Battle of San Juan del Monte
Encyclopedia
The Battle of San Juan del Monte, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Pinaglabanan or Battle of San Juan was fought on August 30, 1896, and is considered the first real battle
for Philippine
independence from Spain
.
on August 19, 1896, Andrés Bonifacio
became alerted to military actions and suppression planned by the Spanish government. On August 25, Bonifacio deployed several of his men around the Pasong Tamo bridge when he heard infantrymen and Spanish guardia civil coming to raid communities around the bridge.
On the evening of August 29, the first group of Katipuneros headed by Bonifacio and his aide Emilio Jacinto
marched towards El Polvorin, a Spanish powder magazine
situated in San Juan del Monte. The Polvorin is guarded by Spanish infantry and artillerymen. The Katipuneros were generally armed with bolo knives
, few guns, bamboo spears and anting-antings
.
By midnight, a small and the second group of Katipuneros headed by Sancho Valenzuela arrived at Polvorin coming from Santa Mesa, Manila
. This group is composed of 100 Katipunan
members, two of them are women: Luisa Lucas and Segunda Fuentes Santiago.
The next day, August 30, at about 4:00 a.m., Bonifacio and his men launched their surprised attack. He successfully captured the magazine several hours later. The Spanish troops, when their commander and some of the artillerymen killed, took a retreat to the nearby building of El Depósito, the Manila water works deposit office.
Before noon, the 73rd "Jolo" Regiment of the Spanish garrison (composed of Filipino soldiers under Spanish command) headed by General Bernardo Echaluce y Jauregui arrived at San Juan del Monte to assist in suppressing the rebellion. The 73rd Regiment, like most of the native conscripts in the Spanish army in the Philippines, were armed with the Remington
Rolling-block Rifle while the Spanish troops were armed with German Mauser rifles
. The revolutionaries decided to regroup at Santa Mesa, and courageously engaged the arriving Spanish troops. With the combined forces from the 73rd Regiment and the garrison of the magazine, the Spanish force almost wiped Bonifacio's men leaving about 150 dead and over 200 were captured. Because of this, Bonifacio was forced to evacuate and escaped towards Pasig River.
and provinces along Southern Tagalog
.
At 8:00 p.m. of August 30, Governor-General
Ramón Blanco y Erenas
issued an executive order placing the eight provinces of Manila
, Morong (now Rizal province), Laguna, Cavite
, Batangas
, Bulacan
, Nueva Ecija
and Tarlac
into martial law
and state of war. As a threat for revolutionaries, the captured Katipuneros at Polvorin were summarily tried and executed. One of them was Sancho Valenzuela, who was dragged off in chains together with his men Modesto Rivera, Eugenio Silvestre and Ramon Peralta towards the tribunal. Arrests and interrogations were intensified and many Filipinos died from torture.
To annihilate the increasing tension throughout the colony, Blanco offered pardon to Filipino rebels who will lay down their arms and surrender to Spanish authorities. Dr. Pío Valenzuela
, the chief physician and aide of Bonifacio, was one of the first Katipuneros who availed of this amnesty. However, after his surrender, he was deported and imprisoned in Madrid
, and incarcerated in a Spanish outpost in Africa.
Aside from granting amnesties to returning rebels, the Spanish colonial government also assisted on trying and executing several members of the Katipunan
. Fifty-seven of the revolutionaries at San Juan del Monte were executed on August 31, 1896. On September 4, Sancho Valenzuela, Rivera, Silvestrre and Peralta were executed. On September 12, thirteen revolutionaries were executed
in Cavite
.
Present-day design of the Philippine flag
features the eight-ray sun, which, some of the provinces that Blanco took under martial law on August 30, 1896 took a representation. The eight rays of the sun represents for the eight provinces that initiate revolution against Spain: Manila
, Cavite
, Bulacan
, Pampanga
, Nueva Ecija
, Bataan
, Laguna, and Ilocos
, though historian Ambeth Ocampo
enlisted Tarlac
instead of Bataan.
On July 25, 1987, former President
Corazon C. Aquino
signed Executive Order 292 which declared every last Sunday of August each year as public holiday in the Philippines. This commemorates the Cry of Pugad Lawin
and start of Philippine Revolution
.
In 1974, the Pinaglabanan Shrine was unveiled in San Juan City, along Pinaglabanan Street in San Juan City. "Pinaglabanan" is a Tagalog word
for "fought over". The present-day San Juan Elementary School stands on once the grounds of the ruined El Polvorin. In 2006, a museum
for the Katipunan
was opened by the San Juan City government located along the shrine.
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
for Philippine
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
independence from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The battle
After the discovery of KatipunanKatipunan
The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in Manila in 1892, whose primary aim was to gain independence from Spain through revolution. The society was initiated by Filipino patriots Andrés Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and others on the night...
on August 19, 1896, Andrés Bonifacio
Andres Bonifacio
Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro was a Filipino nationalist and revolutionary. He was a founder and later Supremo of the Katipunan movement which sought the independence of the Philippines from Spanish colonial rule and started the Philippine Revolution...
became alerted to military actions and suppression planned by the Spanish government. On August 25, Bonifacio deployed several of his men around the Pasong Tamo bridge when he heard infantrymen and Spanish guardia civil coming to raid communities around the bridge.
On the evening of August 29, the first group of Katipuneros headed by Bonifacio and his aide Emilio Jacinto
Emilio Jacinto
Emilio Jacinto y Dizon , was a Filipino revolutionary known as the Brains of the Katipunan.-Biography:Born in Trozo, Tondo, Manila. Jacinto was the son of Mariano Jacinto and Josefa Dizon...
marched towards El Polvorin, a Spanish powder magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
situated in San Juan del Monte. The Polvorin is guarded by Spanish infantry and artillerymen. The Katipuneros were generally armed with bolo knives
Bolo knife
A bolo is a large cutting tool of Filipino origin similar to the machete, used particularly in the jungles of Indonesia, the Philippines, and in the sugar fields of Cuba...
, few guns, bamboo spears and anting-antings
Agimat
Agimat or bertud or anting-anting, is a Filipino word for amulet or charm. Although stereotyped as a cross, a flat, round or triangular golden pendant accompanying a necklace or a necklace-like item, it is also depicted as an enchanted stone that came from the sky or from the heart of a banana...
.
By midnight, a small and the second group of Katipuneros headed by Sancho Valenzuela arrived at Polvorin coming from Santa Mesa, Manila
Santa Mesa, Manila
Santa Mesa is one of the 16 geographical districts of the city of Manila, which is primarily a residential, commercial and educational center. Santa Mesa is bounded by several districts and cities...
. This group is composed of 100 Katipunan
Katipunan
The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in Manila in 1892, whose primary aim was to gain independence from Spain through revolution. The society was initiated by Filipino patriots Andrés Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and others on the night...
members, two of them are women: Luisa Lucas and Segunda Fuentes Santiago.
The next day, August 30, at about 4:00 a.m., Bonifacio and his men launched their surprised attack. He successfully captured the magazine several hours later. The Spanish troops, when their commander and some of the artillerymen killed, took a retreat to the nearby building of El Depósito, the Manila water works deposit office.
Before noon, the 73rd "Jolo" Regiment of the Spanish garrison (composed of Filipino soldiers under Spanish command) headed by General Bernardo Echaluce y Jauregui arrived at San Juan del Monte to assist in suppressing the rebellion. The 73rd Regiment, like most of the native conscripts in the Spanish army in the Philippines, were armed with the Remington
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
Rolling-block Rifle while the Spanish troops were armed with German Mauser rifles
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
. The revolutionaries decided to regroup at Santa Mesa, and courageously engaged the arriving Spanish troops. With the combined forces from the 73rd Regiment and the garrison of the magazine, the Spanish force almost wiped Bonifacio's men leaving about 150 dead and over 200 were captured. Because of this, Bonifacio was forced to evacuate and escaped towards Pasig River.
Reactions
After the unsuccessful attack at Polvorin, an armed resistance spread towards Central LuzonCentral Luzon
Central Luzon , also known as Region III , is an administrative division or region of the Republic of the Philippines, primarily serve to organize the 7 provinces of the vast central plain of the island of Luzon , for administrative convenience...
and provinces along Southern Tagalog
Southern Tagalog
Southern Tagalog, or Region IV, was a region of the Philippines that is now composed of Region IV-A and Region IV-B . Region IV was split into the two regions on May 17, 2002...
.
At 8:00 p.m. of August 30, Governor-General
Governor-General of the Philippines
The Governor-General of the Philippines was the title of the government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, governed mainly by Spain and the United States, and briefly by Great Britain, from 1565 to 1935....
Ramón Blanco y Erenas
Ramón Blanco y Erenas
Ramón Blanco y Erenas, marqués de Peña Plata was a Spanish brigadier and colonial administrator. Born in San Sebastián, he was sent to the Caribbean in 1858 and governed Cuba and Santo Domingo...
issued an executive order placing the eight provinces of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Morong (now Rizal province), Laguna, Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
, Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
, Bulacan
Bulacan
Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...
, Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City...
and Tarlac
Tarlac
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west...
into martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
and state of war. As a threat for revolutionaries, the captured Katipuneros at Polvorin were summarily tried and executed. One of them was Sancho Valenzuela, who was dragged off in chains together with his men Modesto Rivera, Eugenio Silvestre and Ramon Peralta towards the tribunal. Arrests and interrogations were intensified and many Filipinos died from torture.
To annihilate the increasing tension throughout the colony, Blanco offered pardon to Filipino rebels who will lay down their arms and surrender to Spanish authorities. Dr. Pío Valenzuela
Pio Valenzuela
Pío Valenzuela was a Filipino physician and patriot who was among the leaders of the Katipunan that started the Philippine Revolution against Spain...
, the chief physician and aide of Bonifacio, was one of the first Katipuneros who availed of this amnesty. However, after his surrender, he was deported and imprisoned in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, and incarcerated in a Spanish outpost in Africa.
Aside from granting amnesties to returning rebels, the Spanish colonial government also assisted on trying and executing several members of the Katipunan
Katipunan
The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in Manila in 1892, whose primary aim was to gain independence from Spain through revolution. The society was initiated by Filipino patriots Andrés Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and others on the night...
. Fifty-seven of the revolutionaries at San Juan del Monte were executed on August 31, 1896. On September 4, Sancho Valenzuela, Rivera, Silvestrre and Peralta were executed. On September 12, thirteen revolutionaries were executed
Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite
The Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite were Filipino patriots in Cavite, Philippines who were executed by mustketry on September 11, 1896, for cooperating with the Katipunan during the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The city of Trece Martires in Cavite is named after them.-The martyrs:* Luis Aguado...
in Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
.
Legacy
Flag of the Philippines
The national flag of the Philippines is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, which represent...
features the eight-ray sun, which, some of the provinces that Blanco took under martial law on August 30, 1896 took a representation. The eight rays of the sun represents for the eight provinces that initiate revolution against Spain: Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
, Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
, Bulacan
Bulacan
Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...
, Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
, Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City...
, Bataan
Bataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
, Laguna, and Ilocos
Ilocos
Ilocos collectively refers to two provinces in the Philippines: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Inhabitants are called Ilocanos and they speak the language Iloko, also called Ilocano.The Ilocos Region, containing four provinces, is named after Ilocos...
, though historian Ambeth Ocampo
Ambeth Ocampo
Ambeth R. Ocampo is a multi-awarded Filipino historian, academic, journalist, and author best known for his writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal and for "Looking Back", his bi-weekly editorial page column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer...
enlisted Tarlac
Tarlac
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west...
instead of Bataan.
On July 25, 1987, former President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Corazon C. Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
signed Executive Order 292 which declared every last Sunday of August each year as public holiday in the Philippines. This commemorates the Cry of Pugad Lawin
Cry of Pugad Lawin
The Cry of Pugad Lawin , alternately and originally referred to as the Cry of Balintawak was the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule....
and start of Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
.
In 1974, the Pinaglabanan Shrine was unveiled in San Juan City, along Pinaglabanan Street in San Juan City. "Pinaglabanan" is a Tagalog word
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
for "fought over". The present-day San Juan Elementary School stands on once the grounds of the ruined El Polvorin. In 2006, a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
for the Katipunan
Katipunan
The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in Manila in 1892, whose primary aim was to gain independence from Spain through revolution. The society was initiated by Filipino patriots Andrés Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and others on the night...
was opened by the San Juan City government located along the shrine.