Remembering Tres de Abril in our history

One hundred sixteen years ago, a small bunch of Katipuneros led by Pantaleon "Leon Kilat" Villegas who hailed from Bacong, Negros Oriental bearing a letter from the Katipunan leadership convinced many Cebuanos that the time had come to rise up against the Spaniards that has ruled our land for four hundred years. The call for revolution became stronger after the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal in Bagumbayan on Dec. 30, 1896.

On this day, Leon Kilat and his followers subdued the Spanish troops or Guardia Civil at the corner of what is now V. Rama Avenue and Natalio Bacalso Avenue. The Guardia Civil apparently rounded up some members of the Katipunan here in Cebu and one of them confessed that Leon Kilat would launch his revolt on Good Friday. Sensing that his plan was already discovered, Leon Kilat massed his men across the street, where the Spanish troops were detailed and after a shouting and insulting match, the Spanish troops fired at them, but they all ducked at Leon Kilat's command and while the Spaniards were reloading their rifles, Leon Kilat attacked the Spaniards with bolos and spears and they started running towards the Ft. San Pedro.

The rest of the Guardia Civil followed them towards the safety of Ft. San Pedro where Leon Kilat and his men surrounded the fort for four days. As the Spaniards inside the fort were about to give up due to lack of food (remember in those days there were no refrigerators) and water. However the Spanish Cruiser Don Juan Austria arrived with fresh troops and soon, Leon Kilat and his men scampered to the hills.

On that fateful night of April 8, 1898, Leon Kilat and his men started drinking. Little did he know that his aide-de-camp Apolinario Alcuitas and his seconds had a plan to get him stone drunk and when he passed out, they carried him to his bed and then they repeatedly stabbed him to death. They had hoped that if they surrendered the dead body of Leon Kilat, the Spaniards in gratitude would grant them leniency. Unfortunately, the Juez de Cochillo had them all executed.

But this was just the beginning of the Cebuano rebellion as another leader emerged in the person of Gen. Arcadio Maxilom who moved to capture Balamban, Asturias. Later the Don Juan Austria bombarded Tuburan with cannon fire in the effort to rid Gen. Maxilom from controlling the town.

While all of this was happening here, very few Filipinos knew that on the other side of the world, historic events were taking place after the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana on Feb.15, 1898 that would affect the Philippines permanently. On April 21st the US Navy blockaded Cuba due to the sinking of the Maine and on April 23, 1898, Spain declared war against the United States and on April 25, the US Congress declared war against Spain.

By the end of the month of April 1898, the Asiatic Squadron of Admiral George Dewey steamed into Manila Bay at night passing Corregidor Island unnoticed. Next day on May 1, 1898 began the historic Battle of Manila Bay. Who would believe that the famous and once invincible Spanish Armada of Admiral Patricio Montojo would be defeated in one decisive battle, when her flagship the Reina Christina sunk in the battle. Thus the Philippines changed from one colonizer that lasted for four hundred years into another new colonizer that would hold the Philippines for another 50 years.

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines was granted full Independence by the Americans and 68-years later our Democracy is getting nowhere because the Philippines is all but a failed state. The reason is crystal clear. Democracy is characterized by three fully independent branches of the government, the Executive, Legislative, and the Judiciary. On Sept. 21, 1972, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos morphed from being the President of the Land into a full dictator who ruled for 14 years. He was removed by the EDSA Revolution in 1986.

Twenty-eight years later after the EDSA revolt, Pres. Benigno Aquino, III have kept all the three branches of the Philippine government in his pockets. He did so by removing via an impeachment proceedings of a sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Renato Corona. He used his power of the purse to "convince" Congress to impeach CJ Corona with dispatch which 118 congressmen did so in just one hour without reading any of the charges nor having put this issue in a proper debate.

The removal of CJ Corona in the Senate impeachment trial wrote a finish to the Philippine Constitution when Pres. Aquino appointed SC Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. Thus today, we may have a democracy in form, but in reality the Executive Branch of the government is the most powerful branch of all. Thus this inequality is our proof that Philippine democracy is nothing but a farce. Leon Kilat's literally died in vain.

*  *  *

Email: [email protected]