Viva la Independencia!
June 11, 2006 | 12:00am
1. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! : " Unknown to most Filipinos, President Emilio Aguinaldo celebrated the first anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence at the Pamintuan Mansion in Angeles City, Pampanga, on June 12, 1899. He unfurled and waved the original Filipino flag sewn in Hong Kong, the same one used in Kawit, Cavite, the previous year. It was a grand celebration complete with an open-air mass, civic and military parade of some 2,000 troops, and a luncheon attended by high government and military officials. This was the first (and perhaps last) celebration of the fledging republic-on-the-run, relentlessly pursued by the American imperialists, leading to Aguinaldo‘s eventual capture in Palanan, Isabela, on March 23, 1901.
The Angeles City Tourism Office and Kuliat Foundation Inc. will lead tomorrow’s Independence Day celebration with a re-enactment of this momentous event by T.A.T.E. (The Academy’s Theater Ensemble of the Academy of Performing Arts) at 8 a.m. right at the Pamintuan mansion. The public is invited to witness this commemoration free of charge.
2. "Ang Pilipinas ay para sa mga Pilipino": Crestly Tapnio of T.A.T.E. plays the role of El Presidente in this hour-long presentation on the upper floor of the Pamintuan residence, where the historic event actually took place. At that time, the mansion served as the seat of government and presidential palace of the first republic in Asia. The public will view the staging from the street, just as it actually happened.
3. The "boy"Generals Gregorio del Pilar (age 25) of Bulacan and Manuel Tinio of Nueva Ecija (the youngest general at 23) led the grand military parade with the cavalry bodyguard of President Aguinaldo, followed by units from the regiments of Gen. Del Pilar, Gen. Urbano Lacuña, Col. Morales, the Zambales Batallion under Col. Manalang, Batallion de Angeles under Col. Galicano Valdes. Then a civic parade followed, participated by the townspeople with their pretty muses standing on top of borrowed religious carros. Also present were Gen. Tomas Marcardo of Cavite, Officer Venenacio Concepcion of Iloilo (the only Visayan officer in Aguinaldo’s army), Gen. Francisco Makabulos of Tarlac, Gen. Pio del Pilar of Makati (no relation to Gregorio), Gen. Maximino Hizon of Mexico, Pampanga, Gen. Servillano Aquino of Tarlac (though originally born in Angeles), Col. Luciano San Miguel of Cavite, and President Aguinaldo’s 21-year-old aide-de-camp Lt. Manuel L. Quezon, the future statesman and first president of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935. (Information and illustration by Daniel H. Dizon.)
4. The 21-year-old presidential aide-de-camp Lt. Manuel L. Quezon was in Angeles from May 7 to July 15, 1899. He stayed at the house of Don Lorenzo Sanchez, located just across the Pamintuan mansion. Quezon later joined his original brigade at Porac and fought the Americans under Gen. Tomas Mascardo, until their eventual retreat and surrender in Bataan in 1901.
5. Maj. Gen. Arthur MacArthur (center) and his staff used the Pamintuan mansion as their general headquarters until 1901 just before setting up of Fort Stotsenberg in 1902 (future Clark Air Base) in the northern section of Angeles. (Photo from Clark Museum archives).
6. Angeles artist/historian Daniel H. Dizon proudly wears the rayadillo (pin-stripes), an exact replica of the 1896 uniform patterned after the Spanish army’s uniform worn by his grandfather Capitan Jose Dizon serving under Gen. Tomas Marcardo’s brigade, complete with the original emblems, badge and buttons. During the Tejeros Convention of 1897, this bluish-gray rayadillo was redesigned by no less than the painter Juan Luna as the official uniform of the first Philippine Army.
Incidentally, in October 2004, the Philippine Military Academy discarded its West Point-inspired uniform since it was formally established in 1936 in favor of the rayadillo. It was the Maragtas Class of 2007 who was the first batch to don it. The change was brought about not just for nationalistic reasons, but for economic reasons as well, with the local cotton rayadillo costing 50 percent lower than the West Point-inspired wool uniform and the fact that cotton is more suited and comfortable for the tropics.
7. The Pamintuan mansion as it stands today. The stately mansion was built by the parents of Don Florentino Pamintuan in 1890. According to Daniel Dizon, in March 1899, after the fall of Malolos into American hands, Gen. Antonio Luna immediately moved his Army General Headquarters from San Fernando to Angeles at the Pamintuan mansion, then serving as Regional Headquarters of Gen. Venancio Concepcion whose "Brigada" was defending the upper-half of Pampanga. While in Angeles, Gen. Luna quickly drew up the Sta. Rita-Porac-Angeles-Magalang-Mabalacat defense line with Angeles as the Center Command Post, supposedly the most formidable defense line against the Americans. It was also in a room downstairs where Luna edited the newspaper La Independencia.
At this point then mayor of Angeles Don Florentino moved his family to Manila permanently. Even after the Filipino-American war, Maj. Gen. Arthur MacArthur and his staff used it as their headquarters until 1901. During the Japanese occupation, it served as home to a group of Kamikaze pilots. After liberation, the Americans used it again as their headquarters and as USO center.
In the ‘50s, it was leased and converted into a lodging house. Then in the early ‘60s, it was bought by the Tungol-Tablante spouses and leased to the local government to serve as City Hall Annex.
In 1981, the property was bought by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas through the efforts of its Governor Jaime C. Laya, with the structure donated by the heirs of the Tungol-Tablante estate. It was restored to its former glory with the help of Don Ado Escudero of San Pablo City as consultant. In 1988, it was inaugurated as the bank’s Angeles clearing office.
8. How to get there: Take Angeles City exit at the North Luzon Expressway and head towards Sto. Rosario Parish Church.
The Angeles City Tourism Office and Kuliat Foundation Inc. will lead tomorrow’s Independence Day celebration with a re-enactment of this momentous event by T.A.T.E. (The Academy’s Theater Ensemble of the Academy of Performing Arts) at 8 a.m. right at the Pamintuan mansion. The public is invited to witness this commemoration free of charge.
2. "Ang Pilipinas ay para sa mga Pilipino": Crestly Tapnio of T.A.T.E. plays the role of El Presidente in this hour-long presentation on the upper floor of the Pamintuan residence, where the historic event actually took place. At that time, the mansion served as the seat of government and presidential palace of the first republic in Asia. The public will view the staging from the street, just as it actually happened.
3. The "boy"Generals Gregorio del Pilar (age 25) of Bulacan and Manuel Tinio of Nueva Ecija (the youngest general at 23) led the grand military parade with the cavalry bodyguard of President Aguinaldo, followed by units from the regiments of Gen. Del Pilar, Gen. Urbano Lacuña, Col. Morales, the Zambales Batallion under Col. Manalang, Batallion de Angeles under Col. Galicano Valdes. Then a civic parade followed, participated by the townspeople with their pretty muses standing on top of borrowed religious carros. Also present were Gen. Tomas Marcardo of Cavite, Officer Venenacio Concepcion of Iloilo (the only Visayan officer in Aguinaldo’s army), Gen. Francisco Makabulos of Tarlac, Gen. Pio del Pilar of Makati (no relation to Gregorio), Gen. Maximino Hizon of Mexico, Pampanga, Gen. Servillano Aquino of Tarlac (though originally born in Angeles), Col. Luciano San Miguel of Cavite, and President Aguinaldo’s 21-year-old aide-de-camp Lt. Manuel L. Quezon, the future statesman and first president of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935. (Information and illustration by Daniel H. Dizon.)
4. The 21-year-old presidential aide-de-camp Lt. Manuel L. Quezon was in Angeles from May 7 to July 15, 1899. He stayed at the house of Don Lorenzo Sanchez, located just across the Pamintuan mansion. Quezon later joined his original brigade at Porac and fought the Americans under Gen. Tomas Mascardo, until their eventual retreat and surrender in Bataan in 1901.
5. Maj. Gen. Arthur MacArthur (center) and his staff used the Pamintuan mansion as their general headquarters until 1901 just before setting up of Fort Stotsenberg in 1902 (future Clark Air Base) in the northern section of Angeles. (Photo from Clark Museum archives).
6. Angeles artist/historian Daniel H. Dizon proudly wears the rayadillo (pin-stripes), an exact replica of the 1896 uniform patterned after the Spanish army’s uniform worn by his grandfather Capitan Jose Dizon serving under Gen. Tomas Marcardo’s brigade, complete with the original emblems, badge and buttons. During the Tejeros Convention of 1897, this bluish-gray rayadillo was redesigned by no less than the painter Juan Luna as the official uniform of the first Philippine Army.
Incidentally, in October 2004, the Philippine Military Academy discarded its West Point-inspired uniform since it was formally established in 1936 in favor of the rayadillo. It was the Maragtas Class of 2007 who was the first batch to don it. The change was brought about not just for nationalistic reasons, but for economic reasons as well, with the local cotton rayadillo costing 50 percent lower than the West Point-inspired wool uniform and the fact that cotton is more suited and comfortable for the tropics.
7. The Pamintuan mansion as it stands today. The stately mansion was built by the parents of Don Florentino Pamintuan in 1890. According to Daniel Dizon, in March 1899, after the fall of Malolos into American hands, Gen. Antonio Luna immediately moved his Army General Headquarters from San Fernando to Angeles at the Pamintuan mansion, then serving as Regional Headquarters of Gen. Venancio Concepcion whose "Brigada" was defending the upper-half of Pampanga. While in Angeles, Gen. Luna quickly drew up the Sta. Rita-Porac-Angeles-Magalang-Mabalacat defense line with Angeles as the Center Command Post, supposedly the most formidable defense line against the Americans. It was also in a room downstairs where Luna edited the newspaper La Independencia.
At this point then mayor of Angeles Don Florentino moved his family to Manila permanently. Even after the Filipino-American war, Maj. Gen. Arthur MacArthur and his staff used it as their headquarters until 1901. During the Japanese occupation, it served as home to a group of Kamikaze pilots. After liberation, the Americans used it again as their headquarters and as USO center.
In the ‘50s, it was leased and converted into a lodging house. Then in the early ‘60s, it was bought by the Tungol-Tablante spouses and leased to the local government to serve as City Hall Annex.
In 1981, the property was bought by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas through the efforts of its Governor Jaime C. Laya, with the structure donated by the heirs of the Tungol-Tablante estate. It was restored to its former glory with the help of Don Ado Escudero of San Pablo City as consultant. In 1988, it was inaugurated as the bank’s Angeles clearing office.
8. How to get there: Take Angeles City exit at the North Luzon Expressway and head towards Sto. Rosario Parish Church.
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