Miguel "Myke" Magalang and his work "Col. Maximo Abad: Exultations and Twinges in his Life Stories"

 

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 

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6702

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.

PGen Camilo Pancratius P Cascolan is guest of honor 

and speaker in this year's anniversary celebration

Labanan sa Paye: Balik-Tanaw sa mga unang buwan ng pananakop ng mga Amerikano sa isla ng Marinduque

Hulyo 31, 2020, ika-120 taong anibersaryo ng makasaysayang Labanan sa Paye

Lumang larawan ng bahagi ng simbahan ng Boac noong inokupa ito ng mga Amerikano para gawin nilang kampo pagkadaong nila sa Laylay. Wala pang labanan na nagaganap. Makikita ang flagpole habang nakawagayway ang kanilang bandila

Mga tala bago maganap noong July 31, 1900, ang engkwentro sa Sitio Paye, Balimbing, Boac na ginugunita ng mga Marinduqueno bilang ‘Labanan sa Paye’. 

Ito  ngayon ay isang special, non-working holiday sa buong lalawigan naaayon sa RA 9749; inaprubahan noong 2008, na nagdeklara sa Hulyo 31 ng bawat taon bilang Araw ng Labanan sa Paye sa lalawigan.

Bukas, ito ay ipagdiriwang sa bayan ng Boac sa panahon ng pandemya sa pamumuno ni Boac Mayor Armi DC Carrion. May pag-aalay ng bulaklak sa makasaysayang lugar sa Paye kung saan may dambanang nakatayo, subalit ang programa ay sa Boac Covered Court isasagawa sa ilalim ng "new normal" dulot ng pandemya.

Panauhing pandangal si Noel Rene Nieva mula sa lahi ng mga bayani ng Paye na sina Police Delegate Calixto Nieva at 2nd Lt. Gregorio Nieva. Magbibigay din ng kanilang mensahe sina Gov. Presbitero J Velasco, Jr., Cong. Lord Allan Velasco at Mayor Carrion.

Dambana ng Labanan sa Paye

Balik-Tanaw

Abril 25, 1900 dumaong sa may Laylay ang dalawang US navy gunboats. Kasama dito ni Col. Edward E. Hardin ang isang batalyon ng 29^th US Voluteer (USV) Infantry. Deretso silang nagmartsa sa direksiyon ng Boac at inokupa ang simbahan ng Boac, walang kumontra, walang insidente.

Dahil inakala nilang tahimik sa isla, iniwan ang isang company (A/29) sa Boac at lumisan ang isang company patungo sa iba pang isla para kanilang maokupa.

Larawan ng pagdating sa Laylay ng mga sundalong Amerikano noong 25 Abril 1900

Walumput-walong sundalo lamang ang natira, kayat pitumput-dalawang tauhan ng Company D, 38^th USV sa pamumuno ni Major Charles H. Muir ang ipinadala rito para reinforcement. Inikot ang isla pero wala silang namataan na mga guerilla at ang mga sibilyan ay namundok na rin.

Unang engkwentro

Mayo 19 isinama nina Muir at Capt. John Jordan ang limamput-pitong tauhan ng D/38 para manmanan ang kabundukan. Nakarating sila sa Santa Cruz at nakarating doon ng 7:00 Linggo ng umaga. Mga 1,000 tao ang kanilang nadatnan na nakikinig ng misa. Nagsipagtakbuhan pagkakita sa mga Amerikano, habang paakyat sa itaas ng bundok ang maraming guerilla.

Nagkaroon ng putukan at ginamitan ng mga Amerikano ng “bush tactics o Indian style” ng paglusob ang mga Pilipino. Ilang oras din ang inabot ng paggapang ng mga Amerikano sa bundok hanggang 300 yarda na lamang ang layo nila.

Tumirada na ng paglusob ang grupo ni Muir. Nagsipanakbuhan ang mga Pilipino sa ibat-ibang direksyon. Naiwan ay anim na patay na Pilipinong sundalo at isang bihag. 

Panalo ang mga Amerikano sa unang sagupaan sa Marinduque at wala silang casualty.

Sinundan ni Muir ang kanilang tagumpay sa pamamagitan ng paggalugad sa interior ng isla ng apat na araw. Nakabihag sila ng tatlumput-anim na mga gerilya ni Col. Maximo Abad na nakakalat sa ibat-ibang lugar. Dahil dito, napasuko ng mga Amerikano si Martin Lardizabal ang sibilyan na gobernador at si Abad na ang namuno.

Bilang tugon, ipinag-utos ni Muir na lumabas na sa simbahan ng Boac ang kanyang mga sundalo para magamit naman ng mga tao para sa mga misa ang simbahan.

Pagdating ng Hunyo, ipina-recall ni Bates sina Muir at Jordan at lahat nilang kasamahan (38^th USV) sa Luzon at ipinalit sa kanila ang Company F, 29^th USV sa pamumuno ni Capt. Devereux Shields.

Santa Cruz naman ang ginawang garrison ni Shields, at dahil tag-ulan tila walang umasa na may magaganap na di inaasahan. Ni wala silang balita tungkol kay Abad.

Kuha sa Sta. Cruz Church nang ginawa rin itong garison ng mga Amerikano, 1900. Larawan mula sa koleksiyon ni Curtis Shepard.

Si First Lieutenant William S. Wells naman, ang commander sa Boac, ay tila kampante na sa bayan dahil para sa kanya ay tahimik dito. Walang na-appont na over-all commander para sa buong isla.

Ang peligrosong sitwasyon ng mga Amerikano ay lumitaw noong July 31, 1900 ng inambush ng mga gerilya ni Kapitan Teofilo Roque ang isang bihirang pagmamanman sa kabukiran ng grupo ni Lt. Wells. Isang account mula sa The US Army's Pacification of Marinduque, Philippine Islands ni Andrew J. Birtle na pinagmulan ng panulat na ito, ay ganito ang nakasaad:

"The precariousness of the American position became evident on 31 July, when Teofilo Roque's Guerrilla ambushed one of Lieutenant Wells' rare forays into the countryside. Roque's force wounded two Americans and captured two others before the patrol escaped.

"That night the victorious guerrillas set fire to a portion of Boac in an effort to drive the Americans out. In this they failed, though many of Boac's inhabitants fled, leaving the town virtually deserted.

"The episode also succeeded in paralyzing Company A, which retired to the church, venturing out only twice over the next two months..."

Subalit ng maganap ang paglusob sa Paye ng ating mga sundalo ay wala nang urungan, wala nang atrasan. At nasundan pa ito pagkaraan ng isa at kalahating buwan ng isang labanan sa bahagi ng Torrijos-Sta. Cruz na gumulantang sa buong puwersang militar ng mga Amerikano nang makarating ang balita sa Amerika. Naging laman ng kanilang mga pahayagan ang para sa kanila ay mapangahas na pagkilos ng mga Marinduqueno.

Tampok sa mga pahayagan sa Estados Unidos ang naganap sa isla ng Marinduque.  Mula sa pananaliksik ni Curtis Shepard (Ulongbeach.com)

Doon nila unang narinig ang tungkol sa isla ng Marinduque at ang matinding pagtanggi at paglaban ng mga taga rito sa pananakop ng mga dayuhan kapalit ng kanilang buhay.

What Marinduque's Battle of Pulang Lupa is all about

Battle of Pulang Lupa, Torrijos, Marinduque, September 13, 1900

From 1899-1901 during the Philippine American War there were numerous encounters between Philippine and American Forces. In seven of the engagements where Filipinos had the upper hand that spelled victory, two of them occurred in the island of Marinduque. (These were the Battle of Paye, and the Battle of Pulang Lupa).

The other Filipino victories took place in the Battle of San Mateo (Morong), Siege of Catubig (Samar), Battle of Makahambos Hill, Battle of Mabitac, Battle of Balangiga (Samar).

The Battle of Pulang Lupa, however, is considered a milestone in Philippine History. This was the engagement that sent shock waves through the American high command and was considered the worst defeat suffered by the Americans during that war.

This battle however, led to the first application in the Philippines of concentration camps in the island’s town centers, a highly coercive measure that finally led to the surrender of the Filipino soldiers led by Lt. Col. Maximo Abad with his remaining men on April 15, 1901.

The success of this population concentration first experimented in Marinduque was then applied to other provinces in the country including Batangas, Laguna and Samar.

Of the harshness and hardships suffered by the people of Marinduque, Gov. Gen. William H. Taft, future U.S. president said: “The severity with which the inhabitants have been dealt with would not look well if a complete history were written out”.

Some details of that history appears in The U.S. Army's Pacification of Marinduque, Philippine Islands, April 1900-April 1901 by Andrew J. Birtle.

On the Battle of Pulang Lupa that took place on September 13, 1900, Birtle wrote in part:

“While the Boac garrison cowered, Shields endeavored to maintain some semblance of pressure on the guerrillas, making thirteen expeditions during July and August. None of these operations went more than ten miles from Santa Cruz, which, like Boac, was down to about twenty-five percent of its pre-occupation population. Protected by the people and the island's difficult topography, Abad easily avoided Shields. In August, however, Shields made some headway on the civil front, organizing the election of a pro-American mayor and arresting twenty-five civilians on charges of aiding the guerrillas.

"On 11 September, Shields decided to take advantage of a visit by the gunboat U.S.S. Villalobos. Leaving Lieutenant Wilson and forty-one men to hold Santa Cruz, he loaded fifty-one enlisted men, a hospital corps-man, and his black servant onto the gunboat and sailed to Torrijos, disembarking that evening. The next day he had his first contact with insurgent forces since his company had been on the island, dispersing a band of twenty guerrillas and destroying their cuartel.

"On the thirteenth, Shields led his detachment into the mountains with the intention of returning to Santa Cruz. Well informed about Shields's movements, Abad had concentrated nearly his entire force of approximately 250 riflemen and 2,000 bolomen along a steep ridge overlooking the trail. Shields walked right into the ambush. A fire fight ensued for several hours before Shields ordered a retreat into a covered ravine. What began as a slow withdrawal quickly turned into a race down a rocky stream bed, as the Americans scrambled to escape the pincers that were moving to surround them. After retreating for about three and a half miles, the beleaguered detachment entered a rice field near the barrio of Massiquisie (Masagisi). Here renewed enemy fire forced the Americans to take cover behind some paddy dikes. Shields fell seriously wounded.

"After ordering that a message be passed to the senior NCO, Sergeant James A. Gwynne, to lead the command out of the closing trap, Shields raised a white flag to surrender himself and the other wounded. The insurgents thought the flag meant that the command was surrendering. So too did Gwynne, who later claimed never to have received the escape order, and thus the entire force lay down its arms. All told, the Insurgents killed four Americans and captured fifty, six of whom, including Shields, were wounded. Shields later claimed that the Filipinos lost thirty dead, though this number was never confirmed.

"After months of hiding, Abad in a few short hours had destroyed nearly a third of the entire American garrison on Marinduque.”

Recognizing the Battle of Pulang Lupa:

While the Battle of Pulang Lupa is not mentioned in Philippine History textbooks, it has been commemorated annually in Marinduque since 1965.

The Battle of Pulang Lupa was first celebrated in Marinduque on September 13, 1965, during the incumbency of President Diosdado Macapagal, with Miguel Manguera as governor of Marinduque.

The event was then known at that time in press releases as “Marinduque Day” by virtue of Macapagal’s Proclamation 435. The following year, under President Ferdinand Marcos (under Proclamation No. 104), September 13 was likewise declared as a special public holiday in Marinduque the more to inspire the people "to greater deeds for their country".

A similar Proclamation No. 2306 s. 1983 was issued by Marcos declaring a special public holiday in Marinduque to commemorate the heroism of our forefathers in the 'Battle of Pulang Lupa'.

During the Second Regular Session of Congress (1988), however, Republic Act No. 6702 was passed, an Act declaring September Thirteen as “Battle of Pulang Lupa Day” and a Special Non-Working Holiday in the Province of Marinduque. This was sponsored by then Cong. Carmencita O. Reyes and was finally passed on September 22, 1988 (by Congress) and December 2, 1988 (by Senate) respectively. The Act lapsed after the prescribed period and came into force without the signature of President Corazon C. Aquino.

Truth about the war in Marinduque nobody here wants to talk about and many want to just forget

William H. Taft's meeting with leading citizens to establish a provincial government was held in this house, the Piroco Mansion in the town of Boac that was gutted by fire last year, 2018. Photo courtesy of Bernardo Arellano

The 119th anniversary of the Battle of Pulang Lupa that occurred in Torrijos, Marinduque will be commemorated on Friday, Sept 13, 2019. It's a special non-working holiday in the province. In that battle Marinduqueno soldiers engaged the American forces in a running battle that ended in Masaguisi, Sta. Cruz, Marinduque where the foreign troops surrendered -two-thirds of the entire US army in Marinduque. 

Environment Secretary, Gen. Roy A. Cimatu AFP (Ret.) will be the guest of honor. Governor Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr. and Cong. Lord Allan Velasco will lead the wreath-laying ceremonies. "Handog-Titulo' or the distribution of land titles to farmers is one of the highlights of the program.

But did you know that a couple of months after the September battle, the entire island of Marinduque became the site of US atrocities? That the island's six towns became the setting for the first-ever concentration camps in the Philippines as a tactic to subdue the inhabitants and cause the surrender of all Filipino soldiers?

This Marinduque story is prominently told in the book, "The Ruling Elite: The Zionist Seizure of World Power" by Deanna Spingola. Maniwala baya.

Excerpt:

“After touring the islands, Commissioner William Howard Taft wrote to the war secretary on February 24, 1901, regarding Smith’s concentration campaign and destruction, the “work of pacification” on Marinduque. He said, “The severity with which the inhabitants have been dealt with would not look well if a complete history of it were written out”…

“On March 15, 1901, Taft visited Marinduque with other members of the Philippine Commission in order to establish civilian governments. The commission met with leading citizens, who were now docile and willing to accept the commission’s dictates. It planned to install a provincial government by May if Marinduque remained peaceful. Taft manipulated the people by threatening to use the army’s concentration tactics on those who even thought of resisting US sovereignty.

“US forces captured Emilio Aguinaldo on March 23, 1901, and some of his forces soon surrendered their weapons. General MacArthur convinced him to surrender and to swear allegiance to the US… On April 29, 1901, Smith proclaimed the end of the insurrection on Marinduque. He terminated the concentration policy and allowed the citizens to return to their homes. He said, “That the misfortunes and desolations of war be soon forgotten under the new conditions of peace.” The inhabitants left the filthy, overcrowded camps and returned to their homes to plant a new crop before the beginning of the rainy season. Marinduque’s population never again took up arms against America.

“Between April 1900 and April 1901, the army had conducted 142 operations on Marinduque. US losses totaled eight dead, nineteen wounded, and forty-five captured. The army verified forty-eight Filipino deaths and sixteen wounded. The United States had captured about 1,800 Filipino men. Fatalities on Marinduque exceeded many more than those hit by bullets. The army had destroyed the majority of the homes outside of the six concentration zones. They had slaughtered about 3 percent of Marinduque’s cattle, 4 percent of its caribou, and 17 percent of its ponies. By mid-1901, citizens had to import rice in order to survice. Before the US invasion, they had been a major rice exporter…”

Pulang Lupa Trivia: Cong Lord Allan Quinto Velasco is fourth-gen descendant of Lucio Quinto, presidente municipal of Torrijos during Fil-Am War

"Two days later on September 13, 1900, Abad (who had very good intelligence on the movement of Shields) positioned his men along a steep ridge overlooking the trail which Shields would soon cross. Both Shields and his men had little combat experience and easily fell into the trap. Abad and his 250 soldiers opened fire on the column, which led to a fire-fight that lasted for several hours. Meanwhile, as the Americans and Philippine riflemen exchanged fire, the large force of Filipino bolomen began maneuvering to surround the Americans."

Who provided good intelligence? The Presidente Municipal of Torrijos, Lucio Quinto.

 Congressman Lord Allan Quinto Velasco is a fourth-generation scion of the (Lucio) Quinto-Marquez family.

Key to the Filipino victory at the Battle of Pulang Pula was the participation of local revolutionists in Torrijos, led by Lucio Quinto. He was the Presidente Municipal of Torrijos at that time, providing Abad with vital information on the movement of the Americans and in helping Abad execute his plans by supplying rifle and bolo-carrying men from Torrijos. 

The association between Abad and Quinto remained even after Abad’s surrender to the American forces in April 1901.

The American Army believed that the guerillas might have had up to 300 weapons, including the arms taken from Shield’s party by the guerillas, yet by mid-1901 the Army had recovered only 186 rifles and 12 revolvers.

We will also find the following entry (above) from the Report of Philippine Commission on the Constabulary Force in Marinduque and its arrest in 1902 of Lucio Quinto, Maximo Abad, Pedro Lardizabal and others:

“In the month of January 1902, 25 rifles were found hidden away in the hills and guarded by two ex-insurgency soldiers. These rifles were found by Inspector Schuetz. Inspector Smith made a thorough investigation which resulted in the arrest of the clerk of court of first instance, an ex-colonel of insurgents named Maximo Abad, he being implicated the deepest, and Pedro Lardizabal, an ex-major of insurgents, Ramon Revilla, Victor Revilla, and Estanislao Pernia, ex-insurgent soldiers, and the president of Torrijos, Lucio Quinto.

“Inspector Smith had a very difficult time in getting evidence against these men, as all the natives seemed to be impeding every effort of his, and the justice of the peace preferred counter charges against him. However, all of those arrested were convicted by the court of first instance and received sentences of from one to ten years for sedition.”

Lucio Quinto married Viviana Marquez and they had nine children, the oldest surviving daughter, Estefania Q. del Mundo passed away a few years ago.

What the Battle of Pulang Lupa is all about

Video: Philippine-American War in Marinduque 1900.-1901. Historical photos and footages on the commemoration of the Battle of Pulang Lupa in Marinduque. Featuring "Awit sa Pulang Lupa" written and composed by Eli J. Obligacion, with Teatro Balangaw and Marinduque Provincial Capitol Choir..

Battle of Pulang Lupa, September 13, 1900

From 1899-1901 during the Philippine American War there were numerous encounters between Philippine and American Forces. In seven of the engagements where Filipinos had the upper hand that spelled victory, two of them occurred in the island of Marinduque. (These were the Battle of Paye, and the Battle of Pulang Lupa).

The other Filipino victories took place in the Battle of San Mateo (Morong), Siege of Catubig (Samar), Battle of Makahambos Hill, Battle of Mabitac, Battle of Balangiga (Samar).

The Battle of Pulang Lupa, however, is considered a milestone in Philippine History. This was the engagement that sent shock waves through the American high command and was considered the worst defeat suffered by the Americans during that war.

This battle however, led to the first application in the Philippines of concentration camps in the island’s town centers, a highly coercive measure that finally led to the surrender of the Filipino soldiers led by Lt. Col. Maximo Abad with his remaining men on April 15, 1901.

The success of this population concentration first experimented in Marinduque was then applied to other provinces in the country including Batangas, Laguna and Samar.

Of the harshness and hardships suffered by the people of Marinduque, Gov. Gen. William H. Taft, future U.S. president said: “The severity with which the inhabitants have been dealt with would not look well if a complete history were written out”.

Some details of that history appears in The U.S. Army's Pacification of Marinduque, Philippine Islands, April 1900-April 1901 by Andrew J. Birtle.

On the Battle of Pulang Lupa that took place on September 13, 1900, Birtle wrote in part:

“While the Boac garrison cowered, Shields endeavored to maintain some semblance of pressure on the guerrillas, making thirteen expeditions during July and August. None of these operations went more than ten miles from Santa Cruz, which, like Boac, was down to about twenty-five percent of its pre-occupation population. Protected by the people and the island's difficult topography, Abad easily avoided Shields. In August, however, Shields made some headway on the civil front, organizing the election of a pro-American mayor and arresting twenty-five civilians on charges of aiding the guerrillas.

"On 11 September, Shields decided to take advantage of a visit by the gunboat U.S.S. Villalobos. Leaving Lieutenant Wilson and forty-one men to hold Santa Cruz, he loaded fifty-one enlisted men, a hospital corps-man, and his black servant onto the gunboat and sailed to Torrijos, disembarking that evening. The next day he had his first contact with insurgent forces since his company had been on the island, dispersing a band of twenty guerrillas and destroying their cuartel.

"On the thirteenth, Shields led his detachment into the mountains with the intention of returning to Santa Cruz. Well informed about Shields's movements, Abad had concentrated nearly his entire force of approximately 250 riflemen and 2,000 bolomen along a steep ridge overlooking the trail. Shields walked right into the ambush. A fire fight ensued for several hours before Shields ordered a retreat into a covered ravine. What began as a slow withdrawal quickly turned into a race down a rocky stream bed, as the Americans scrambled to escape the pincers that were moving to surround them. After retreating for about three and a half miles, the beleaguered detachment entered a rice field near the barrio of Massiquisie (Masagisi). Here renewed enemy fire forced the Americans to take cover behind some paddy dikes. Shields fell seriously wounded.

"After ordering that a message be passed to the senior NCO, Sergeant James A. Gwynne, to lead the command out of the closing trap, Shields raised a white flag to surrender himself and the other wounded. The insurgents thought the flag meant that the command was surrendering. So too did Gwynne, who later claimed never to have received the escape order, and thus the entire force lay down its arms. All told, the Insurgents killed four Americans and captured fifty, six of whom, including Shields, were wounded. Shields later claimed that the Filipinos lost thirty dead, though this number was never confirmed.

"After months of hiding, Abad in a few short hours had destroyed nearly a third of the entire American garrison on Marinduque.”

Recognizing the Battle of Pulang Lupa:

While the Battle of Pulang Lupa is not mentioned in Philippine History textbooks, it has been commemorated annually in Marinduque since 1965.

The Battle of Pulang Lupa was first celebrated in Marinduque on September 13, 1965, during the incumbency of President Diosdado Macapagal, with Miguel Manguera as governor of Marinduque. 

The event was then known at that time in press releases as “Marinduque Day” by virtue of Macapagal’s Proclamation 435. The following year, under President Ferdinand Marcos (under Proclamation No. 104), September 13 was likewise declared as a special public holiday in Marinduque the more to inspire the people "to greater deeds for their country".

A similar Proclamation No. 2306 s. 1983 was issued by Marcos declaring a special public holiday in Marinduque to commemorate the heroism of our forefathers in the 'Battle of Pulang Lupa'. 

During the Second Regular Session of Congress (1988), however, Republic Act No. 6702 was passed, an Act declaring September Thirteen as “Battle of Pulang Lupa Day” and a Special Non-Working Holiday in the Province of Marinduque. This was sponsored by then Cong. Carmencita O. Reyes and was finally passed on September 22, 1988 (by Congress) and December 2, 1988 (by Senate) respectively. The Act lapsed after the prescribed period and came into force without the signature of President Corazon C. Aquino.

Flag of Marinduque Revolutionary Forces under the command of Col. Maximo Abad

Talking about Philippine revolutionary flags such as that of Andres Bonifacio, did you know that our Battle of Pulang Lupa Hero, Col. Maximo Abad led the Marinduque Revolutionary Forces with his own flag?

Col. Maximo Abad (left) with
Capt. Teofilo Roque beside him.

The present whereabouts of the Abad flag is still being investigated, unlike the 'personal flag' of Andres Bonifacio that is currently up for auction. The planned auction is however being stopped as a local legislator has stressed that under Section 7 of RA No. 10086 creating the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), "to acquire important historical documents, collections, memorabilia and other objects that have significant value" is a mandate of the said Commission.

“Heritage memorabilia and other historical articles must be acquired by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) on behalf of the government for posterity rather than allowing them to be auctioned to private collectors, with the possibility that these historical articles will go to foreigners or foreign places beyond the access and appreciation of generations of Filipinos,” the legislator, Rep. Edcel Lagman said.

Flag of the Marinduque Revolutionary Forces under the command of Col. Maximo Abad.

Abad’s flag was the flag of the Marinduque Revolutionary Forces under his command. It was captured by the American forces in Marinduque in 1901 and is described as “a field flag measuring 18x30 inches. Its colors are red, white and blue with but two bars and a triangle white. In the triangle are handpainted characters representing the sun, surrounded by three large stars, which are black. The material of the flag is ordinary bunting”.

The above drawing is one version only of the flag posted by watawat.net based on a written description. 

Information about the flag came to the knowledge of local historical researcher, Curtis Shepard, and was shared with this blogger a couple of years ago. Shepard maintains a blog, ulongbeach.com devoted to publication of research materials on Marinduque's past. His investigations continue.

US confirms plan to return Balangiga bells to Philippines

"Ibalik niyo sa amin ang mga kampana ng Balangiga. Sa amin iyan. Ang mga iyan ay pag-aari ng Pilipinas. Bahagi ng aming pamanang pambansa," ("Give us back those Balangiga bells. They are ours. They belong to the Philippines. They are part of our national heritage,"). President Rodrigo R. Duterte SONA 2017, July 24, 2017.

Lookback: Before turning Samar into a 'howling wilderness' US first mastered the technique in MARINDUQUE by establishing concentration camps in all the towns, burning houses by the hundreds (in one account 324 houses were burned in just one town in five days), burning tons and tons of rice so the people would go hungry, killing cattle, carabaos, horses and treating males 15 years old up as enemies. Some 600 males were taken to Polo island in Sta. Cruz as prisoners. In Samar it was worse, 'Kill everyone over 10' was the order. 

But of the Marinduque experiment Gov.Gen. William H. Taft said: 'The severity with which the inhabitants have been dealt with would not look well if a complete history of it were written out.'

MANILA, Philippines — Taken as war booty by American soldiers more than a century after they last tolled to signal an attack on their comrades, the Balangiga bells may finally return home.

The United States embassy in Manila yesterday confirmed the intention of the US Defense Department to return the Balangiga bells to the Philippines.

Trude Raizen, the embassy’s deputy press attaché, said Defense Secretary James Mattis has notified the US Congress of their intention to return the bells more than a century after they were removed by US soldiers from the church of Balangiga town, Eastern Samar in 1901.

“No specific date has been identified for the return of the bells. We’ve received assurances that the bells will be returned to the Catholic Church and treated with the respect and honor they deserve,” Raizen told The STAR.

“We are aware that the Bells of Balangiga have deep significance for a number of people, both in the United States and in the Philippines,” she added.

The return of the Balangiga bells was among the constant demands of President Duterte from the US government.

On Friday, prominent Eastern Visayas historian Rolando Borrinaga shared initial information about the possible return of the bells.

He cited Bellevue, Nebraska Mayor Rita Gomez Sanders, a Filipino-American, who heard of the news from her district congressman.

Borrinaga said the announcement was apparently made to time with the fiesta of San Lorenzo de Martir in Balangiga last Friday.

Asked why Mattis has to notify the US Congress of their intention, Borrinaga said concurrence of the legislators is necessary as provided for in the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2018.

“I think the lobbying for the concurrence would not be as ‘bloody’ as the lobbying for inclusion of the provisions to return the bells in the NDAA 2018,” he told The STAR yesterday.

The ringing of the bells signaled an attack by Filipino guerillas on US troops belonging to the 9th US Infantry Regiment. The attack killed 48 US soldiers, including their commander.

In retaliation, Gen. Jacob Smith ordered troops sent on a punitive mission to turn Samar into a “howling wilderness.” The US soldiers set the town on fire and killed all Filipinos 10 years old and above or those fit enough to carry a rifle, as ordered by Smith. The operation left more than 2,500 Filipinos dead.

One of the bells is currently in the possession of the 9th Infantry Regiment in South Korea, while the other two are in F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

It was in 1994 during the Ramos administration that a request for the return of the bells was first made. No action was taken on Ramos’ request, which was repeated in 1996.

In 2012, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead wrote a letter to then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then Defense Secretary Leon Panetta opposing the return of the bells.- Philstar

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Balangiga Bells at kung paanong ipinatupad muna sa Marinduque ang ginawa sa Samar ng mga Kano