KALIBO, Aklan – A proposed measure to commemorate the foundation day and in honor of the local heroes of the Vivo Revolt in Tangalan, Aklan is now pending its second reading in the Senate of the Philippines.
House Bill No. 3975, declaring July 31 of every year as a special nonworking holiday to be known as Tangalan Day, is principally authored by Aklan 2nd District Rep. Teodorico Haresco, Jr.
Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, in his sponsorship speech, said, “It would be fair to say that local and national history are equally important in our multifaceted archipelago.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros was also a cosponsor of HB 3975. Tangalan is the hometown of her paternal grandfather, former Justice Jose Miraflores Hontiveros.
In the book The Katipunan in Aklan, a troop of 40 Spaniards came to Vivo, Tangalan on April 15, 1897. A pig and a goat were slaughtered for their supper. They were not aware that the servants were Katipuneros in disguise.
A handkerchief dropped from one of the house’s windows was to be the signal, and when it was done, the Katipuneros attacked the Spanish soldiers, hacking them with their bolos. A wounded soldier was spared, and his wounds were attended to. After he recovered, he escaped and had a chance to tell the story to the Spanish headquarters in Kalibo.
Several days later, 45 Spanish cazadores arrived in Vivo to take their revenge. The Katipuneros fought with their bolos and spears, but they were defeated by the superior weapons of the Spaniards.
Many Katipuneros died in the encounter, and the Katipunan money was taken by the Spaniards./PN
