other leaders of Katipunan councils in Cavite who were also members of the principalia declared their pueblos under the Katipunan command and braced to attack their municipal buildings. Gen. Mariano Alvarez, gobernadorcillo of San Francisco de Malabon (Gen. Trias) attacked its municipal office and declared the pueblo under rebel command. Cavite Viejo (Kawit) was declared under rebel territory of Magdalo as commandeered by Gen. Baldomero Aguinaldo, cousin of Gen. Miong and justice of the peace of the same town. Under this condition, the heroics and controversies hadbegun.
About the Author
Gen. Miong was born on March 22 (the later date of the Tejeros Convention when he was elected President in absentia ) in the year 1869 (the year coinciding with the opening of the Suez Canal). Both his parents Trinidad Famy and Carlos Aguinaldo were native residents of Kawit. His father first worked as non-salaried clerk in the office of gobernadorcillo (capitan-mayor or municipal-capitan) at the Fort of Cavite until his permanent appointment as desk clerk. He became a temporary capitan-mayor of Factoria or San Isidro, Nueva Ecija and returned to Kawit to be elected several times as gobernadorcillo of the town. He was paralyzed at the age of 48 and died on October 16, 1878. Miong was second to the last of eight children: Primo, Benigno, Esteban, Tomasa, Crispulo, Ambrocio, Emilio and Felicidad. Tomasa and Esteban died while young (Aguinaldo 1967:4-5). When he was three years old he had a remembrance of what was later known as the Cavite Mutiny of1872: When I was three years old, I contracted smallpox… On the evening of January 15, 1872, a few days after I became well, the fighting at the marine infantry at the arsenal of Cavite began. This coincided with the lighting of the fireworks during the celebration of the fiesta of Sampaloc in Manila. This fighting threw people in the towns bordering the shore of Manila and Cavite in confusion. The following morning the news that the artillery and the musketeers from Manila were to institute the Juez de Cuchillo (beheading of anyone who stood in the path of the soldiers) spread like wildfire (Aguinaldo1967:2). The young Miong had one thing he abhorred – studies. As his mother ran the property his father left behind in Kawit, he was sent to Manila to study at San Juan de Letran only to fail examinations and go back home again only to be scolded by his mother in order to go back to school. But rather than attending classes, he would rather hang around Magallanes Street watching ships moored along Manila Bay. When cholera plagued a number of provinces, he found the right time to go home and drop out of school in order to help his mother run the property. In order to help his mother earn a living, his brother Crispulo, who earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, purchased a calesa and a horse to start a delivery service of panutsa. The two brothers was joined in by Benigno who finished a degree in surveying and bought a 10-ton paraw which they used to deliver wax, diliman and nige from Mindoro to Manila (Aguinaldo1967:8-13). Problem struck the family when Benigno had to be conscripted to the army. His mother worked all she had to evade his son’s conscription by paying re-enganche at the amount of ₱500.00. But when it was Miong’s turn to be conscripted, they had already runoutof money that the only way for him to evade conscription was for him to work in government. She worked for his appointment as cabeza de barangay of Binakaya at the age of 17, tasked to collect taxes from cedula. But as any other difficult job of a cabeza, collecting taxes was difficult since Filipinos would hardly want to pay taxes, and Miong would have to pay the arrears from his pocket only to meet the quota (Aguinaldo 1967: 12-22).
On January 1, 1895, he was elected gobernadorcillo of Kawit, a job made difficult for him since Kawit was factionalized by a rival political clan the Tironas. But, he said, he was able to mend their family differences and became close friends with the Tirona brothers Candido and Daniel at the displeasure of Aguinaldo’s brother Crispulo (Aguinaldo 1967:20- 22). Both Crispulo and Candido died during the revolution while it would be clear why Daniel worked hard for Miong’s election to the presidency during the Tejeros convention since they became close family friends. Gen. Miong adopted the nom-de-guerre Magdalo, the same code name of his hometown Cavite Viejo or Kawit. Magdalo was derived from Santa Magdalena, patron saint of the town. A staunch Magdalo officer, he served as Flag Lieutenant General or Jefe Abanderado during the first election of the Magdalo council of the Katipunan at the outbreak of the revolution. Miong became president at different times during the Tejeros convention of March 1897, during the establishment of the Biak-na-bato republic of November 1897 and during the First Philippine Republic of January 1899 in Malolos while the revolutionists were still atwar. Dr.Trinidad Pardo de Tavera during their first meeting in Bakood had this to say of hispersonality: He struck me as being modest and convinced that he had a providential mission. His presence was agreeable, for, on account of his humble manner, he spoke always in a very low voice; he spoke Spanish haltingly, for he did not speak it well, but he spoke Tagalog in a very pleasing manner, using words which were always flattering to the person with whom he was talking. He affected to speak Tagalog very well. When he was spoken to about victories he was pleased, but when he was spoke to about a foreign policy or political affairs he seemed to be entirely at a loss. These, when I said to him that he seemed very much occupied, and that I would speak to Mabini, he said, “Yes, yes talk over to Mabini,” (Agoncillo 1956:179). Miong admitted that he kept notes of the events during the revolution. He was 87 years old in 1956 when Teodoro Agoncillo published his book Revolt of the Masses and with whom Agoncillo consulted with in terms of the events that transpired during that time. From then, he said, many of his associates tried to convince him to write his own memoir, to resolve some issues brought in the open by Agoncillo’s Revolt of the Masses and accusations hurled on him surrounding the death of Andres Bonifacio, thus the book Mga Gunita ngHimagsikan which he wrote and was published in 1964 when he was already 95 years old. He died a year later. The book was translated in English by Luz Colendrino-Bucu and published in 1967 with the title MyMemoirs. Gen. Artemio Ricarte was not a Caviteño by birth but an Ilocano born in Batac on October 20, 1866 to Estaban Ricarte and Bonifacia Garcia. He earned his primary education in his hometown, went to Manila to enroll at Colegio de San Juan de Letran where he received his Bacillerato. Rather than pursing higher studies at the University of Santo Tomas, he chose to become a teacher and earned his certificate of Maestro de Primaria at Escuela Normal in Ermita. He did not anymore return to his hometown to pursue his teaching career, he instead settled in Cavite to teach basic education among children. Ricarte, however, was caught in both exciting and tumultuous times, when the spell of revolution was fuming in the air. By 1896, he was already serving as treasurer of Sanguniang Balangay nang BayanMapagtiis under the Magdiwang faction. When the revolution broke out in the middle of August 1896, Ricarte was one of those who led the attack on the headquarters of Guardia Civil in San Francisco de Malabon, killing a Spanish guard and inducing others to side with the rebels. This time, he assumed his nom-de-guerre Vibora or viper. He was then acclaimed with the rank of general. He stayed on with the cause of fighting the Spaniards and defending Cavite against the onslaught of Spanish assaults until the first quarter of 1897 even with the conflict surrounding the Magdalo and Magdiwang factions and the death of Bonifacio brothers.
My First Triumph in War
Very early on the morning of September 3, 1896, almost out of breath, Jose Tagle, head of the Haligue sector of the Katipunan, came running and requested us to return to Imus. He was afraid that the enemy who had already left for Bacoor would reach Imus ahead of us if we did not hurry. As usual I led the group of 1,000 men who left for Imus. It was indeed a very pleasing sight to see everybody enthusiastic, happy and lighthearted. Doubt, apprehension, and grief did not bother anyone of them. As we passed by the town, even men armed with daggers only joined us. Some even jumped out of the windows in their haste to join us. It was like a procession that grew longer as we wentalong. When we reached our destination, I assigned each group to its place. I ordered my men to lie prone on the ground and not to show up or shout until they had heard my signal. We had barely finished our preparations when the enemy swarmed in. The enemy was still far from the hacienda when it began firing right and left at us. Not a soul from our group answered the fire even if some of my men were already hurt. But as the enemy neared the end of the bridge, it saw the bridge was cut. This made it impossible for the enemy to cross to the other side. Then I gave the signal to attack, and a volley of shots rang through the air. It was a most pitiable sight to behold! Heap upon heap of the enemy lay on the bridge. The enemy became rattled. Some of the men ran, while others jumped into theriver. In this battle, I made a very grievous error which made me shudder whenever I had time to ponder on what actually happened. We could have captured easily the enemy as it retreated to the other side of the river. But as it was high tide, we could not cross the river and the first group I sent in pursuit of the retreating enemy was carried away by the tide. So, to be able to cross safely, I ordered my men to hold each other at arm’s length. We engaged the enemy in a hand-to-hand fight, using bolos only as our weapons. We cornered the cavalry and artillery units that were bound for the hacienda at San Nicolas, Bacoor. The rice fields were littered with the dead of both troops and enemy in confusion, and perhaps in his haste, General Aguirre fell from his horse, leaving behind his sword of command which he evidently had not time to pick up. Our men pursued the fleeing enemy and stopped only to come to my rescue because I felt dizzy and fell on the rice paddies. They thought I was fatally shot in theencounter. When everything was clear, we surveyed our booty. We had two cartloads of tattered dead bodies, 70 Remington guns and other equipment. When I examined General Aguirre’s sword, I found these words inscribed: “Made in Toledo, Spain, 1869.” This was the year when I was born. The coincidence made me happy. From that time on I brought this sword in all mybattles. 29
Bonifacio Invited to Cavite
After Supremo Andres Bonifacio and his men met defeat at the hands of the Spaniards, we in Cavite had lost track of their whereabouts. As we were worried about Bonifacio, we sent men to look for him in the forests of Caloocan and Malabon, and instructed them to invite the Supremo to Cavite which had already been liberated from Spanish rule.
By then Cavite had been independent from Spanish rule for three months and was peacefully being governed by the Revolutionary Government. But the Supremo and his wife, Gregoria de Jesus, his two brothers, Procopio and Ciriaco, General Lucino and 20 soldiers did not reach Cavite until the first day of December 1896. One can easily imagine the dangers, hardships, and privations they went through before finally arriving in Cavite. When the news of their arrival reached me, I was fighting at Zapote, Arumahan, Las Piñas, and Pintong Bato, Bacoor. So I sent Generals Mariano Noriel and Pio del Pilar and their men to welcome the Supremo and render himhonors. The Supremo and I were very happy to see each other after much longing to be together again, although our separation was only a short time. Everybody was glad to see the Supremo. There was much rejoicing, brotherly embrace, and cordial greetings. Then he and his men related the dangers they encountered in their journey through Balara and Marikina, at times taking the longest routes just to avoid meeting the enemy, until they reached the free land of Cavite. That was the reason it took them long to reach Pintong Bato in Bacoor, the portals of freedom inCavite. After the cordial greetings, the Supremo asked about the firing that he had heard along the way. Since I had joined them by then, I told him that such firing was a daily occurrence in Cavite whenever the enemy and our men met. At the battle of Zapote that morning, I told him we had two dead and 11 wounded. Later I suggested that we moved to Imus where it was safer. I also told him that our brothers in the Katipunan were eager to see him. We rode in caretelas to Imus. The Supremo and I were in one caretela and as we passed by the towns, he noted the presence of many people. I related to him how willingly thousands and thousands of people responded to this great crusade for freedom. I mentioned how the women provided food and took care of the wounded. I told him of the ardent desire of the men, women, and children to offer what little they could for the success of this Little Republic of Cavite. I told him that the whole town of Malibay under the leadership of Municipal Captain Santiago Garcia moved to Cavite. Garcia was in charge of making falconets out of cast iron. The people of Muntinlupa also came to share in the freedom we were enjoying and to help win ourcause. “You will pity these people when they arrived here,” I informed Bonifacio. “The men carried whatever belongings they had, such as implements, rice, and other materials; the women had their children astride their waists, while their bags of clothes were mounted on their heads.” It was really heart-rending to see them! The men voluntarily joined the battles. The women did their share by bringing food to the soldiers and caring for the sick and the wounded. To prevent any rise in the price of rice, the Magdalo government ordered the price not to exceed three pesos a cavan, and that of palay at one peso a cavan, I also told him of the charitable and generous gestures of General Tirona’s wife and my mother. In turn, Bonifacio said that the same thing was true in Manila where many men, women, and even children rallied to the cause and joined the Revolution. He cited Tandang Sora of Pasong Tamo, Balintawak, who opened her bodega of palay to the revolutionary soldiers. “There,” he narrated, “the palay was ground and even if the grains were merely half- ground, the people started cooking them.”
canopy accompanied by Father Manuel Trias, the Tagalog parish priest. After the ceremonies, the council proceeded to the house of Miss Estefania Potente. The next morning, the cabinet of the Magdiwang government handed over the mantle of responsibility to the Supremo. He was given the title King. Formerly, the highest post in the council was called Vice-King which was assumed by General Mariano Alvarez. With the arrival of their highest official, the council was finally completed. The officials wore very impressive costumes during their meetings. From the king to the captain general, they wore big red ribbons decorated with gold across their shoulders. Sometimes they wore those badges of distinction in their rounds, so the people would recognize their positions in the council perhaps. They were always happy for the towns under their control were peaceful, being located behind the towns under fire. The Magdiwang Council started to visit each of the 12 towns under its jurisdiction in preparation for their plan to unite the Magdalo and the Magdiwang Councils. Everywhere they went, they were given the customary welcome of bamboo arches, bands, pealing of bells, and canopied entry amidst the singing of Te Deum. Everywhere they were met with the shouts of “Long live the Tagalogs!” They preached the value of freedom and the necessity of unity, particularly between the two councils – the Magdiwang and theMagdalo. On the other hand, the Magdalo group had been harassed almost daily by the enemy at Zapote, Almanza, San Nicolas, Arumahan, Pintong Bato, and Molino in Bacoor. Sad to say, at one time, our lines at the other side of the Zapote river were even penetrated by the enemy because our soldiers fatigued from fighting, did not notice their coming. The penetration could have gone further were it not for the brave bolomen under Generals Mariano Noriel and Pio del Pilar who pounced upon the enemy without mercy. Once more the waters of the Zapote river turned red with human blood. This was almost ordinary occurrence in ourcolumns. 33
A Meeting of the Councils
Great fear gripped the people of Cavite when the Diario de Manila published the frightening news that Don Camilo Farcia de Polavieja, new captain general and governor general of the Philippines, planned to attack Cavite with the 40,000 newly arrived Spanish troops under the command of General Lachambre on February 15, 1897. The rumor also spread that the troops had prepared a huge iron cage where General Emilio Aguinaldo would be placed when captured. He would be exhibited to the people on the Luneta should he be caught alive. When the horrible news reached me, I went immediately to San Francisco de Malabon and conferred with Supremo Bonifacio. I suggested that the Magdiwang faction help us fight the enemy since all revolutionists had the same aim: freedomofthe Motherland from the clutches of theSpaniards. “I am sorry, Capitain Emilio,” Bonifacio replied coldly, “that I cannot grant your request because we are also in danger here from the enemy that may attack us any time.”
“Within the four months that we had been defending Cavite from the enemy,” I told the Supremo, “it had never landed its troops on this side of the province. But if that is your decision, I bid you goodbye.” After I left the Supremo, I decided to rely on my own forces at whatever cost. I entrusted the responsibility of strengthening our defenses to General Edilberto Evangelista, while I conferred with President Baldomero Aguinaldo and his council on the final decision of Bonifacio. President Baldomero Aguinaldo then summoned all his secretaries to a general meeting, and in that short but significant moment, it was decided to invite the head and the high officials of the Magdiwang faction to a joint meeting with the Magdalo Council on December 28, 18972 , for the purpose of presenting the grave and serious problems confronting them, namely, the pressing need of uniting the two factions under one Revolutionary Government instead of working separately; the necessity of placing all soldiers under one command for better discipline and control; and the importance of electing a single set of officers of the unitedgroup. The Magdiwang faction accepted the invitation but its officers came on the afternoon of December 28, not in the morning as requested. The coming of the Supremo gladdened the hearts of the Katipuneros and the house on the hacienda where the meeting was held was filled to capacity. At the head of the table sat the Supremo and his right were all his ministers. At the left sat the officers of the Magdalo Council. Although it was the Magdalo Council which initiated the meeting, nevertheless, the Supremo called the meeting to order and presided overit. After stating the purpose of the meeting, General Baldomero Aguinaldo said: “Respected King, Vice-King, and Ministers of the Magdiwang faction: I would like to inform you that the consensus in the Magdalo Council is in favor of the fusion of our two factions which is considered absolutely necessary for the defense of our province against the rumored attack of the Spaniards in February. The Diario de Manila headlined the news that the soldiers who had come directly from Spain would be used in the attack on Cavite and would be under the joint command of Captain General Polavieja and General Lachambre. In the face of this threat against the temporary freedom we are now enjoying in Cavite, we reiterate the request that we join forces and elect officers who will head the untied revolutionaryforces.” At this juncture, Minister of War Ariston Villanueva of the Magdiwang faction stood up and declared that all his men were in favor of electing the officers of the Revolutionary Government but that the highest position be reserved for the Supremo since he was the head of the Katipunan. He also reminded the body that were it not for Supremo Bonifacio, the Revolution would not have probablybegun. After being recognized, General Edilberto Evangelista voiced his opinion. “I do not agree with the statement that the Revolution was the accomplishment of the Katipunan alone,” General Evangelista began. “Let us not ignore the fact that our revolutionary forces are not composed of Katipunan members only. A great number of the townspeople joined the cause and helped us a great deal in one way or another. Take my case, for instance. When I was still an engineering student in Dantes, Italy, I already had the seed of rebellion sown in my heart as I could not swallow the abuses of the Spaniards. I tried my best to return to the Philippines, and upon my arrival in Manila, I was met by the carabiñeros of the ship who imprisonedmeforsixdayswithoutcause.ThreedaysafterIwassetfree,Itooktheroadto (^2) Aguinaldo may have mistaken this for 1896 [Authors].
Bonifacio was not a lawyer and proposed that the position be given instead to Jose del Rosario, a lawyer from Tanza. Although the motion was not seconded and therefore was invalid, Andres Bonifacio stood up and said, “Did we not agree from the beginning that whoever among us was elected in this meeting will be recognized and respected by everybody?” “Yes, sir,” the assembly agreed. “Then,” he continued, “why is it that when I won, there was an objection?” “Nobody seconded the motion,” reminded the group. The Supremo was visibly angry; he pulled out his revolver and aimed at General Tirona. Had it not been for the timely intervention of Secretary Jacinto Lumbreras and General Ricarte, General Tirona could have been saved. Tirona disappeared in thethrong. Although after this incident, order had been restored in the meeting, nevertheless, in the bitter disappointment and anger, the Supremo stood up and declared, “By virtue of my being head for this national meeting, I declare this election null and void.” Then he started to leave. Confusion reigned for a while, thereupon, Colonel Santiago Rillo, delegate from Batangas, stood up and shouted that the Supremo need not go for he had been proclaimed Secretary of Interior. Moreover, the motion of General Tirona was not valid since it was not seconded. The Supremo left and proceeded to Malabon. Delegate Rillo turned to the assembly and asked them if they wanted to continue the meeting. He would act as the presiding officer. The crowd consented, so the meeting was resumed. The delegates then reiterated their respect for the elected officials and appointed a commission headed by Colonel Vicente Riego de Dios to apprise General Emilio Aguinaldo of his election as President of the new Revolutionary Government and to fetch him immediately so he could take his oath ofoffice. The meeting was temporarily adjourned while they awaited anxiously the appearance of General Emilio Aguinaldo. After this story of Colonel Vicente Riego de Dios, I said: I am very happy that at last the two factions are united. This was the suggestion of General Baldomero Aguinaldo on December 28, 1896, but since the Magdiwang faction did not want to elect the head of the Revolutionary Government, but rather appoint Supremo Andres Bonifacio to this position, nothing was accomplished. I am indeed grateful that the Supremo had changed his mind, hence this election. I thank you for having elected me to this position, and I hope that with God’s help and your help we shallsucceed. However, I believe this union is rather late because our enemy has already defeated us and right now the towns of Silang and Dasmariñas are in the hands of the enemy. I am sorry, however, that I cannot grant your request to take me with you. How can I leave now when we are actually facing the enemy? The thousand armed
men are coming towards us. I am sorry, but my personal interests can never go above those of the Mother Country. As the commission was greatly disappointed, it left without a single word. Then at two o’clock in the afternoon, more cavalry men headed by General Crispulo Aguinaldo, my eldest brother arrived. As head of the delegation, he addressed me thus: My dear President and brother: I know that you are in a dilemma regarding these two great problems of our country. You have to choose between remaining here to defend this section of the country and that of taking your oath of office as head of the Revolutionary Government. But if you will heed my advice, I shall ask you to respond to the call of the Revolutionary Government by taking the oath of office. The people await you anxiously and your acceptance will strengthen greatly our bid for freedom. I was requested to fetch you and I promised the assembly that I will do my best to persuade you to go and entrust your job here to me. I will do my best to thwart the attempt of the enemy to penetrate our defenses. It can do this only over my dead body. So, my dear brother, please go with these men and leave your troops under my care. I must remind you that you were elected on March 22, your birthday, which seems to point that it is God’s will that you lead this struggle for freedom of ourMotherland. I was persuaded, so I left the troops under my brother’s care and proceeded to the assembly at the house on the hacienda in Tejeros. When we arrived, we found the house closed because the Supremo did not want us to use it. We were advised to move the assembly either to the convent of Tanza or Santa Cruz, Malabon, upon the invitation of Father Cenon Fernandez. We went to Tanza where we were warmly received. I was greeted by Colonel Rillo on behalf of the assembly, followed by the Vice-President, General Mariano Trias, and the Secretary of War, General Emiliano Riego de Dios. The only one absent was General Artemio Ricarte who, according to the news we received, was afraid of theSupremo. At about seven o’clock in the evening before a crucifix, General Mariano Trias, General Emiliano Riego de Dios, and I took our oaths of office, one after the other. Colonel Santiago Rillo, head of the national meeting, presided over the ceremonies. At about 10 o’clock that night, General Ricarte arrived. But he refused to take his oath of office until Secretary Riego de Dios somehow persuaded him. So amidst the joy and shouting of all those present, General Ricarte was swornin. After the oath-taking rites that same evening, I called my companions – Generals Mariano Trias and Riego de Dios – and General Ricarte to a meeting. I told them of the need for the lieutenant-in-command in every town not actually in battle to come to Tanza and help “General Cirispulo Aguinaldo in Pasong Santol. I had barely made this suggestion when General Artemio Ricarte stood up and said he was feeling dizzy. So he went out without bidding us goodbye. I was amazed at such a behavior form a general of our army! However, I did not mind it. The two other generals gave me all the support I needed and followed my suggestion. That night dispatches were sent to all the troops of the Magdiwanggroup.
I was amazed at the news. I could not explain how they were able to gather all my men without my knowledge. Was it possible that not one of my faithful soldiers informed me about this matter? How did they do it? Did they apply such mean trick as that used on Major Macapagal’s men? I summoned Generals Baldomero Aguinaldo and Tomas Mascardo at once and told them what had happened. Then I asked them to go to the headquarters to verify the news and to find out the kind of meeting that the Supremo was presiding over. Immediately after they had left, I asked my host to contact major Jocson who would deliver my message to Colonel Blas Bustamante. I ordered the colonel to get his men ready to surround the hacienda, to bring contrivances to be used in getting inside the walled headquarters, and to inform me as soon as they were ready. At about seven o’clock in the evening, Major Jocson came to report that they had surrounded the hacienda and everything was ready. I sent him back with the precise instruction to wait for my shots before they began clambering over the wall for the attack. Although I was still weak – for I barely recovered from fever – I took my gun and dagger. I felt I was strong again and the weakness of my knees vanished. With Benito Ylapit, who used to carry my favorite Winchester, I went straight to the first big door of the headquarters. To my surprise, I saw my two generals still there after an hour of waiting, for they were not permitted to get in, following the orders of the Supremo that no one should be allowed to get in without his permission. “So that’s it! I remarked. “Give me way and I’ll try to get in.” When the officer of the guards saw me, he stopped me very politely and told me about the instructions of the Supremo. “Is that so?” I asked. “Why, what are they doing upstairs that they have to be so secretive? Why should they exclude their comrades who are patriots like themselves? Those instructions are for enemies and strangers, but do you know me?” I asked the officer. “Yes, sir! I know you,” I replied. After pushing the officer gently aside, I asked my two generals and some bolomen to get in. Once in, I told them to stay downstairs and wait for my signal shots. “We shall go with you upstairs,” admonished my two generals. “No,” I told them. “Stay here and come up only when you hear me in trouble.” When I had reached the inner door, I was again accosted politely by an officer, and by using the same argument I was able to reach the meeting place upstairs. I noticed that the lights were low and silence reigned. I approached the closed door very quietly and looked for a small crack through which I could peep. Among the many people in the meeting were the Supremo who presided over it, his ministers, and other followers of the Magdiwang faction. But how shocked I was upon seeing my two favorite and best loved generals – Pio del Pilar and Mariano Noriel – in the meeting. At one end near General Artemio Ricarte, I saw Santiago Alvarez, Pascual Alvarez, and many others. I saw them reading something and heard them discussing the anonymous letter supposed to have been received by the Supremo, stating that General Emilio Aguinaldo would surrender all the arms of the revolutionists in Cavite to the Spanish government as requested in the letters of Jesuit Father Pio PiandFiscal General Comenge to Aguinaldo. The surrender would be finalized in a letter which would be sent to General Lachambre through Domingo Martinez, a Spanishcaptive.
“This is the end of the anonymous letter,” the Supremo continued. “This is the real reason why until now General Emilio Aguinaldo has been malingering. Isn’t this our good luck that this letter reached me?” concluded Bonifacio. I saw from the facial expressions of my two generals that they were being carried away by the anonymous letter. I noticed they were scrutinizing the letter very closely. I had the goose pimples when I heard the Supremo address one of my generals in the following manner: “I trust that our new captain general, Pio del Pilar, will endeavor to prevent the disintegration of our army into factions so that we can have only one army in our government.” I was so engrossed eavesdropping that I did not notice the coming of Procopio Bonifacio who surprised me with these words: “so you are here!” Before I could answer him, he pushed the door lightly and shouted, “Respected ruler, here is General Emilio Aguinaldo eavesdropping!” I noted how amazed the people were, but Supremo said, “Let him in.” I got in, advanced four steps from the door, and then greeted them with a “Good evening to you all.” “Come in and join our meeting,” the Supremo answered. “Thank you! If you really needed me in this meeting, you should have invited me. Then, I could have joined you without hesitation. So, goodbye,” And I left immediately. I looked for my soldiers who were locked up in the rooms. After I had opened the door of the first room, I lighted a match and there found the men of Major Macapagal who were surprised at my unexpected appearance. They stood up and greeted me, “Good evening, sir!” “Why are you here?” I asked them. “We do not know why we were locked up here,” they answered. I ordered them to go out and arrange themselves at the balcony. I instructed them also not to do anything without my orders. Just then, Colonel Ciriaco Bonifacio arrived with the message that I was being invited by the Supremo to the meeting. “Yes,” I told him and, after assigning my troops to their respective places, I followed him. Although I felt that something might happen to me, I walked into the assembly hall and greeted the people with “Good evening again to all of you!” “Come in and join us,” invited the Supremo. “Thank you, but it is unnecessary. Since you did not intend to have me here in your meeting I don’t think I should intrude; so thank you and goodbye again,” I answered. I continued looking for the remaining soldiers whom I found later in the other rooms of the bodega. I was getting them out of their wretched condition when a soldier came
I could not just take my responsibility as head of the Revolutionary Government lightly. Neither did I want to call my generals to a meeting because they were all boiling mad at what had happened. Thanks to the Almighty that I was able to control my impulse to do something drastic, otherwise the noble objective of the Revolution – to obtain the independence of the country – could have beenjeopardized. Sometimes, during my pensive moments, I was overwhelmed by the thought that the recognized leader of the Katipunan could resort to such despicable acts. I asked myself repeatedly, “Why?” I even indulged in rigid self-examination, recalling instances in which I might have offended the Supremo and past deeds to find out if, by thought or act, I had done anything that might have displeased him. I recalled the various occasions when as Katipuneros, we might have failed to recognize him as the leader and head of the Katipunan, or to give him the honor due him. When we learned that he had gone in hiding in the mountains of Montalban after the discovery of the Katipunan, we sent search parties to look for him and his men and invited them to the free land of Cavite. What other loyalty did he expect from me? In recognition of his authority as head of the Katipunan, I went to hm for help three times. After long and mature deliberations on the matter, I came to the following conclusions:
- That the results of the elections at the meeting of the Magdiwang and the Magdalo factions in Tejeros on March 22, in which the Revolutionary Assembly elected the officers of the Revolutionary Government, were a terrible blow to his personalambitions.
- That he did not expect that the bitter outcome of the elections for the Assembly was initiated by the Magdiwang faction through the leadership of General Ricarte. He probably could not get over the blow that someone else, not he, was elected head of the Revolutionary Government when nearly all the people who attended the meeting belonged to the Magdiwangfaction.
- He was extremely disappointed to find that his opponents for the positions of vice-president and secretary general were of his own party, not of the Magdalo group. The actions of the Supremo and General Artemio Ricarte were indeed puzzling. Their leaving Cavite in the midst of overwhelming odds against the enemy was rather mysterious. On April 24, 1897, I received a letter from the President of Indang, asking for help for the troops of the Supremo ransacked the town. According to the reports, the soldiers raided houses for rice and other prime necessities. When Don Severino de las Alas, Bonifacio’s former minister, learned about this vandalism he sent word to me immediately. The townspeople of Indang placed a cannon on the plaza and armed all the men with bolos as they got ready to meet the Supremo’s soldiers. When the Supremo learned of the preparation of the people, he and his men left for the mountains of Limbon where they established themselves and built trenches all around. As this act of the Supremo and his men was resented by the people, they took up the suggestion of General Emilio Riego de Dios, secretary of war, that Generals Baldomero Aguinaldo and Tomas Mascardo, and Colonels Agapito Bonson, Ignacio Pawa, and Felipe Topacio go after the Supremo and his group and bring them back to Naic.
Before these officers left with half a battalion for their mission, I instructed them not to hit any soldier in case they resisted because these soldiers were merely carrying out the orders of their chiefs. I sacrificed this number of my soldiers although I was expecting an attack by the enemy momentarily. The next day, when they reached the mountain hideout of the Supremo, they found the place already surrounded with trenches which they had built within so short atime. When our men arrived, only Colonel Agapito (Intong) Bonson was allowed to enter the hideout for a brief conference. Told that they were sent by President Emilio Aguinaldo of the Revolutionary Government with instructions to bring back Bonifacio and his men to Naic by all means, the Supremo declared, “Ah! tell Captain Emilio that he has to excuse me… I do not want to go back to a town which did not give us food.” “Well,” answered Colonel Bonson, “how can you get hungry when you have taken sufficient and unlimited provisions from the town of Naic? Proof of this fact was the great feast which you left in Naic.” “Yes, that is true,” agreed the Supremo. “However, no provisions were given the families of the soldiers who died in defending Malabon. So, whatever you say, I will not go back to Naic, much less to Indang!” After this exchange of rather harsh words, Colonel Bonson bade farewell to the Supremo. But before he left the place, he studied carefully the defenses of the Supremo’s hideout, remembering the location of the trenches and discovering places from where his men could penetrate this entrenchment. Colonel Bonson and his troops then proceeded to Amadeo. After Colonels Pawa, Topacio and Bonson had studied ways and means by which they could capture the Supremo and his men alive, Colonel Bonson and his men returned to Limbon. When their presence was noticed by the brave Colonel Ciriaco Bonifacio, brother of the Supremo, he shot at them with his Mauser, killing a sergeant from Imus and a corporal from Amadeo, and wounding three othersoldiers. In returning the fire, the men of Colonel Bonson killed Colonel Bonifacio and wounded some soldiers and the Supremo whose wound necessitated his immediate transfer to Naic on a hammock. On the morning of April 29, 1897, the troops led by Colonels Bonson, Pawa and Topacio returned to Naic with their captives headed by Andres Bonifacio and Procopio Bonifacio. They were taken to the tribunal first before medical treatment was given to them in the convent. I summoned Generals Emiliano Riego de Dios, Baldomero Aguinaldo, and Tomas Mascardo and we chose the officials to compose the tribunal or military court to try the Bonifacio brothers. The capture of the Supremo by Colonels Bonson, Topacio, and Pawa and the immediate surrender of his troops averted unnecessary bloodshed and killing on both sides. It was a good thing, too, that General Ricarte and his troops were not there then. 42
The Military Court
