History of Cebu Interesting Story

[Engineering]

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As I went to search some book in the city library. It so happen I like to read some stuffs about our history.

As I go along I realized that during the Philippine revolution against Spain was organized by Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo in the 1890s after the martyrdom of Jose Rizal, the country’s National Hero.

Well Cebu or SUGBO(old school name) itself was the site of a bloody battle on April 3, 1898 between the rebels headed by Gen. Leon Kilat and the Spaniards in the three-day pitched fighting that had the colonizers on the run behind Fort San Pedro. It would have been a victory for the rebels had it not been for the timely arrival of the Spanish armada.

Who could have thought that an innocent lad who didn’t even finish elementary would rise up as a man of distinguished valor to fight for Filipino freedom.

Born in Bacong, Negros Oriental on the 27th of July 1873, "LEON KILAT," the nom de guerre (war alias name) of Pantaleon Villegas de Solde was the military leader in the onset of hostilities in April 1898.

The story goes that Leon Kilat also worked as an errand boy for Botica Antigua, a German-owned pharmacy, a delivery man, at the same time, a baker for Pascuala Cala’s bakeshop and a jockey-horse trainer for Federico Laing.

In the middle of 1896, he joined a circus troupe. Leon was brought into Emilio Aguinaldo’s revolutionary society, the Katipunan in Manila. He was sent to Cebu to help lead the rebel movement. It was here where Leon and his men planned a revolt against the Spaniards on the Easter Sunday of 1898. The Spaniards however, learned about the scheduled uprising. As Leon Kilat was informed about the Spanish discovery of the intended insurrection, he became determined to fight the Spaniards on that day of the discovery. Thus, he said: "In that case, we rise in arms today."

For that reason, on April 3, 1898, the afternoon of Palm Sunday, General Leon Kilat staged a bloody "hand-to-hand" combat right at the now Leon Kilat and Tres de Abril Streets in Cebu City. As the Spaniards obtained reinforcements, Leon Kilat and his men went to Carcar to seek help from the people. Leon Kilat tried to regroup his men to confront the progressing Spaniards.

However, in the early hours of Good Friday, April 8, Leon Kilat was perfidiously murdered - allegedly upon orders of prominent mestizos of Carcar. The assassination of Leon Kilat was said to have happened, through the "intercession of Don Florencio Noel" in the Sato residence. On that day of Leon Kilat’s death, the Spaniards gained control of Carcar.

Leon Kilat was one of the greatest Filipino revolutionaries in the rebellion against Spain. He was reputed as a tagolilong (one who has an amulet to appear and disappear when one so desires). It was commonly believed that Leon Kilat could also swallow knives, bend bladed weapons and fly on a magic handkerchief. hahaha i cant believe it pero pwede ghapon..

Now Leon Kilat’s monument stands elegantly as a symbol of Carcaranon gratitude. The monument shows the general with a sword in hand, riding his legendary horse "Puti." it was built to honor Leon Kilat who died in the town. It is a constant reminder to Carcaranons and Cebuanos of Leon Kilat’s remarkable heroism and became one of the Legendary warriors of Cebu.

Didnt even thought also way back naa na gyud traidor during spanish times. Ive read and watch a documentation during our spanish war our war heroes or warriors usually been assassinated or gi - paon nalang sa kontra. I guess they have political issues siguro. This is my first time to know the history of Leon Kilat proud to know..

share sad mo guys?

[Engineering]

mo share lang ko balik sa mga cebu history stories after I finished reading.. kay naa paman diay bata2 si Gen. Leon Kilat.. very Interesting right? hehe

[kuyabog]

so taga Bacong, Negros Oriental gyud diay to si Leon Kilat, dili diay taga Carcar.

thanks for sharing TS..

[Engineering]

Brigadier General Bonifacio Aranas was born on June 5, 1875 in Agoho, Mambajao, Misamis Oriental but he led the Cebuanos in fighting against the Spaniards to take control of Cebu’s northwest towns.

“Heneral Asyong” as he was better known to his relatives and friends in Mambajao, was a victim of treachery which cost him his life. The Philippines insurrection caught him in Cebu while he was a young student in the very ancient Collegio de San Carlos. An elder brother, the late Father Teodoro Aranas, was a coadjutor at San Nicolas Church in Cebu City at the time. But the younger one avoided seeing the other for fear that the latter might be incriminated in his revolutionary activities.

The 21 year old general commanded a unit that defended an important sector in Cebu province. In a series of bloody skirmishes in Tuburan, General Aranas and his gallant men wiped out a detachment of Spanish and Filipino caribeneros sent out to capture him dead or alive.

General Aranas was sent to Cebu to study at the Seminario de San Carlos where he finished a degree in Philosophy. There was a time in the seminary when he broke his plate in protest of the poor quality of the food; the meals at the seminary had improved after that.

General Aranas’ refusal to be cowed by just anybody was made more evident when he came home to Mambajao. There he had an altercation with some Spaniards who got jealous of him for his sharp shooting prowess with the gun. This incident prompted his older brother to advise him to stay calm or just leave Mambajao so as not to involve the family in his personal quarrel with the Spaniards.

From April 4 to 6, 1898, the Katipuneros extended their control in the northwest part of Cebu and on April 7, they forced the Guardia Civil (Spanish Civil Guard) at Tuburan to surrender their firearms to the revolutionary forces.

It was the same day, however, that Gen. Leon Kilat was assassinated in Carcar. What followed then were the arrival of the Spanish reinforcements and the recapture of Cebu and San Nicolas, forcing the leaders of the revolution to flee to the mountains.

From where Leon Kilat had left off, General Aranas leadership in the revolution became prominent. He led the Cebuano warriors to Toledo where he raided the barrios near the poblacion then recruited at least 5,000 more potential fighters to join his force.

On April 12, the Spaniards in Balamban wrote a letter to General Aranas signifying their intent to surrender. But General Aranas and a native leader, Claudio Bakus, suspected a ruse and approached Balamban from another direction. The tactic proved correct and the revolutionaries subdued the Guardia Civil and its militiamen, also forcing the parish priest and the municipal captain to escape.

As evening fell, General Aranas left and led his men to Asturias where a number of pro-Spanish Cebuanos, instead of fighting, deserted the town. There, General Aranas was able to recruit more men to join the revolution. General Aranas then met Pedro Giralde, at that time tagging the alias Sancho Baldomero, and discussed the attack to recover the town of Tuburan from Spanish hands, the most vital point in the northwest coast.Tuburan could be approached by boat only so their plans included fighting on the beach.

On April 14, General Aranas arrived with some 6,000 brave warriors, armed mostly with pinuti, sundangs, bolos and with rifles they seized from the battles in Cebu, Toledo and Balamban. General Aranas and another General Maxilom, led the fight in overpowering the forces of Tuburan.

Later on, General Aranas temporarily retreated to the mountains to prepare for besieging the Spaniards in the towns of Bogo, Borbon and Tabogon. In Tabogon, General Aranas took a banca (a small wooden boat) and crossed the seas to the Camotes islands. On April 17, he arrived in Tagbilaran, Bohol where he made preparations to lead a battle in Camiguin, at his home province, and to visit his sick mother in Mambajao, when he was finally captured by Guardia Civil in a town of Bohol. An old friend and a former classmate in whose house General Aranas had been hiding were waiting for a chance to proceed by banca to Camiguin allegedly tipped off the Spaniards.

Hogtied and heavily guarded, General Aranas was taken back to Cebu on April 18 and thrown into the scorpion-and-rat-infested dungeon of centuries-old Fort San Pedro Abad. Before he was jailed, however, he came face to face with his old foe, General Adolfo Gonzales Montero, the last Spaniard Military Governor of Cebu and Commander of the Cebu garrison.

General Aranas dared the Spanish Governor to a “duel at the plaza in order to find out who was braver and who deserved to live.” The Governor, furious seeing his youthful adversary who caused the loss of his men, slapped him and spat at him and shouted: “Canalla!” (rabble) . Angered by General Aranas show of disrespect against him, Montero immediately ordered the execution of the Filipino General at Carreta.
For months General Aranas suffered much during his captivity. Nobody was allowed to see him except the guards. His old, ailing mother passed away without seeing him.

When he was finally marched out to his execution at Carreta, the young general still carrying himself with military bearing, walked between the famous Tabotabo brothers of Cebu who were executed with him for anti-Spanish activities. A military band, playing martial music, accompanied the prisoners to their end. General Aranas made his last confession to his brother, Father Teodoro Aranas, who was allowed to witness his execution.

Days before he was executed on April 18, 1898, upon orders of General Montero, General Aranas wrote to his parents in Misamis asking forgiveness for the troubles he had caused them, saying: “Dili lamang kamo maguol kanako kay panahon na sa pagtugyan ko kang Bathala sa akong kinabuhi...kay matam-is ang kamatayon nga ihalad alang sa atong kagawasan.”

General Bonifacio Aranas earned the distinction of being the only Filipino rebel officer allowed by Spanish military authorities in Cebu to wear his full uniform as General when he was executed at Carreta, Cebu City in 1898. His body was burned and buried without the last blessing. Although he failed to carry on the revolution to his hometown in Misamis, he left behind the Cebuanos the show of courage and personal sacrifice to fight against the Spanish rulers, with string of victories, before his execution.
Today, he is well remembered in his hometown, Mambajao. The Military Camp is named after him, Camp General Bonifacio Aranas and the main street of Mambajao as well, Bonifacio Aranas street. And a street in Cebu City is also named after his name. His remains was buried in the Heroes Shrine of Mambajao, Camiguin.

Whew!! Grabeh ka trilling oie. If I was there during their time ambot nalang kulba siguro kaau. If I was one of the brave warriors. I

[Engineering]

@Kuyabog: yes sir.. mao man akong nabasahan.

As I read every story sa mga brave warriors in Cebu.. they are connected with each other. hmmm Im a little bit interested to share what I read. Catch you up later guys I have to read another.

These is my source: The Freeman - Garry B. Lao with data sourced from the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission.

[tarantado07]

kana si N. Bacalso TS hero pud na?

[Engineering]

@tarantado07: I guess dili sir.. Maybe he is one of the biggest donator in Cebu City. Thats why he acquire that name of that street or avenue.

[Engineering]

General Arcadio Maxilom y Molero was a Filipino teacher and one of the brave warriors of the Philippine Revolution. He was born in Tuburan, Cebu to Roberto Maxilom(his dad), the town gobernadorcillo, and Gregoria Molero. His family were members of the noble class, or principalía.

He worked as a teacher in the local school before joining the Katipunan, whose activities in Cebu were led by a young Negrense, Leon Kilat. After this, he was voted to become a 2nd lieutenant by the principalia in the area. In 1892, he was elected as gobernadorcillo until 1894. Afterwards, he became the municipal captain until 1896.

After Kilat's betrayal and assassination, Maxilom continued the revolution in Cebu. Under his command, the Katipunan was able to regroup in the central highlands, which Spanish forces found impenetrable. On December 16, 1898, Maxilom wrote a letter to the Spanish authorities in Cebu, demanding that the latter surrender. Weary after incessant fighting, the Spaniards quickly responded, asking Maxilom for two to three days to leave the province. By Christmas Eve, the Spaniards have left, leaving behind only three Catholic clerics.

Gen. Maxilom fought side by side with the other Cebuano revolutionaries in the quest for freedom from the hands of the Spaniards. Eventually, the local insurgency movement gained control of Cebu after the assault at Fort San Pedro. During the revolution of 1898, a revolutionary government was set up on December 16 of that year by Gen. Arcadio Maxilom, the province's revolutionary head. He appointed Pedro Noel as its presidente.

During the American occupation, Gen. Maxilom and Juan Climaco were two of the revolutionaries who continued the fight against foreign control and assert Philippine sovereignty despite the huge and heavily armed American forces. He was eventually captured but later on released together with the other revolutionary leaders.

Gen. Maxilom is best remembered for stubbornly refusing to surrender to the American occupying forces even as his fellow revolutionaries in Manila and Cebu were starting to capitulate or collaborate with the new colonial power. He finally surrendered on October 27, 1901.

On August 10, 1924, he died in Tuburan after a bout with a lingering illness and his remains were interred in a lot for war veterans in the City of Cebu becoming the first soldier to be buried in the war veterans' restng place.

The Municipal Board of Cebu City passed an act after World War II to rename what was then known as Mango Avenue to Gen. Maxilom Avenue in recognition of his heroism and undying patriotism. This street begins from Fuente Osmeña and ends at Martires. I General Arcadio Maxilom y Molero

[tarantado07]

mao ni naka nindot basta sikat sa unang panahun ang dalan e ngalan dayun nmo. hehe

[Engineering]

General Enrique Lorega is one of the revolutionary generals of Cebu Island, Philippines. He and another revolutionary general of Cebu, Tuburan, General Arcadio Maxilom were very close friends.

Gen. Maxilom convinced him to join the revolution when Gen. Leon Kilat was murdered. Gen. Maxilom took him from his mother's relatives at Carcar, Cebu.

General Enrique Lorega was the Secretary of War in Cebu. He was assigned in communicating with other revolutionary leaders throughout the Philippines.

Before the war between the Cebuanos and the Spanish colonizers become worst in Cebu, Enrique studied at San Ildefonso, a seminary in Cebu that was located near the Plaza Independencia. He and his group never goes to war without praying the Rosary on the eve of a scheduled assault.

After that I didnt know what happen. Maybe they won the war.

General Enrique Lorega who died and was buried in the Lorega Municipal Cemetery, and from an equally popular sitio called San Miguel from where the old warehouse of San Miguel Brewery was found in the barangay. It is known also one of the oldest public slaughter house. karon North Reclamation Area nah.