The province of Marinduque commemorates the 120th Anniversary of the Battle of Pulang Lupa on September 13 in Torrijos, Marinduque.
The late historian and environmental champion, Miguel 'Myke" Magalang employed patience and hard work to gather information from primary and secondary sources and other significant government documents in the writing of his work, COL. MAXIMO ABAD, EXULTATIONS AND TWINGES IN HIS LIFE STORIES
MAGALANG'S INTRODUCTION:
The eminence and prominence that Col. Maximo Abad played in the war for independence by the people of Marinduque during the Filipino-Spanish War and the Filipino-American War, and his post-war achievements, feats and exploits that significantly changed the course of history and story of this Island Province. Eli Obligacion in his blog endeavoured in “Tracing the Footsteps of Col. Maximo Abad” (Obligacion: 2009) where he mentioned that:
“Lt. Col. Maximo Abad is probably one of the most elusive among the Filipino soldiers who fought during the Philippine-American War, the hero who led the Marinduque revolutionary forces and defeated the Americans in the “Battle of Pulang Lupa”. During the last four decades after the first commemoration in Marinduque of this, now annually-celebrated event, facts about Abad have remained equally elusive.
“So little is known about him – the Maximo Abad who tenaciously adhered to the cause of Marinduque’s defense and Philippine Independence.”
As student of history, the author was challenged to also add up to the needed information on Maximo Abad and to fill in the gaps, little by little, on his life story. With the initial information gathered by Obligacion, patience and hard work were employed to look for and gather important information from primary sources of local history and other significant government documents, secondary sources and other references in order to validate the information in his initial research.
This paper is a work in progress for the last few years. References were compiled since the year 1998 (Philippine Independence Centennial) to give light to the various periods in the life stories of Col. Maximo Abad and other events in the island of Marinduque and the Pueblo of Boac. This aims to provide references to students and teachers of local history so that the future generations will have a fair and better understanding of the lives and contributions of our local heroes, and the events that shaped the historical and cultural development of this Island.
INITIAL YEARS OF MAESTRO ABAD IN MARINDUQUE: THE SPANISH ERA
The author has found a short biography of Maximo Abad in the “Galeria de Filipino Ilustres” (Artigas y Cuerva: 1917) which is available in the University of Michigan Digital Collection. Pages 18 and 19 of the “Galeria” are provided below for reference purposes.
This is a valuable find which gives enough information on Maximo and validates some events in the life of Maximo posited by Obligacion.
Magalang's work can be accessed in CURTIS SHEPARD'S website in this link
AN ACT DECLARING SEPTEMBER THIRTEEN AS BATTLE OF PULANG LUPA DAY AND A SPECIAL NON-WORKING HOLIDAY IN THE PROVINCE OF MARINDUQUE |
| Section 1. Every September thirty is hereby declared as Battle of Pulang Lupa Day and a special non-working holiday in the Province of Marinduque to commemorate the battle of Pulang Lupa. Sec. 2. This Act shall take effect upon its approval. Enacted without executive approval, February 10, 1989.  |
