BY DR. JOSE MA. EDUARDO P. DACUDAO
IN DECEMBER 1898, the Spanish forces finally evacuated Capiz province after they lost a fierce battle with a battalion of troops under the leadership of General Esteban Contreras and Colonel Pascual Barza, and under the field command of Colonel Juan Arce in Pilar town.
Meanwhile on Sept. 21, 1898, another band of patriots led by General Leandro Fullon, Pedro Ledesma, Silvestre Salvio, Ruperto Abellon, Angel Salazar, and Don Esteban de la Rama launched a freedom movement in Inayawan, Pandan, Antique. They soon raided and captured the town of Pandan, and then occupied Culasi the next day.
The Spanish forces in Culasi were led by Lt. Agustin Alcayre and Sgt. Juan Espino, but their Visayan guardia civil subalterns rebelled on their way to Tibiao, killing Sgt. Espino and wounding Lt. Alcayre. They then presented themselves to General Fullon in Culasi, who reorganized and trained them.
On Sept. 29, 1898, a skirmish between the Spaniards and Fullon’s men in Bugasong resulted in the death of a Spanish officer, Lt. Game. Afterwards, the patriots had to retreat back to Culasi because of superior Spanish firepower.
The Spaniards under the command of General Brandies soon retook Culasi. However, on Oct. 20, 1898, the Visayan guardia civiles under Pfc. Marcelino Eping mutinied and killed their Spanish officers in Culasi, and General Brandies was forced to retreat to Bugasong. Next day, Pfc. Eping presented himself to General Fullon along with 190 of his men.
General Fullon finally attacked San Jose on Nov. 23, 1898. The Visayan patriots proved victorious and next morning formally occupied San Jose.
Elsewhere in Panay Island, on May 1898, the last Governor General of Spain in the Philippine Islands, Governor General Diego de los Rios (who was also a military General before his appointment as Governor General) arrived in Iloilo.
In an effort to stem the Visayan advance, he offered to expel abusive Spanish friars, disperse the guardia civil, and even dangled the possibility of Independence.
In order to show his sincerity, he created a Council of Reforms. However, most of the Visayans by then no longer desired merely reforms, but outright liberty.
The Visayans in Panay had already made plans for a general revolt with General Martin Delgado as Commander in Chief.
A temporary government supposed to represent the whole Visayas was assembled in Santa Barbara Iloilo on August 1898. The following officers were elected: Roque Lopez (President of the Assembly), Vicente Franco (Vice President), Venancio Concepcion (Secretary of Finance), Ramon Avancena (Secretary of State), Jovito Yunsay (Secretary of Justice), Julio Hernandez (Secretary of War), Fernando Salas (General Secretary). A military Department was also organized with the following officers: General Martin Delgado (Commander in Chief), Perfecto Poblador (General of the Army for Concepcion and the adjacent towns), Pascual Magbanua (Administrative Officer of the Military); Angel Corteza (Commander of the Southern zone); Adriano Hernandez (Commander of the Northern zone); Fermin Rivas (Commander of the central zone). (To be continued)/PN
