It was in Sudlon at Sitio Tabla where the first flag raising was recorded, pre-dating the June 12, 1898 Philippine Independence Declaration of General Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite. This happened on April 10, 1898. It was on a Sunday, Domingo de Pascua.
The historic event was recorded by Don Elpidio Rama and Isidoro Enriquez in the book “Ang Kagubot sa Sugbo” of Manuel Enriquez de la Calzada. They called the event as “Jura dela Bandera”.
Sitio Tabla the site of the flag-raising was described as below Sudlon and Bitlang. In attendance were Don Luis Flores, the President of KKK Cebu, joined by Don Alejo Minoza, Don Elpidio Rama, and Don Anatalio Tabar. Don Luis Flores at that time had the position of president of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Cebu. It was he who issued the edict calling for the people to take an oath of nationalism before the Philippine flag, the symbol of the Filipino nation.
The edict of Flores was given to Jefe de Zona (Zone Chief) Don Anatalio Tabar for execution. It was on 11:00 in the morning when Don Luis Flores, leading with the soldiers and civilians behind him, held the first flag-raising. An estimated crowd of 300 joined the event.
These were the words of President Luis Flores:
“Mao’y usa ka kinahanglan nga unang buhaton sa usa ka Nasud, nga magusara. Ang Bandera nga maoy landing sa atong Nasud, kinahanglan ampingan, kinahanglan higugmaon, kinahanglan, bation tumbas sa ginikanan, tumbas sa tinuhoan ug tumbas, tumbas sa kaugalinong kalag ug lawas. Busa karon ipakita nato ang pagbati sa Nasud, nga anhi karon nato lihoka niining atong Bandera”.
CEBUpedia respectfully suggests to the Cebu City government and the Cebu provincial government to replicate this event, to remind the Cebuanos of the greatness of our past. To rectify the nation’s history, that it was in Cebu that Cebuano patriots first stood for Philippine independence and nationalism, pre-dating the Kawit, Cavite, flag-raising. We will call this event as “Diez de Abril” as the fruit of the Battle of Tres de Abril, that though hundreds of Cebuano Patriots died on that day and the succeeding days, those left continued the fight. May CEBUpedia not be alone in this quest to relive this historic event that happened in Barangay Sudlon more than a century ago.