Philippine’s Independence Struggle (Major Events and Persons)

1. Pedro Pelaez

On 1812, Pedro Pablo Pelaez was born in Pagsangjan, Laguna. Pedro was the son of Don
Jose Pelaez Rubio a peninsular and alcalde-mayor of the province, and Doña Josefa Sebastian
Gomez Lozada, a creole of Spanish parents.

Like most men who rose to prominence, Pelaez started his schooling at home. In the
University of Santo Tomas, he captured the admiration of his professors for his sterling character
and unusual ability. He obtained the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, with honors, Bachelor of
Sacred Theology, Licentiate in Sacred Theology in, and Doctor of Sacred Theology.

In 1833, Pelaez was ordained as a priest and was subsequently assigned to the Manila
Cathedral. While occupying these several positions in the Cathedral, Pelaez devoted also part of
his time to teaching philosophy in the College of San Jose from 1836 to 1639 and philosophy
and theology at the University of Santo Tomas from 1843 to 1861. As a professor he must have
attracted no little notice since Governor Antonio de Urbistundo appointed him member of the
commission to study and draft reforms on education for the Phillipines. In this task, as in all
others that he undertook, he did very creditable work. A good many of his recommendations are
embodied in the famous education decree of 1863.

He also founded a Catholic newspaper entitled El Catolico Filipino. His famous sermon
was given during the celebration of St. Andrew Feast on November 30, 1855 where he assailed
Spanish abuses and the Limahong invasion. His advocacy for the Filipinization of parishes
compelled him to petition Spain's Queen Isabella for equality among Filipino priests and Spanish
friars.

Pelaez died on June 3, 1863 during an earthquake that struck Manila and his remains
were buried beneath the Manila Cathedral.
 2. Mariano Gomez

On August 2, 1799, Father Mariano Gomez, one of the triumvirate priests known in
Philippine history as GOMBURZA, was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila. After studying in the Colegio
de San Juan de Letrán, he took theology in the University of Santo Tomás.

On June 2, 1824, he was designated the head priest of Bacoor, Cavite, aside from taking care
of the spiritual necessities of the church of the town, he also taught to the agriculture and cottage
industry. He also helped in maintaining a harmonious relation with his other priests. He fought
for the rights of the Philippine priests against the Spanish abuses of friars.

Gomez was accused of treason, sedition, and taking active part in the armed revolution of
Civite and given the sentence of death in a miliary court . He was sent to jail along with Fr. Jose
Burgos, Fr. Jacinto Zamora, Joaquin Pardo de Tavera and Maximo Paterno and were executed
on February 17, 1872. They were more known as the three Filipino martyrs Gomburza. Father
Gomez was active in the publication of the newspaper "La Verdad"("The Truth"). This paper
served as a voice of the propagandists the Philippines against the Spanish colonizers.
 3. Jacinto Zamora

On August 14, 1835, Jacinto Zamora, one of the three martyr priests collectively called
GOMBURZA - Father. Mariano Gomez, Father. Jose Burgos, and Father. Zamora, was born in
Pandacan, Manila.

He received his early education in Pandacan and later transferred to the Colegio de San Juan
de Letran where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. On March 16, 1858, he obtained degrees
in theology and canon law from the University of Santo. Thomas.

After being ordained, Zamora handled parishes in Marikina, Pasig, and Batangas. He was
also assigned to manage the Manila Cathedral on 3 December 1864. In league with fellow priests
Mariano Gómez and José Burgos, he continued the mission that Pedro Pelaez began, the
secularization of Filipino priests.

He witnessed the unjust treatment of the Spanish friars against the Filipino priests when
transferred to Manila . He pitied them that he resolved to fight for their rights. He and fellow
clergy men were accused of collaborating with the rebels who led an uprising in Cavite, arrested
and detained and executed by garrote on February 28, 1872. Father Zamora died at the age of 36.
 4. Jose Burgos

Jose Burgos, baptized Josef Apolonio Burgos y García, was born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur on
February 9, 1837 to a Spanish officer, Don José Tiburcio Burgos, and a mestiza mother named
Florencia García. He obtained three undergraduate degrees with honors, two master's degrees
and two doctorate degrees from the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and from the University of
Santo Tomas. He conducted his first mass in the Intramuros.

Father Jose Apolonio Burgos may not have made contribution in the most outstanding
way to the establishment of Philippine freedom, but he did make the first important contribution,
both in his life and in his death, toward the achievement of independence for the Philippines.

Burgos' nationalist views, codified in editorial essays, championing political and

ecclesiastic reforms in favor of empowering more native clergymen, made him a target of
opposition to civil authorities.

His scholarship and ability enabled him to rise quickly within the Philippine hierarchy,
serving both in the university cathedral at Manila and as university chaplain. He was dismayed,
however, by the apathetic and reactionary attitudes of the clergy, who supported the most
oppressive aspects of Spanish rule. In “To the Spanish People,” an open letter of 1871, he
appealed for reform and a greater measure of self-determination for the Filipinos and attacked
the power and privilege of the church. When 200 Filipino soldiers and workers mutinied at
Cavite, a town across the bay from Manila, the Spanish authorities, as a retaliatory measure,
arrested Burgos, although he was in no way associated with the revolt. On Feb. 17, 1872, he and
two other priests, Mariano Gómez and Jacinto Zamora, were publicly executed in Manila.
 4. Paciano Rizal

Paciano Rizal was born in Calamba, Laguna on March 17, 1851. He was the second of the 11
children of Don Francisco Mercado and Doña Teodora Alonso. He was the oldest between the
two sons of the couple, one of which was Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal.

He was educated under the supervision of Father Jose Apolonio Burgos, an active mover of
secularization. His close association with the secularist priest had influenced Paciano’s ideas of
nationalism. Involved with Fr. Burgos activities, he served as a personal messenger and collector
of the contributions to the movement.

JOSE AND PACIANO - Paciano was the one who foresee the well-being of his siblings,
including the young Jose. He was responsible of accompanying Jose to Biñan to receive a proper
education under the same mentor- Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. He also, accommodate
Jose’s enrollment at Ateneo Municipal in 1872. He plays the role of Jose’s second father in the
absence of their ageing parents and was the one whom Jose sought for advice when he decided to
study abroad for advancement. The older Rizal was left then with the responsibility of informing
their parent’s about Jose’s departure. He consoles his parents on their grief on the absence of
their youngest son. Upon Jose’s stay abroad, he regularly sent him the stipend for his studies and
for the publication of his first novel, the Noli.Paciano was accountable in supplying Jose the
information on the events occurring in the country. He constantly corresponds with Jose,
conferring on the defects of the government and the ills of the friars, the local problems, and the
crisis in Calamba.

Paciano was as well engaged in the propaganda movement. He had served behind the
operation of Diaryong Tagalog, in 1882. Eagerly helped in soliciting for subscription of the
newspaper in his province, and in the neighbor towns of Batangas.

Paciano as well participated in the battle when the United States and Spain declared war
on each other. He led during the 1900 Filipino-American war, but due to his condition inflicted
by malaria he was captured by the Americans in Laguna.
 When peace was restored, after the Filipino-American War ceased off, Paciano lived a
peaceful life and pledged that he would depart the Americans in peace. Paciano died of
tuberculosis on April 30, 1930. His remain was buried in Cementerio del Norte in Manila but his
bones were transferred to his home in Los Banos were he was given a complete military honors
in 1985.

6. Jose Rizal

José Rizal, in full José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (born June 19, 1861,
Calamba, Phil.—died Dec. 30, 1896, Manila) patriot, physician, and man of letters who was an
inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.

The son of a prosperous landowner, Rizal was educated in Manila and at the University
of Madrid. A brilliant medical student, he soon committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule
in his home country, though he never advocated Philippine independence. Most of his writing
was done in Europe, where he resided between 1882 and 1892.

Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere in Spanish; it was published in 1887 in Berlin. The novel is
a scathing indictment of the Catholic Church and Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. This
book cemented Jose Rizal on the Spanish colonial government's list of troublemakers. When
Rizal returned home for a visit, he received a summons from the Governor General, and had to
defend himself from charges of disseminating subversive ideas. Although the Spanish governor
accepted Rizal's explanations, the Catholic Church was less willing to forgive. In 1891, Rizal
published a sequel, titled El Filibusterismo.

Both in his novels and in newspaper editorials, Jose Rizal called for a number of reforms
of the Spanish colonial system in the Philippines. He advocated freedom of speech and assembly,
equal rights before the law for Filipinos, and Filipino priests in place of the often-corrupt Spanish
churchmen. In addition, Rizal called for the Philippines to become a province of Spain, with
representation in the Spanish legislature (the Cortes Generales). Rizal never called for
independence for the Philippines. Nonetheless, the colonial government considered him a
dangerous radical, and declared him an enemy of the state.
 Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892. He founded a nonviolent-reform society, the
Liga Filipina, in Manila, and was deported to Dapitan in northwest Mindanao. He remained in
exile for the next four years. In 1896 the Katipunan, a Filipino nationalist secret society, revolted
against Spain. Although he had no connections with that organization and he had had no part in
the insurrection, Rizal was arrested and tried for sedition by the military. Found guilty, he was
publicly executed by a firing squad in Manila. His martyrdom convinced Filipinos that there was
no alternative to independence from Spain. On the eve of his execution, while confined in Fort
Santiago, Rizal wrote “Último adiós” (“Last Farewell”), a masterpiece of 19th-century Spanish
verse.

Works – The Social Cancer (Noli Me Tangere)

The Reign of Greed (El Filibusterismo)

Last Farewell (Último adios)

Junta Al Pasig

Along the Pasig

Pseudonyms – Pepe

Jose Rizal is remembered today throughout the Philippines for his brilliance, his courage,
his peaceful resistance to tyranny, and his compassion. Filipino school children study his final
literary work, a poem called Mi Ultimo Adios ("My Last Goodbye"), as well as his two famous
novels.
 7. Marcelo del Pilar

On August 30, 1850, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, one of the leading propagandists for reforms
in the country, known by his pen name Plaridel, was born in Cupang (now Barangay San
Nicolas), Bulacan.

Marcelo H. del Pilar began his studies in the school of a certain Sr. Flores; he then passed
to the Colegio de San Jose, and thence to the University of Santo Tomas. A disagreement with
the parish priest of San Miguel, Manila, concerning baptismal fees, in 1869 or 1870, caused a
regrettable break of 8 years in the fourth year of the study of his profession, jurisprudence. He
finally succeeded in graduating in 1880.

He made speeches in crowds, whether a cockpit, tienda, or town plaza. He delivered his
tirades against the friars during fiestas, parties and funeral wakes. Notably, on August 1, 1882, he
published Diariong Tagalog, which exposed the abuses of the friars and the need for reforms. He
also wrote poems and essays defending Filipino interests and fought for the equality of Filipinos
and Spaniards in his book "La Soberania Monacal en Filipinas" (Monastic Sovereignty in the
Philippines).

Pedro Serrano Laktaw helped him in publishing "Dasalan at Tuksuhan" and the
"Pasyong Dapat Ipa-alab ng Puso ng Taong Bayan". In Spain, he and Graciano Lopez-Jaena
published the "La Solidaridad" which was the organ which contained their desires in improving
the Philippine Government. He succeeded Lopez-Jaena as editor of the La Solidaridad. He died a
poor man on July 4, 1896 in Barcelona, Spain.

Works- Diariong Tagalog

La Soberania Monacal en Filipinas

Dasalan at Tuksuhan

Pasyong Dapat Ipa-alab ng Puso ng Taong Bayan

La Solidaridad

Pseudonym – Plaridel
 8. Jose Maria Basa

On December 19, 1839, Jose Ma Basa, a successful merchant who donated money for the
smuggling of Dr. Jose Rizal’s novels to the Philippines, was born in Binondo, Manila to Matias
Basa and Joaquina San Agustin. He studied at University of Santo Tomas, where he received a
bachelors degree in philosophy in 1860. He inherited a distillery in Trozo, prospered and became
well-known in Binondo.

Basa was a member of a reformist group. He was accused of participating in the 1872
revolt which led to the execution of Gomburza. After two years, he , together with other accused
people, were given a pardon under the condition that they will not return to the Philippines. He
settled in Hong Kong with his family where he became a successful merchant. Basas's home
became the temporary house of some of the exiled Filipinos like Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar
and Graciano Lopez Jaena.

He was also an active promoter of the propaganda movement as he donated money to the
cause and for the smuggling of the copies of La Solidaridad and other Rizal's novels into the
Philippines. In 1898, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo established a junta in Hong Kong, he served in the
general's committee and was appointed as the Director of Justice.

When Spanish-American war broke up, he and other wealthy Filipino in exile offered
money for the American government to either grant protection or to annex the Philippines. He
died in Hong Kong, and after four years, his remains were brought to Manila.
 9. Mariano Ponce

On March 23, 1863, Mariano Ponce, a Filipino physician noted for his works and
contribution in the Philippine Revolution, was born in Baliuag, Bulacan. Ponce took his medical
degree at the University of Santo Tomas, and then traveled to Spain to finish his advanced
studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid in 1889.

From there, he joined Marcelo del Pilar, Graciano López Jaena and José Rizal in the
Propaganda Movement which espoused Filipino representation in the Spanish Cortes and
reforms in the Spanish colonial authorities of the Philippines.

He wrote in the propaganda publication La Solidaridad (The Solidarity) pertaining to

history, politics, sociology and travel under various pseudonyms some of which were Naning,
Kalipulako, and Tigbalang. When the revolution broke out in 1896, he was imprisoned in
Barcelona for 48 hours on suspicion of having connections with the uprising.

Ponce later ran for a seat in the Philippine Assembly and was elected assemblyman for
the second district of Bulacan. Ponce wrote his memoirs in "Cartas Sobre La Revolución"
(Letters on the Revolution). He died in the Civil Hospital in Hong Kong on May 23, 1918 at the
age of 55. His remains are now in the Cementerio del Norte, Manila.

Works – memoirs in Cartas Sobre La Revolución" (Letters on the Revolution).

Pseudonyms - Naning, Kalipulako, Tikbalang

 10.Graciano Lopez Jaena

On December 18, 1856, saw the birth of Graciano López Jaena in Jaro, Iloilo to Placido
López and Maria Jacoba Jaena. At the age of 18 he wrote the satirical story Fray Botod which
depicted a fat and lecherous friar.

He got into trouble for refusing to testify that certain prisoners died of natural causes
when it was obvious that they had died at the hands of the mayor of Pototan. López Jaena
continued to agitate for justice and finally went to Spain when threats were made on his life.
López Jaena sailed for Spain in 1880.

In addition he is remembered for his literary contributions to the propaganda movement.

López Jaena founded the fortnightly newspaper, La Solidaridad. When the publication office
moved from Barcelona to Madrid, the editorship was succeeded to Marcelo H. del Pilar. His
talent can be seen in the publication Discursos y Artículos Varios (Speeches and Various
Articles).

López Jaena died of tuberculosis on January 20, 1896 in Barcelona, eleven months short
of his 40th birthday. The following day, he was buried in a mass grave at the Montjuïc Cemetery
of Barcelona. He died in poverty and his remains have not been brought back to the Philippines

Works- Fray Botod (Big-Bellied Friar)

La Hija del Fraile (The Daughter of a Friar)

Esperanzas (Hope)
 11. Andreas Bonifacio

Andrés Bonifacio was born in Manila in 1863, the son of a government official. When
both his parents died in the 1870's, he left school to support his five brothers and sisters. By the
mid-1880s, he had become a fervent Filipino nationalist; when José Rizal established the Liga
Filipina in 1892, Bonifacio was one of its first members.

After the Spanish arrested Rizal in July 1892, Bonifacio decided that the Philippines
would only achieve independence through revolution. On July 7, he founded the Katipunan, a
secret society open to both peasants and the middle class that employed Masonic rituals to impart
an air of sacred mystery. It insinuated itself into the community by setting up mutual aid
societies and education for the poor. By 1896, the Katipunan had over 30,000 members and
functioned at the national, provincial, and municipal levels.

Following the execution of Rizal in 1896, Bonifacio proclaimed Filipino independence

on August 23, 1896. This time, the Spaniards moved against him, forcing his flight to the
Marikina Mountains, while other forces headed by Emilio Aguinaldo were more successful and
won control over some towns. When Bonifacio tried to rein him in, Aguinaldo ordered him
arrested and charged with treason and sedition. He was tried and convicted by his enemies and
executed on May 10, 1897. Today he is regarded as a national hero.
 12. Emilio Aguinaldo

Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was born into the local elite of Cavite on the Island of Luzon
in the Philippines. Nicknamed Miong, Aguinaldo was the seventh of eight children. His parents
were of Chinese and Tagalog descent.

After graduating from the University of Santo Thomas in Manila, Aguinaldo returned
home to Kawit, where he developed a growing awareness of Filipino frustration with Spanish
colonial rule.

While serving as the head of barter in Manila, he joined the Pilar Lodge chapter of the
Freemasonry in 1895. The Freemasonry was a government- and church-banned resistance group.
It was through his role as municipal captain of this fraternity that Aguinaldo met Andres
Bonifacio, a key figure in the fight to overthrow Spanish rule.

Eager to fight for the cause of Philippine independence, in 1895 Aguinaldo took up with
a secret society of revolutionaries headed by fellow lodge member Andres Bonifacio. When a
rival faction executed Bonifacio in 1897, Aguinaldo assumed total leadership of the revolution
against Spain.

Back in Cavite, Aguinaldo forcibly set up a provisional dictatorship. After meeting with
the Malolos Congress and drafting a constitution for a new republic, on June 12, 1898,
Aguinaldo at last declared Philippine independence. Announced from his home town of Kawit,
Aguinaldo's proclamation put an end to four centuries of Philippine oppression under Spanish
Colonial rule. In January of the following year, dressed in a white suit at Barasoain Church in
Malolos City, Aguinaldo was sworn in as the first president of the new, self-governed Philippine
republic.

When it became clear that the United States had no interest in the liberation of the
islands, Aguinaldo's forces remained apart from U.S. troops. Not surprisingly, the United States
refused to recognize Aguinaldo's authority and on February 4, 1899 he declared war on the U.S.
forces in the islands. After his capture on March 23, 1901, Aguinaldo agreed to swear allegiance
to the United States, and then left public life. His dream of Philippine independence came true on
July 4, 1946. He died in Manila in 1964.
Pseudonym - Kapitan Miong, Heneral Miong, Magdalo

Served in - Philippine Revolutionary Army

Rank - Minister/Field Marshal / Generalissimo

Awards: Philippine Legion of Honor, Quezon Service Cross

13.Emilio Jacinto

Emilio Jacinto aka the “Brains of the Katipunan” is Emilio was born December 15, 1875
in Trozo,Tondo, Manila, to father Mariano Jacinto and mother Josefa Dizon. referred to as the
hero of the Philippine Revolution.

Emilio’s linguistics included Spanish and Tagalog and though he preferred to speak
Spanish he was a prolific writer in Tagalog. Emilio attended San Juan de Letran College, and
continued his law studies at the University of Santo Tomas before dropping out at the age of
eighteen to join the Katipunan. After dropping out, Emilio joined the Katipunan, a secret
revolutionary society. This was a group whose objective was to gain Philippine independence
from Spain in 1892.

Jacinto became the secretary, directly reporting to the leader of the Katipunan. He also
became the chief advisor on fiscal matters concerning this secret society. In addition to these
duties, Emilio also wrote the society’s newspaper, the Kalayaan.

Emilio was given a new name when he was part of this group. To the Katipunan, he was
often referred to as Utak ng Katipunan. However, he wrote under the pseudonym Dimasailaw
when writing for the newspaper and he was more commonly referred to in the group as Pingkian.
Jacinto was also placed in charge of writing the guidebook for new members and current
members of the Katipunan, which was called Kartilya ng Katipunan.

When the leader of the Katipunan passed away, Emilio continued to carry out the wishes
of Bonifacio. The Katipunan at this time had many factions and not all of them operated in the
same way in their efforts to gain their independence from Spain. As with his predecessor before
him, Jacinto refused to join with these factions who had different views. This included refusing
to join the Magdalo faction of the Katipunan under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo.

Emilio Jacinto died on April 16, 1899 at the age of 24.

Pseudonym : Pingkian, Dimasilaw, Kallyong

14. Apolinario mabini

Apolinario Mabini dedicated his life so that Filipinos could attain independence from the
Spanish government. Known as "the Brains of the Revolution," Mabini was born on July 22,
1864 in Tanauan, Batangas, and is considered a great Filipino revolutionary hero.

As a child, Apolinario was remarkably clever and studious. Despite his family's poverty,
the boy studied at a school in Tanawan . Mabini studied at San Juan de Letran College in Manila
and won a law degree from the University of Santo Tomás in 1894.

In an insurrection organized in August 1896 by nationalists, he joined the forces of the

patriot general Emilio Aguinaldo and soon became his right-hand man. When the Spanish–
American War broke out in 1898, Mabini urged cooperation with the United States as a means to
gain freedom from Spain. At a convention held at the market town of Malolos in September and
October 1898, an independent republic was proclaimed with Aguinaldo as its president; Mabini
drew up its constitution, which resembled that of the United States. When the United States
announced, however, that it would annex the Philippines, Mabini joined Aguinaldo in a renewed
struggle for independence. He was captured by U.S. troops in December 1899 and, because he
refused to swear allegiance to the United States, was exiled to Guam, not being allowed to return
home until a few months before his death. Mabini wrote La revolución filipina, which was
published in 1931.
 Mabini was also the right hand and very close friend of President Emilio Aguinaldo, who
appointed him as the first Prime Minister of the Philippines in his newly formed government. He
created decrees and revised the first Constitution called the Malolos Constitution for the First
Philippine Republic.

15. Carlos Maria De La Torre

Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada was a Spanish soldier and politician. He served as
Governor-General of the Philippines from 1869 to 1871, and is considered to be the most
beloved of the Spanish Governors-General ever assigned in the Philippines.

Achievements –

 The abolition of the censorship of the press,

 The suppression of flogging as the punishment for desertion among native soldiers, and
substituting it for a month of imprisonment,
 The settlement of agrarian troubles in Cavite and the appointment of Eduardo Camerino,
leader of the aggrieved tenants, as captain of "Guias de la Torre", with the power to assist
the Guardia Civil,
 His approval of the Morel decrees of November 6, 1870, which would secularize certain
secondary and collegiate institutions of learning in Manila,

The liberal regime of de la Torre, undoubtedly encouraged the Filipinos to discuss public
issues and secure more reforms. Accordingly, the intellectuals among them, priests and laymen,
constituted themselves into a commission of reformers and set as their main objectives the
Filipinization of the parishes and the enjoyment of more political rights for their people as
embodied in the Spanish constitution.

The liberal regime in Spain came to an end in November 1870, when the Spanish Cortes
reestablished the Spanish monarchy and elected Prince Amadeo of Savoy as the new King of
Spain. He was succeeded by Governor-General Rafael de Izquierdo.
 16. Antonio Luna

Antonio Luna was a Filipino scientist and soldier who lived in the late 19th century. His
name is recognized primarily as the hot-tempered general who fought against the United States
in the Spanish-American War and was eventually assassinated by his own soldiers, but he was
also widely recognized in the scientific community for his research of contagious diseases. His
efforts to free the Philippines from American rule and his pharmaceutical and environmental
science findings both left their mark on his country.

Antonio Luna was born on 29 October 1866 in Calle Urbiztondo , Binondo. At the age of
six, Antonio learned reading, writing, and arithmetic from a teacher known as Maestro Intong.
He memorized the Doctrina Cristiana (catechism), first published in 1593, and believed to be the
first book printed in the Philippines.

In 1881 he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila.
He earned a Licentiate in Pharmacy at the Universidad de Barcelona in Spain and in 1890 was
conferred a Doctorate in Pharmacy by the Universidad Central de Madrid.

Luna’s political activities in Europe and his friendship with leading propagandists made
him a marked man at the start of the 1896 Revolution. Like Jose Rizal and other leaders, he
favored reforms rather than independence. Even so, the Spanish authorities linked him with the
militant Katipunan. Luna was charged with illegal association and deported to Spain in 1897, and
imprisoned at the Carcel Modelo (ABOVE, ca 1904) in Madrid.

Upon his release, he went to Belgium and studied military tactics and strategy under
General Gerard Mathieu Leman (RIGHT, in WWI). He returned to the Philippines in July 1898.
He was appointed by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo as Chief of War Operations on Sept 26, 1898 and
assigned the rank of brigadier general.

December of 1898 brought the Treaty of Paris, in which Spain turned control of the
Philippines over to the United States. The battles that followed between the Philippine and
American armies were horrific. Insubordination and confusion among Filipino troops eventually
caused Luna to resign as general, though three weeks later he returned to the army.
On June 5, 1899, he was assassinated by physical force and stabbing by his own people - Filipino
soldiers whom Luna had insulted, arrested, or disarmed for insubordination. Antonio Luna is
known as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Filipino general.

17. Juan Luna

Juan Luna is considered one of the greatest Filipino artists in Philippine history with
masterpieces such as Spolarium, The Death of Cleopatra and Blood Compact. Not only did he
excel in artistry, but he was also a political activist during the time of the Philippine Revolution
during the late 19thcentury. His close friendship with National Hero Jose Rizal has sparked
Philippine nationalism and pride. Juan Luna was mostly known for his works as being dramatic
and dynamic, focusing on romanticism and realism styles of art.

Born on October 23, 1857 in the town of Badoc in Ilocos Norte, Juan was the son of Don
Joaquin Luna de San Pedro y Posadas and Doña Laureana Novicio y Ancheta. He received his
degree in Bachelor of Arts at Ateneo de Manila and enrolled later at Escuela Nautica de Manila
where he became a sailor. There, he befriended the painter Don Alejo Vera who helped nourish
his talent in painting.

In 1881, he received his first major achievement as a painter when he won the silver
medal at the Exposición de Bellas Artes with his work, The Death of Cleopatra. His life is not
bare of controversy however, as he killed his wife Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera and mother-
in-law and wounded his brother-in-law and friend, Felix in a fit of jealous rage on September 23,
1892. Prior to the event, Luna frequently accused his wife Paz of having an affair with a certain
Monsieur Dussaq, accusations that were unproven.

He was arrested and murder charges were filed against him but Luna was acquitted of all
charges on February 8, 1893, on grounds of temporary insanity. At the time, it was the
“unwritten law” forgiving men of the crime of killing unfaithful wives.

After the overthrow of the Spanish in the Philippines and the establishment of the
Philippine Republic, Luna was appointed as a diplomatic agent of the Hong Kong junta and later
worked as a member of the diplomatic missions with the aim of recognition of the new
government of the Philippines to Paris and the US. Luna died of a heart attack in Hong Kong
(1899) while on his way back to the Philippines.

Works - Spoliarium,

The Happy Beauty and the Blind Slave,

Tampuhan, Mestiza Lady at her Dresser,

Roman Ladies, The Death of Cleopatra,

El Pacto de Sangre,

La Batalla de Lepanto,

The Parisian Life

 18. Cavite Mutiny (1872)

On January 20, 1872, the Cavite Mutiny, an uprising of military personnel at the Spanish
arsenal in Cavite, took place. This event subsequently led to the execution of the Filipino priests
Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora, otherwise known as GOMBURZA.

The unsuccessful mutiny was participated in by around 200 soldiers and laborers of the
Engineering and Artillery Corps who rose up after their salaries were reduced upon the order of
Governor-General Rafael de Lzquierdo by subjecting them to personal taxes. The taxes required
them to pay a monetary sum as well as to perform forced labor or what they called, "polo y
servicio."

The uprising was used by the Spanish colonial government to implicate and sentence to
death by garrote Fathers Mariano Gómez, José Burgos and Jacinto Zamora on February 17, 1872
in Bagumbayan, and several other Filipino leaders.

These executions, particularly those of the GOMBURZA, were to have a significant

effect on people because of the shadowy nature of the trials. Dr. Jose Rizal dedicated his work,
El Filibusterismo, to the executed priests.

Many scholars believe that the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was the beginning of Filipino nationalism
which eventually led to the 1896 Philippine Revolution.

 Cause - order from Governor-General Rafael de Izquierdo to subject the soldiers of the
Engineering and Artillery Corps to personal taxes
 When - January 20, 1872
 Where - Fort San Felipe , Spanish arsenal in Cavite
 By - military personnel
 Result – Spanish victory , End of Gomburza, Beginning of Filipino nationalism leading to the
Philippine Revolution of 1896.
 19. Kartilya ng katipunan(Primer of the Katipunan)

Realizing the importance of a primer to indoctrinate the members of the society in its ideals, Emilio
Jacinto prepared a guidebook which he called Kartilya, a word adopted from the Spanish cartilla
which at the time meant a primer for grade school students. The Kartilya consisted of thirteen
"teachings" which the members of the society were expected to follow.
1. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and reasonable purpose is a tree without a shade, if
not a poisonous weed.

2. To do good for personal gain and not for its own sake is not virtue.

3. It is rational to be charitable and love one's fellow creature, and to adjust one's conduct, acts
and words to what is in itself reasonable.

4. Whether our skin be black or white, we are all born equal: superiority in knowledge, wealth
and beauty are to be understood, but not superiority by nature.

5. The honorable man prefers honor to personal gain; the scoundrel, gain to honor.

6. To the honorable man, his word is sacred.

7. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but not time lost.

8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before the law or in the field.

9. The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in keeping secrets.

10. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of woman and the children, and if the guide
leads to the precipice, those whom he guides will also go there.
11. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as a faithful companion who will
share with thee the penalties of life; her (physical) weakness will increase thy interest in her
and she will remind thee of the mother who bore thee and reared thee.

12. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife, children, brothers and sisters, that do not
unto the wife, children, brothers and sisters of thy neighbor.

13. Man is not worth more because he is a king, because his nose is aquiline, and his color
white, not because he is a *priest, a servant of God, nor because of the high prerogative that he
enjoys upon earth, but he is worth most who is a man of proven and real value, who does good,
keeps his words, is worthy and honest; he who does not oppress nor consent to being
oppressed, he who loves and cherishes his fatherland, though he be born in the wilderness and
know no tongue but his own.

14. When these rules of conduct shall be known to all, the longed-for sun of Liberty shall rise
brilliant over this most unhappy portion of the globe and its rays shall diffuse everlasting joy
among the confederated brethren of the same rays, the lives of those who have gone before, the
fatigues and the well-paid sufferings will remain. If he who desires to enter (the Katipunan) has
informed himself of all this and believes he will be able to perform what will be his duties, he
may fill out the application for admission.
 20. Felix Hidalgo

Felix Eduardo Resurreccion Hidalgo y Padilla was a multi-awarded Filipino painter in the 19th
century. He painted scenes from mythology, seascapes, landscapes, and portraits using oil, water color,
pastel, and charcoal.

Hidalgo was born in Manila on 21 February 1855. He was said to have obtained a Bachelor of
Arts degree from the Ateneo de Municipal in a a biographical entry written by the National Historical
Institute.

Hidalgo played a significant role in Philippine history for having been an acquaintance and
inspiration for members of the Philippine reform movement which included Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo
del Pilar, Mariano Ponce and Graciano López Jaena.

Instead of returning to the country after his studies, Hidalgo went to Paris and put up a gallery,
which became one of the centers of Filipino activities, where Filipino exiles and revolutionaries found
a sanctuary.

One of the highlights of his career was his winning the silver medal in the 1884 Madrid
Exposition of Fine Arts, along with the gold win of painter Juan Luna, whom members of the
Philippine reform movement celebrated, with Rizal toasting to the two painters' good health and citing
their awards as evidence that Filipinos and Spaniards were equals. He received a gold medal for his
overall participation at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904. His "El Violinista"
was individually accorded a gold medal.

His major and controversial mural is the Assassination of Governor Fernando Manuel de
Bustamente, which shows friars murdering the governor.

He died on March 13, 1913 at the age of 60 in Sarrea, near Barcelona, Spain.

Works - La Barca de Aqueronte (The Boat of Charon)

Senador Romano
Melancolia
Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho (The Christian Virgins Exposed to the
Populace)
 21. Ferdinand Blumentritt

Ferdinand Schneider Blumentritt was a professor and a secondary school principal in

Leitmeritz, then part of Austria-Hungary. During his time, he was considered one of the foremost
experts on the Philippines, although he never visited the islands. He is known for having been one of
the closest friends of Philippine national hero José Rizal.

Ferdinand Schneider Blumentritt was born on September 10, 1853 in Prague, a part of Austro
Hungarian Empire, and now known as the capital of Czech Republic. Blumentritt was a teacher,
lecturer, director in Litoměřice (Lietmeritz) and a prolific author on articles and books on Philippines
and its ethnic groups and other ethnic formations, their ethnogenesis, composition, resettlement, social
welfare characteristics, as well as their material and spiritual culture.

Blumentritt even at a young age, shows a eager curiosity in Spanish culture and the Spanish
colonial world, that is why his schoolmates called him "the Spaniard." He translated the Rizal’s first
book, Noli Me Tangere, into German and wrote the preface to Rizal's second book, El filibusterismo,
although he was against its publication. These two novels are commentaries disguised as fiction which
angered both the Catholic Church and the Spanish colonial government, and which eventually led to
Rizal's 1896 trial and execution. On the day before his execution, along with his farewells to his
parents and siblings, Rizal wrote his final letter to Blumentritt, who allegedly wept upon receiving it,
the last letter from Fort Santiago.

Works – Translation of Noli Me Tangere into German

America and the Philippines
Das Kaiserbild