“Plaza de los Heroes” is a memorial dedicated to the heroic sons and daughters of Cagayan de Misamis (the former name of Cagayan de Oro) who made sacrifices or shed their blood during the Philippine-American War at the turn of the 20th century or the year 1900. It is situated beside the office of Pueblo de Oro near Shoemart along Masterson Ave., Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro.
The defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War forced it to
sign with the United States the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, ending the war and ceding to
the latter Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. The United States
annexed the Philippines after paying Spain the sum of $20,000,000 as
compensation. Emilio Aguinaldo whose Filipino forces were instrumental in the
defeat of the Spaniards took the opportunity to proclaim the First Philippine Republic
and made himself the president. However, his authority was not recognized by
the Americans who now considered the Philippines under their rule. With a
fledgling government undermined with the presence of American forces who wanted
absolute control of the country, Aguinaldo declared war against the Americans
on June 2, 1899, and a full blown war followed.
In the province of Misamis and the town of Cagayan de
Misamis, the leaders of these places pledged their allegiance to the First
Philippine Republic after the defeat of the Spaniards. And torn between the
issues of their allegiance to Aguinaldo’s government and the American
occupation, civil officials and prominent citizens of Cagayan de Misamis met on
January 1, 1900 in Club Popular, the present day location of Saint Augustine
Maternity and General Hospital, to take a common stand on the matter. In that
meeting, they agreed to sign the Pact of Resistance to American colonial
rule.
American forces arrived in Cagayan de Misamis on March 30,
1900. Their presence created a tense situation where an armed confrontation
between them and Filipino forces in Cagayan de Misamis under Gen. Nicolas
Capistrano was inevitable. As expected, bloody battles happened between the two
forces in an area at Saint Augustine Cathedral on April 3, 1900, in Agusan Hill
on May 14, 1900 and in Makahambus Hill on June 4, 1900. In these battles many
Kagay-anon fighters were either killed or wounded.
The main feature of the memorial is the three trapezoid shaped concrete vertical slabs which are installed at an angle with each other. The slabs are inlaid with granite tiles on which the names of the Kagay-anon heroes of the war are inscribed in color gold. Those vertical structures stand on a concrete circular base, several lampposts adorn the structures. The memorial was inaugurated on June 4, 2004.
List of people in the memorial include those with surnames that are common or prominent in the city, and there are other surnames that are rarely borne among the populace at present. The list and other data that are found in the monument are said to be taken from the manuscript of Filomeno M. Bautista in his “Philippine Revolution of Misamis Oriental Province”.
Following are names and other information that are inscribed
in the memorial:
The Heroes in the Battle of Cagayan de
Misamis
Maj. Ramon Neri Liñan, Capt. Bernardino
Cabañeros, Capt. Clemente Chacon, Capt. Apolinar Pabayo, Lt. Pablo Lago, Lt.
Braulio Sacala, Lt. Florencio Zulueta, Doroteo Abalde, Eugenio Adubas, Fabian
Atingas, Enecerio Baaclo, Celedonio Baang, Francisco Baguchay, Juan Baguchay,
Doroteo Beja, Ciriaco Bongado, Doroteo Caingin, Emeterio Caingin, Juan Caingin,
Segundo Caingin, Juan Comendador, Cirilo Dacer, Potenciano Dakilog, Bartolome
Disalan, Gregorio Ebari, Jacinto Ebari, Lorenzo Ebari, Mariano Ebari, Silverio
Ebari, Pedro Echem, Fortunato Emano, Eulogio Esmadre, Benito Jabiniao,
Benedicto Labnao, Feliciano Liñan, Victoriano Lumban, Francisco Nacnac,
Francisco Natimdim, Casiano Neri, Casiano Oco, Cenon Pabayo, Eleno Pacapat,
Doroteo Pacheco, Evaristo Pacheco, Eugenio Pacheco, Mariano Pacheco, Doroteo
Pacturanan, Vicente Pacupat, Marcelino Paison, Miguil Pactain, Juan Salda,
Ambrosio Sambaan, Eustaquio Talaquig, Celedonio Wabe
Men
of the Mindanao Battalion
Lt. Jose Racines Roa, Sgt. Antonio Antig,
Sgt. Saturnino Neri, Blas Abas, Demetrio Almonia, Tomas Bajarla, Saturnino
Bugahat, Pablo But-an, Enecerio Dakut, Dalmacio Echem, Santos Maandig,
Inocencio Mabulay, Arcadio Mabalacad, Pedro Mongonoya, Crisanto Neri, Matias
Neri, Regalado Oco, Francisco Paasa, Eleno Pislong, Alejandro Ramonal, Braulio
Tabantaban, Pio Yare
Women of the Revolution
Arcadia Valenzuela and her troops of women
warriors from Lapasan, Cecilia Castañeda Capistrano, the “Inspiration of the
Revolution”, and Bartola, Anastacia and Placida Eblacas of Kibawe, Libona,
Bukidnon who treated and fed the revolutionaries.
The civilians in the revolution who gave
material and logistical support to the Kagay-anon warriors
Fabian
Abellanosa, Fausto Bandialan, Juan Bautista, Ramon Chaves, Toribio Chavez, Manuel
R. Corrales, Julian Eblacas, Paulino Eblacas, Quintino Eblacas, Isabelo
Gonzales, Hilario Mandar, Nicasio Nagales, Anastasio San Jose Neri, Policarpio
Neri, Vicente Neri, Mundo Reyes (Camiguin), Timoteo Baz, Placido Reyes
(Camiguin), Vicente Rivera, Pedro R. Roa, Alejo Seriña (Opol), Guillermo
Yacapin (Libona)
Financiers of the revolution
Tirso R.
Neri, Jose C. Roa, Cipriano A. Vamenta, Pio A. Roa
Heroes of the Battle of Agusan
Hill
1st
Company, Mindanao Battalion:
Capt. Vicente R. Roa, Lt. Nemesio Yamomo,
Sgt. Uldarico Akut, Sgt. Zosimo Roa, Cpl. Maximo Roa, Domingo Abanador,
Dionesio Abas, Edmidio Abejuela, Clemente Achas, Filomeno Achas, Gimeno Achas,
Pablo Achas, Filomeno Buzon, Fausto Cabacungan, Emeterio Cuares, Vicente
Dacubar, Juan Daumar, Sotero Daumar, Leoncio Echem, Pedro Echem, Juan German,
Inocencio Mabulay, Agapito Mabulay, Felix Mabulay, Silverio Mabulay, Pio Nana,
Canuto Quina, Santiago Raagas, Valeriano Raagas, Casiano Rabadan, Feliciano
Rabadan, Domingo Raloso, Andres Roa, Severino Sabalo, Felix Sabanal,
Herminigildo Sabanal, Benito Salcedo, Tomas Saco, Anastasio Santua, Guillermo
de la Serna, Pastor Soilon, Mateo Tabalon, Rafael Tabalon, Inocentes Ualo,
Enrique Ubaldo, Francisco Velez, Sixto
Velez, Alberto Villases, Marciano Yaminyamin
The Macheteros:
Doroteo
Abejo, Zoilo Alar, Fructuoso Emano, Lucas Emano, Francisco Ergina, Canuto
Galles, Basilio Jamil, Frutuoso Lagarit, Leon Lucaban, Alejandro Mologan, Juan
Pijo, Castor Soilon
The Heroes in the Battle
of Macahambus Hill June 4, 1900
Capt. Cruz Taal, Lt. Miguel Puano, Juan
Janola, Lucio Labitad, Gabino Lumindas, Apolinar Nacalaban
The officers
during the Philippine-American War in Cagayan de Misamis
Commander in Chief Gen.
Nicolas Capistrano
Aide de Camp 1st
Lt. Bernardino Neri
On Special Detail 2nd Lt. Juanito
Valmores
Secretary to the General Santiago del
Castillo
Asst. Commander in Chief Maj. Justo Gaerlan
Aide de Camp 2nd
Lt. Juan Roa Valdeconcha
Mindanao Battalion (All
Infantry)
Battalion Commander Maj. Apolinar
Velez
Aide de Camp 2nd
Lt. Clemente Chavez
1st Company
Commander Capt. Vicente R. Roa
Senior Officer 1st
Lt. Jose R. Roa
Junior Officer 2nd Lt.
Cruz Taal
2nd Company
Commander Capt. Gregorio Chacon
Senior Officer 1st Lt. Bernardino
Neri
Quarter Master
Chief Quarter Master Maj. Cayetano Pacana
Asst. Quarter Master Capt Fausto del
Prado
Admin Officer 1st Lt.
Filomeno Bacarrisas
Medical Corps
Chief Surgeon Capt. Sancho
Baviera
Asst. Surgeon 1st Lt. Vicente
Espedido
Cavalry Division
Commander 1st Lt.
Agripino Bautista
Asst. Commander 2nd Lt.
Jose Corrales
Non Commissioned Officer Sgt. Uldarico Akut
Macheteros
Battalion Commander Maj. Ramon N. Liñan
Asst. Commander Capt. Gil S. Pacana
1st Company Commander Capt. Apolinario
Pabayo
Asst. Commander Lt. Clemente Pabayo
2nd Company
Commander Capt. Zoilo Mercado
Asst. Commander Lt. Florencio Zulueta
3rd Company
Commander Capt. Anastasio
Pimentel
Asst. Commander Lt. Juan Waga
4th Company
Commander Capt. Bernardino
Cabañeros
Asst. Commander Lt. Pablo Lago
5th Company
Commander Capt. Tomas Olango
Asst. Commander Lt. Bernardo
Sacala
6th Company
Commander Capt. Pedro V.
Valdehueza
Asst. Commander Lt. Pedro Agapay
7th Company
Commander Capt. Clemente Chacon
Asst. Commander Lt. Eustaquio
Caballero
The memorial was constructed through the effort of the
following persons and entities: National Historical Institute, Mayor Vicente
Emano and the members of the City Council, Atty. Pureza N. Ramos, Agnes P.R.
Roa, Sandy Bass Sr., Thaddeus Bautista, Ramon Chaves and the Kagay-anon
Heritage Foundation.
Cagayan de Oro during the Philippine-American War (Part 1- The Battle of Cagayan de Misamis)
Cagayan de Oro during the Philippine-American War (Part 2- The Battle of Agusan Hill)
Cagayan de Oro during the Philippine-American War (Part 3- The Battle of Makahambus Hill)
Cagayan de Oro during the Philippine-American War (Part 4- American Victory)
Macahambus Cave and Gorge
Thanks for the article. Proud to see the name of my great grand father Señor Timoteo Baz again.
ReplyDeleteProud to see the names of my great grandfather Maj. Ramon Neri Liñan and Feliciano Liñan. Thanks for giving heritage honor of this war heroes.
ReplyDelete