We went to Silay City to check out the Terracotta Art display with our homeschool friends. It’s an exhibit to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the 1898 Revolution in Negros Occidental. This exhibit was developed and commissioned by Learning through Art Program of Balay Negrense Development Corp (BNDC).
Local artist and sculptor Ramon De los Santos, of Lutak Art, with his love of history, has created an appealing terracotta scenes portraying significant events of the Negros Occidental 1898 revolt.
Homeschool Global Philippines – Bacolod Homeschoolers with the terracotta tableaus at Silay City Art Space and Showroom
We were lucky to meet and learn more from Binky Gaston Palm, head of the BNDC during our visit.
Here’s a run through of the Cinco De Noviembre events. Texts are from Learning through Art Program of BNDC.
Planning the revolt. On Nov 3, 1898, Roque Lopez, the leader forces of Iloilo, sent Gen. Aniceto Lacson a message urging him to begin the revolt in Negros.
Gen. Lacson rode to Silay and met with his deputy Golex, Leandro Locsin, and Melecio Severino. They decided to begin the revolt on Nov 5, and advised Gen Juan Anacleto Araneta in Bago, on behalf of the southern forces.
Sewing a Special Flag. 14-year old Olympia Severino in Silay sewed a Philippine flag, helped by Perpetua Severino, and Eutropia Yorac
Farmacia Locson. Don Leandro Dela Rama Locsin was the general secretary and treasurer of the Negros Provincial Revolutionary Chapter. His Farmacia was the movement’s secret treasury and donation center. On Nov 5, revolutionaries gathered in the area of the Farmacia, and marched towards the spanish garrison.
Attack on the Silay Garrison. The attack on the garrison was led by Deputy Commander Golez, and two officers of the Revolutionary Army – Vicente Gamboa y Benedicto and Timoteo Unson. The Silay garrison was manned by 10 Spanish infantry and 7 Filipino civil guards commanded by Lt. Maximiano Correa. Shots were fired fro both sides but the spaniards refused to surrender.
Angry townspeople marched from what is today the Cinco De Noviembre Street to the garrison demanding their surrender and fears grew that they would torch the building.
The Spanish businessman Juan Viaplana convinced Correa to surrender and their request for a face-saving capitulation document which stated that they fought bravely was accommodated.
With a peaceful end and no bloodshed, celebrations broke out in the town plaza. The Philippine flag was raised in Silay Plaza amidst jubilant celebration.
Firefight at Matab-ang. Responding to reports id sightings, Gov. Isidro de Castro sent a force if infantry and guardia civil under the command of Lt. Francisco de Castro to engage rebels camped near Matab-ang River in Talisay.
After a brief fight, 2 Spaniards were dead and several wounded. Lt. de Castro was hit in the head and upon their return to Bacolod, their reports assed to the fears of the Spanish community. The Governor decided to make a stand in Bacolod Convent, today’s Bishop’s Palace, where many Spanish families had sought refuge.
Northern Forces March to Bacolod. Gen Lacson assembled his fighters for the attack on Bacolod. Forces from Silay joined them led by his Deputy Commander Golez and Timoteo Unson, an officer of the Revolutionary Army
Fake riffles and cannons. Gen. Araneta had assembled a force of about 1000 bolo-yielding fighter. Preparing to take Bacolod but lacking firepower, Gen. Araneta conceived a plan and organized his followers to make fake cannons out of painted amakan and fake riffles out of wood and palm fronds.
Southern Forces March to Bacolod. On Nov. 5, Gen. Araneta and his men took over the Spanish garrison in Bago without a big fight, and raised the Philippine flag over the town. He then prepared his men for the attack on Bacolod.
It is said that they only had 3 forearms among them – a Remington rifle, Mauser rifle, and a shotgun. So it was a bolo-army, bolsted with fake rifles, while some pulled tha amakan cannons along the route.
In the morning of Nov. 6, the revolutionaries closed in on Bacolod in two flanks. Gen. Lacson, Golez, and their men approached from the north, crossing the Mandalagan River. Gen. Lacson reportedly sent a message in Bacolod that his men in Talisay were all battle-ready with sufficient firearms and ammunition. This would have strengthened rumors purportedly spreading among the elite that a big shipment of arms and ammunitions was to be delivered to the revolutionaries.
On the second flank, Gen. Araneta’s men came from the southeast, taking positions by the Lupit River. From afar, his formation must have appeared threatening with its many fake firearms and cannons.
Looking through his telescope from the church tower, Gov. de Castro faced what he thought were about 4,000 troops, heavily armed, coming two directions. He was vastly outnumbered, with only about 200 men.
Gov. de Castro sent 2 telegrams to Gen. Diego de los Rios in Iloilo, reporting Bacolod was surrounded by not less than 4,000 rebels and even civil guards were joining their camp. Rios was sending a gunboat for reinforcement. But Gov. de Castro had already decided to surrender without a fight.
The surrender was negotiated by Jose Ruiz de Luzurriaga and Bacolod Captain Municipal Manuel Fernandez y Yanson. A delegation from each party met at the home of Luzurriaga. Both sides agreed that “Spanish troops both European and native surrendered the town and its defenses unconditionally, turning over arms and communication and that public funds would be turned over to the new government”.
The Act of Capitulation was signed at 5:00 in the afternoon of November 6, 1898.
The following day, Nov. 7 the Negros Provincial Revolutionary Government was established with Aniceto Lacson as President.
Papa Isio: Early Advocate for Philippine Independence. Dionisio Magbuelas, widely known as Papa Isio, was the leader of a group pf babaylanes and was among the first few grassroots advocates of freedom from colonial rule.
The National Historical Institute of the Philippines unveiled a historical market in honor of Dionisio Magbuelas at the public plaza of Isabela, Neg Occ. The market states:
Papa Isio was known to be a leader in Negros and organized a group in Isabela fighting for freedom from the Spanish colonizers in 1896. He became the military chief of the municipality of La Castellana under the Cantonal Government of Negros in Nov 1898. He also fought the American colonizers in 1899-1907, surrendered on Aug. 6, 1907, and died at the Manila Bilibid Prison in 1911.
This exhibit made learning the Cinco de Noviembre easier. I hope there will be more of these exhibits for the kids, homeschooled or not, to visit and appreciate our history more.
This is the Flag of the Negros Revolution in 1898. This is a gift to the Negros Occidental Historical Council by the late Dir. Girlie Y. Belzunce. It was displayed on a separate exhibit in Bacolod during the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the 1898 Revolt in the island.
Thanks Pippen for sharing your photo with us!
