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Melchora Aquino y de Ramos (January 6, 1812 – March 2, 1919) was raised by

prosperous farmer parents, Juan Aquino and Valentina de Aquino, at Banlat,


Balintawak, Quezon City. She was well known as a great Filipino Revolutionist
against the Spanish colonizers. She earned the name “Tandang Sora” for being an
elderly mother to the Katipueros, that despite her old age, she still managed to fight
for independence.
The following are 10 interesting information about Tandang Sora.

Rizal's Life, Works, and Writings: Online Syllabus and Articles

1. According to history, she never attended school because of financial inability.


What’s amazing though is that despite her being unschooled, she was noticeably
literate and highly intelligent, which was observed even during her very young age.
(pinoyforum.com)

2. She had a talent in singing and was very well known for singing at the mass. She
was also often chosen for the role of “Reyna Elena” during the "Santacruzan".
(biography.yourdictionary.com)

3. Tandang Sora was married to Fulgencio Ramos, a village chief in their town, and
was gifted with six children. After her hubby died, she continued her life as being a
single parent to her children. (en.wikipilipinas.org)

4. After her partner died, Tandang Sora took care of the business he left and strived
hard to provide her children good education. She became active in organizing
celebrations like baptisms, fiestas, and weddings. (en.wikipedia.org)

5. In the Philippine Revolution, she made her home open for the revolutionists, which
served as safe haven for sick and injured. (tagaloglang.com)

6. Her good morality when she treated the Katipunan was also an essential recipe
for Katipueros’ success. She provided support to them by lending them their
necessities and serving them with all her capability. (topblogs.com.ph)

7. Her great service to the Katipuneros gave her a prestige of being known by many
titles such as "Grand Woman of the Revolution", "Mother of Balintawak", and most
remarkably “Mother of Katipunan”. (biography.yourdictionary.com)
8. Spanish authorities were able to get through her whereabouts. While being a
captive, she was interrogated but refused to disclose any information about her
compatriots. As a result, she was thrown by the civil guards to prison and was
deported to Guam, Marianas Islands. (en.wikipilipinas.org)

9. Even when struggling because of her old age (she was already 84 when the
Philippine Revolution broke out), she effectively served her fellowmen in the midst of
revolution outbreak. (pinoyforums.com)

10. Despite being recognized as a great contributor to the Philippine’s victory against
the Spaniards, Melchora Aquino refused to accept any material recognition from the
government and decided to live even with great poverty. (tagaloglang.com)

Melchora Aquino is indeed a remarkable Filipino figure in the Philippine History.


Maybe we know just few information about her, and I hope this article helps us to
know her better and her exceptional contributions in attaining independence.

known as Tandang Sora


the Mother of Katipunan
aided ailing Katipuneros before and during the revolution
born January 6, 1812 in Banilad, Caloocan
died March 2, 1919
Melchora Aquino (Tandang Sora)
One of our most famous heroine in Philippine history was born in Banilad, Caloocan
on January 6, 1812. Melchora Aquino is better known as Tandang Sora, because
she was already old when the revolution broke out in 1896. She had very little
education, but she had all the qualities of a literate person.
Tandang Sora was tending a small sari-sari store in Balintawak, when Bonifacio and
other Katipuneros staged the first Cry of Balintawak that started the revolution. Her
store became a refuge for sick and wounded Katipuneros whom the old lady fed,
treated and encouraged with her motherly advice and prayers. She was aptly called
the "Mother of Katipunan." Soon. the Spaniards learned about her activities, so they
arrested her and she was sentenced to be exiled to the Marianas islands.
When the Americans took possession of the Philippines in 1898, Tandang Sora, like
other exiles returned to the Philippines, poor and aging. For a time, she lived with her
daughter Saturnina.
On March 2, 1919, she died at the age of 107.

Andres Bonifacio
Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (November 30, 1863 – May 10, 1897) was a Filipino
revolutionary leader and one of the main leaders of the Philippine Revolution against
Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century. He is regarded as the "Father of the
Philippine Revolution" and one of the most influential national heroes of his country.
A Freemason, Bonifacio was the leading founder of the Katipunan organization
which aimed to start an independence movement against Spain.

Death
Bonifacio then set out to install a rival government several days later in Naik, drawing
up documents of his own. As a countermeasure, the government under Aguinaldo
ordered the arrest of Bonifacio. In the following skirmish, his camp was surrounded,
Ciriaco, one of his brothers was killed and Bonifacio was wounded in the arm and in
the neck, though eyewitness accounts on Bonifacio's side attest that he did not fight
back himself. He and his other brother Procopio were captured, and his wife
narrowly escaped rape. Weak and lying on a stretcher, he was brought to Naik,
where he stood trial, accused of treason against the government and conspiring to
murder Aguinaldo.

Bonifacio was found guilty and recommended to be executed along with his brother.
Aguinaldo commuted the sentence to deportation on May 8, 1897, but two generals,
both former supporters of Bonifacio, upon learning of this, persuaded him to
withdraw the order to preserve unity among the revolutionaries. They were
supported by other leaders. The Bonifacio brothers were executed on May 10, 1897
in the mountains of Maragondon.
Revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was born March 23, 1869 in Cavite,
Philippines. In 1898 he achieved independence of the Philippines from Spain and
was elected the first president of the new republic under the Malolos Congress. He
also led the Philippine-American War against U.S. resistance to Philippine
independence. He died of a heart attack on February 6, 1964 in Quezon City,
Philippines.

Early Life
Emilio Aguinaldo was born March 23, 1869 in Kawit, Cavite, Province, Philippines.
Nicknamed Miong, he was the seventh of eight children. His parents were of
Chinese and Tagalog descent. His father, Carlos, died when Aguinaldo was just nine
years old. Widowed, his mother, Trinidad, sent him to attend public school in Manila.
After graduating from the University of Santo Thomas in Manila, Aguinaldo returned
home to Kawit, where he developed a growing awareness of Filipino frustration with
Spanish colonial rule.
While serving as the head of barter in Manila, he joined the Pilar Lodge chapter of
the Freemasonry in 1895. The Freemasonry was a government- and church-banned
resistance group. It was through his role as municipal captain of this fraternity that
Aguinaldo met Andres Bonifacio, a key figure in the fight to overthrow Spanish rule.
Independence From Spain
Eager to fight for the cause of Philippine independence, in 1895 Aguinaldo took up
with a secret society of revolutionaries headed by fellow lodge member Andres
Bonifacio. When a rival faction executed Bonifacio in 1897, Aguinaldo assumed total
leadership of the revolution against Spain.
By December 1897, Aguinaldo had managed to reach the Truce of Biak-na-Bato with
Spain. He and his rebels agreed to a surrendering of arms and accepted exile to
Hong Kong in exchange for amnesty, indemnity and liberal reform. However, neither
side kept up their end of the bargain. The Spanish government did not deliver in full
all that was promised, and the rebels did not truly surrender arms. In fact,
Aguinaldo's revolutionaries used some of Spain's financial compensation to
purchase additional arms for the resistance. From Hong Kong, Aguinaldo also made
arrangements to assist Americans fighting against Spain in the Spanish-American
War. As neither peace nor independence had been achieved, in 1898 Aguinaldo
returned to the Philippines to resume his rebellion against Spanish rule.
Back in Cavite, Aguinaldo forcibly set up a provisional dictatorship. After meeting with
the Malolos Congress and drafting a constitution for a new republic, on June 12,
1898, Aguinaldo at last declared Philippine independence. Announced from his home
town of Kawit, Aguinaldo's proclamation put an end to four centuries of Philippine
oppression under Spanish Colonial rule. In January of the next year, dressed in a
white suit at Barasoain Church in Malolos City, Aguinaldo was sworn in as the first
president of the new, self-governed Philippine republic.
Philippine-American War
The United States, however, was not eager to accept the Philippines' new
government. While the U.S. and Spain had been fighting the Spanish-American War,
the Philippines had been ceded by Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris
in December 1898.
Just two weeks after Aguinaldo's inauguration, an American sentry killed a Philippine
soldier stationed at the San Juan Bridge, in a gesture of resistance against the
newfound Philippine independence. On February 4, 1899, the Philippine-American
War exploded into action. Aguinaldo's revolutionaries quickly resorted to guerilla
tactics, resulting in one of the bloodiest wars in American history, but in little direct
progress for Aguinaldo and his cause. Concerning the apparent futility of his efforts
in war, Aguinaldo said, "I saw my own soldiers die without affecting future events."
After three years at war, Aguinaldo was captured by American General Frederick
Funston on March 23, 1901. After swearing an oath of allegiance to the United
States, on April 19, 1901, Aguinaldo officially declared peace with the United States.
By this time, the United States was ready support Philippine independence. Friendly
relations, along with an American civil government, were established. Aguinaldo
retreated to a private life as a farmer but never forgot the men who fought alongside
him.
In their honor, he would later establish the Veterans of the Revolution, an
organization that arranged their pensions, as well as affordable payment plans for
land purchases.
Aguinaldo took another stab at politics when he ran for presidency in 1935 against
Manuel Quezon but lost. In 1950 he became a presidential advisor on the Council of
State.
Death
Emilio Aguinaldo died of a heart attack at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Quezon
City, Philippines, on February 6, 1964. His private land and mansion, which he had
donated the prior year, continue to serve as a shrine to both the revolution for
Philippine independence and the revolutionary himself.

Gabriela Silang
Who is Gabriela Silang
Did you know Gabriela Silang?

Today, March 19, (2012) is the 281st birth anniversary of Gabriela Silang, known as
the first Filipino woman to lead an uprising against a foreign power. She
accompanied her husband, Diego Silang, during his revolt against the Spanish
government and upon his death, took command of the rebel forces. She was
eventually captured and publicly hanged on Sept. 20, 1763.—Schatzi Quodala,
Inquirer Research

María Josefa Gabriela Cariño Silang (March 19, 1731 – September 20, 1763)

Gabriela Silang was the wife of the Ilocano insurgent leader, Diego Silang. Following
Diego's assassination in 1763, she led the group for four months before she was
captured and executed.

Born in Barangay Caniogan, Santa, Ilocos Sur, Silang was a mestiza, of Spanish and
Ilocano descent. The people of Abra do claim she was born in what is now Pidigan,
Abra (those two places are not far from each other, and Abra was not incorporated
as a province until early in the 20th century). She was adopted by a very wealthy
businessman Tomás Millan, who later married her at the age of 20, but died after
three years. In 1757, she re-married, this time to 27-year-old Ilocano insurgent
leader, Diego Silang.

The groups’ goal was to ensure an independent Ilocos. She became one of his
closest advisors, whenever the troops battle, Gabriela always went with them to give
support and help with the battle, a major figure in her husband's collaboration with
the British and the brief expulsion of Spanish officials from Vigan, Ilocos Sur during
the British occupation of the Philippines.

Together with Nicolas Cariño, Sebatian Andaya and Manuel Flores, there she
regrouped her troops, and rallied the Tingguian community to fight. Gabriela’s troops
of 2000 fighters attacked the Spanish in Vigan on September 10, 1763. With a larger
number of the Spanish troops, the 6000 men strong Spanish garrison was ready,
with amassing Spanish, Tagalog, and Kapampangan soldiers, and Ilocano
collaborators recruited from other regions to ambush her and rout her forces. Many
were killed. She escaped, alongside Cariño and seven others, but were caught on
September 20, 1763. They were summarily hanged.
Apolinario Mabini
Images from Wikimedia Commons
MANILA, Philippines – In front of the National Library building in Ermita, Manila, are
statues of two prominent Filipino intellectuals. On the right of the building's
entranceway is the statue of a man who may not be connected with the National
Library's history, but is nonetheless an important figure in Philippine history.
It is a fitting tribute to Apolinario Mabini, aptly called "The Brains of the Revolution"
and "The Sublime Paralytic."
From his hammock and rattan chair, Mabini helped shape the Philippine Republic
under president Emilio Aguinaldo. Unable to fight on the battlefield due to paralysis in
both legs, Mabini instead used his brilliance through his written works to inspire
Filipinos in pursuing the struggle for Philippine independence.
Born on July 23, 1864, in Tanauan, Batangas, Mabini is the second of 8 children of
an illiterate peasant and a public market vendor. However, Mabini overcame poverty
and became a lawyer.
In 1898, he became Aguinaldo's chief adviser during the Philippine Revolution. He
was Prime Minister and Secretary of Foreign Affairs in Aguinaldo's Cabinet from
January to May 1899.
He was arrested by the Americans on December 1899 during the Philippine-
American War, and was exiled to the island of Guam in the Pacific in 1901. He
returned to the Philippines in 1903, but died months later due to cholera. He was 38.
(QUIZ: How well do you know Apolinario Mabini?)
In celebration of his 150th birth anniversary, here are more interesting facts on the
life and legacy of Apolinario Mabini.
1. Mabini's mother wanted him to be a priest.
In his memoir, La Revolucion Filipina (The Philippine Revolution), Mabini wrote that
his mother, Dionisia Maranan, aspired for him to be a priest.
But Mabini said that priesthood was not meant for him. He wrote, "I am, however,
convinced that the true minister of God is not one who wears a cassock, but
everyone who proclaims His glory by good works of service to the greatest possible
number of His creatures."
In 1894, he earned his law degree at the University of Santo Tomas, and admitted to
the bar the following year.
2. Syphilis did not cause Mabini’s paralysis.
Mabini was struck down by paralysis in early 1896. Perfoming an autopsy on
Mabini's remains almost a century later in 1980, doctors from the National
Orthopedic Hospital concluded that polio caused his paralysis.
According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, the syphilis rumor might have been started
by Mabini's detractors in government, who called him "The Dark Chamber of the
President" for having the ear of Aguinaldo as his adviser and thus being able to
persuade him on certain issues.
3. Mabini was a member of the reformist La Liga Filipina before joining the
revolution.
He joined the revived La Liga Filipina in 1893, and became the secretary of its
Supreme Council. The group advocated reforms in society and sought the audience
of the Spanish Cortes (legislature). It also helped finance the La Solidaridad in
Spain.
Mabini also joined a lodge of the Philippine Masonry. Using the nickname Katabay,
he became the Grand Orator of its Regional Grand Council.

His contribution in the field of Philippine History

The life of Apolinario Mabini is not that easy he became the right hand of
Emilio Aguinaldo where he was also considered as the most loyal employee and a
friend of him.In fact during the battle of Aguinaldo by the Spaniards he was the one
to appoint himself at the center of the battle .He is also known as the first major
general during the Presidential years of Emilio Aguinaldo.

He is a hero that is not easily to be forgotten by many Filipinos,because at the very


last part of his breath he dedicated his life to the Filipinos he disguised the Spanish
so that the Emilio wont lost his life and in order for them to attain independence
against the Spaniards .
Imagine living a life with this that is full of traumatic situation can you still risk your life
for the goodness of your countrymen?But this hero never look at for just himself
.instead hes looking forward for the brighter future of the Filipinos and for the next
generation.

Mabini began informal studies under his maternal grandfather, who was the village
teacher and his mother . Because he demonstrated uncommon intelligence, he was
transferred to a regular school owned by Simplicio Avelino, where he worked as a
houseboy, and also took odd jobs from a local tailor - all in exchange for free board
and lodging. He later transferred to a school conducted by the Fray Valerio
Malabanan, whose fame as an educator merited a mention in José Rizal's novel El
Filibusterismo.
In 1881 Mabini received a scholarship to go to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in
Manila. An anecdote about his stay there says that a professor there decided to pick
on him because his shabby clothing clearly showed he was poor. Mabini amazed the
professor by answering a series of very difficult questions with ease. His studies at
Letran were periodically interrupted by a chronic lack of funds, and he earned money
for his board and lodging by teaching children.

The 1896 Revolution


Believing that the Reform Movement still had a chance to achieve success, Mabini
did not immediately support the Philippine Revolution. He became part of the La Liga
Filipina wherein they would write instead of revolt and chose that they would rather
be a colony of Spain rather than having a big revolution for their freedom. When
José Rizal, part of the "La Liga Filipina", was executed in December that year,
however, he changed his mind and gave the revolution his wholehearted support.
In 1898, while vacationing in Los Baños, Laguna, Emilio Aguinaldo sent for him. It
took hundreds of men taking turns carrying his hammock to portage Mabini to Kawit.
Aguinaldo, upon seeing Mabini's physical condition, must have entertained second
thoughts in calling for his help.
Mabini was most active during the Spanish–American War when he served as the
chief adviser for General Aguinaldo after the Philippine Declaration of Independence
on June 12. He drafted decrees and edited the first ever constitution in Asia (the
Malolos Constitution) for the First Philippine Republic, including the framework of the
revolutionary government which was implemented in Malolos in 1899.

Prime Minister of the Philippines


Apolinario Mabini was appointed prime minister and was also foreign minister of the
newly independent dictatorial government of Aguinaldo on January 2, 1899.
Eventually, the government declared the first Philippine republic in appropriate
ceremonies on January 23, 1899. Mabini then led the first cabinet of the republic.
Mabini found himself in the center of the most critical period in the new country's
history, grappling with problems until then unimagined. Most notable of these were
his negotiations with Americans, which began on March 6, 1899. The United States
and the Philippine Republic were embroiled in extremely contentious and eventually
violent confrontations. During the negotiations for peace, Americans proffered Mabini
autonomy for Aguinaldo's new government, but the talks failed because Mabini’s
conditions included a ceasefire, which was rejected. Mabini negotiated once again,
seeking for an armistice instead, but the talks failed yet again. Eventually, feeling that
the Americans were not negotiating 'bona fide,' he forswore the Americans, rallied
the people, and supported war. He resigned from government on May 7, 1899.

Juan Luna
Juan Luna
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This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family
name is Luna and the second or maternal family name is Novicio.

Juan Luna
Juan Luna c. 1899

Born Juan Novicio Luna


October 23, 1857
Badoc, Ilocos Norte, Captaincy
General of the Philippines

Died December 7, 1899 (aged 42)


British Hong Kong

Known for Painting, drawing, sculpting

Notable Spoliarium, 1884,


work The Death of Cleopatra, 1881
El Pacto de Sangre, 1884
La Batalla de Lepanto, 1887
The Parisian Life, 1892
in museums:
National Museum of Fine Arts
Ayala Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Manila
Lopez Museum
Government Service Insurance
System
Malacañan Palace

Movement Romanticism, Realism

Juan Luna y Novicio (October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899), better known as Juan
Luna was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine
Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recognized
Philippine artists.
His winning the gold medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, along with the
silver win of fellow Filipino painter Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, prompted a
celebration which was a major highlight in the memoirs of members of
the Propaganda Movement, with the fellow Ilustrados toasting to the two painters'
good health and to the brotherhood between Spain and the Philippines.
Regarded for work done in the manner of the Spanish, Italian and French academies
of his time, Luna painted literary and historical scenes, some with an underscore of
political commentary. His allegorical works were inspired with classical balance, and
often showed figures in theatrical poses.
Contents
[hide]
1Biography
1.1Early life
1.2Travel abroad
1.3Artistic Career
1.4Marriage
1.5Murcia
1.6Final years
2Media portrayal
3See also
4References
5External links
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Born in the town of Badoc, Ilocos Norte in the northern Philippines, Juan N. Luna
was the third among the seven children of Joaquín Posadas Luna and Laureana
Ancheta Novicio-Luna. In 1861, the Luna family moved to Manila and he went
to Ateneo Municipal de Manila where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree. He
excelled in painting and drawing, and was influenced by his brother, Manuel N. Luna,
who, according to Filipino patriot José Rizal, was a better painter than Juan himself.
Luna enrolled at Escuela Nautica de Manila (now Philippine Merchant Marine
Academy) and became a sailor. He took drawing lessons under the illustrious
painting teacher Lorenzo Guerrero of Ermita, Manila. He also enrolled in
the Academy of Fine Arts (Academia de Dibujo y Pintura) in Manila where he was
influenced and taught how to draw by the Spanish artist Agustin Saez. Unfortunately,
Luna's vigorous brush strokes displeased his teacher and Luna was discharged from
the academy. However, Guerrero was impressed by his skill and urged Luna to travel
to Cubao to further pursue his work.
Travel abroad[edit]
In 1877 Manuel and Juan Luna traveled to Europe, where Manuel studied music and
Juan painting. Juan entered the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, where he
befriended the painter Don Alejo Vera. Luna was discontented with the style of
teaching in school and decided that it would be much better to work with Vera.
Vera brought him to Rome for some of his commissions, and Luna was exposed to
the art of the Renaissance painters. It was in 1878 when his artistic talents was
established with the opening of the first art exposition in Madrid which was called
the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Demonstration of Fine Arts). From
then on, Luna became engrossed in painting and produced a collection of paintings
that he exhibited in the 1881 Exposition.
In 1881, his La Muerte de Cleopatra (The Death of Cleopatra)[1][2] won him a silver
medal and came in second place. Luna's growing reputation as an artist led to
a pensionado(pension) scholarship at 600 pesos annually through the Ayuntamiento
of Manila. The condition was that he was obliged to develop a painting which
captured the essence of Philippine history which would then become the
Ayuntamiento's property.
Artistic Career[edit]

Juan Luna in his Paris studio.


In 1883 Luna started the painting demanded of him by the Ayuntamiento. In May
1884, he shipped the large canvas of the Spoliarium to Madrid for the year's
Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes. He was the first recipient of the three gold
medals awarded in the exhibition and Luna gained recognition among
the connoisseurs and art critics present. On June 25, 1884, Filipino and Spanish
nobles organized an event celebrating Luna's win in the exhibition. That evening,
Rizal prepared a speech for his friend, addressing the two significant things of his art
work, which included the glorification of genius and the grandeur of his artistic skills.
Luna developed a friendly relationship with the King of Spain and was later
commissioned by the Spanish Senate to paint a large canvas which was called
the La Batalla de Lepanto (The Battle of Lepanto).[3] He moved to Paris in 1885
where he opened his own studio and befriended Hidalgo. A year after, he finished the
piece El Pacto de Sangre (The Blood Compact) in accordance with the agreement
he had with the Ayuntamiento of Manila. Depicted in this piece was the blood
compact ceremony between the Datu Sikatuna, one of the lords in Bohol island, and
the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi.[4] It is now displayed in
the Malacañan Palace. He also sent two other paintings in addition to the one
required; the second canvas sent to Manila was a portrait of López de Legazpi
reconstructed by Luna from his recollection of a similar portrait he saw in the hall of
the Cabildo, and the third was of Governor-general Ramón Blanco y Erenas.
In 1887, Luna once again traveled back to Spain to enter in that year's Exposition
two of his pieces, the La Batalla de Lepanto and Rendición de Granada (Surrender
of Granada), which both won in the exhibition. He celebrated his triumph with his
friends in Madrid with Graciano López-Jaena delivered Luna a congratulatory
speech. Luna's paintings are generally described as being vigorous and dramatic.
With its elements of Romanticism, his style shows the influence
of Delacroix, Rembrandt, and Daumier.
Juan Luna masterpiece “¿A Do...Va la Nave?” sold for P46.8M at Makati auction.[5]
Marriage[edit]
On December 8, 1886, Luna married Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera, a sister of his
friend Felix and Trinidad Pardo de Tavera. The couple traveled to Venice and Rome
and settled in Paris. They had one son, whom they named Andrés, and a daughter,
Maria de la Paz, nicknamed Bibi, who died in infancy. Luna was fond of his wife.
However, the jealous Luna frequently accused Paz of having an affair with a certain
Monsieur Dussaq. Finally in a fit of jealousy, he killed his wife and mother-in-law and
wounded his brother-in-law, Felix, on September 22, 1892. He was arrested and
murder charges were filed against him.
Luna was acquitted of charges on February 8, 1893, on the grounds of a crime of
passion. Temporary insanity; the "unwritten law" at the time forgave men for killing
unfaithful wives.[6] He was ordered to pay the Pardo de Taveras a sum of one
thousand six hundred fifty one francs and eighty three cents, and an additional
twenty five francs for postage, in addition to the 1 Franc of claims for damages
("dommages-intérêts"). Five days later, Luna went to Madrid with his brother, Antonio
Luna, and his son, Andrés.
Murcia[edit]
A few years later, in October 1889, the artist travelled to southeast Spain, Murcia, as
contained in the news release at the time, was provisionally installed in Moratalla
where he made a portrait of the daughter of Juan Tamayo, an eminent man in this
town. Passing through Murcia gave two portraits of the Queen Regent had made to
the Provincial and City Council, respectively, and one of these was acquired by the
provincial body for five hundred seventy-five pesetas installed on top of the Hall of
Sessions of the Provincial Palace and then going to the presidential office in April
1932, one year after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic, enters as a
deposit Museum of Murcia along with several official portraits of royal iconography,
being included in the different inventories and catalogs without sufficient data or
references, just a terse "DJ.LUNA" as artistic attribution.
Final years[edit]
In 1894 Luna moved back to the Philippines and traveled to Japan in 1896, returning
during the Philippine Revolution of the Cry of Balintawak. Unfortunately, on
September 16, 1896, he and his brother Antonio Luna were arrested by Spanish
authorities for being involved with the Katipunan rebel army.[7] Despite his
imprisonment, Luna was still able to produce a work of art which he gave to a visiting
priest. He was pardoned by the Spanish courts on May 27, 1897 and was released
from prison and he traveled back to Spain in July.[8]:394 He returned to Manila in
November 1898.[8]:394 In 1898, he was appointed by the executive board of the
Philippine revolutionary government as a member of the Paris delegation which was
working for the diplomatic recognition of the República Filipina (Philippine Republic).
In 1899, upon the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1898),[9] Luna was named a
member of the delegation to Washington, D.C. to press for the recognition of
the Philippine government.
He traveled back to the Philippines in December 1899 upon hearing of the murder of
his brother Antonio by the Kawit Battalion in Cabanatuan. He traveled to Hong Kong
and died there on December 7, 1899 from a heart attack. His remains were buried in
Hong Kong and in 1920 were exhumed and kept in Andrés Luna's house, to be later
transferred to a niche at the Crypt of the San Agustin Church in the Philippines. Five
years later, Juan would be reinstated as a world-renowned artist and Peuple et Rois,
his last major work, was acclaimed the best entry to the Saint Louis World's Fair in
the United States.[10] Unfortunately some of his paintings were destroyed by fire in
World War II.

Sultan Kudarat, A Mindanao Hero, Mindanao's Most Powerful Ruler

Nine years after the coming of the Spanish colonizer and Captain General Miguel
Lopez de Legazpi to the Philippines, precisely, in the year 1580, Sultan Mohammad
Dipatuan Kudarat was born. This great Muslim leader ruled over his Sultanate of
Maguindanao (now Mindanao) in a span of 52 years (1619-1671). His career as a
ruler was considered one of the most colorful in Philippine history. He was married to
one of the daughters of Sultan Mawallil Wasit of the Sulu Archipelago, who ruled
over his sultanate during the early part of the 17th century. Sultan Kudarat was the
contemporary of both Raha Bongsu and the latter's son Sultan Salah Ud-Din
Bakhtiar. Sultan Kudarat died at the ripe age of 91 years.
Sultan Kudarat's domain was situated in the mainland of Mindanao covering what
are now known as the three Cotabato provinces, the provinces of Bukidnon and the
two Lanaos. Sultan Kudarat had also some ties with the Sulu Sultanate, he being the
son-in-law of Sultan Mawallil Wasit. His prestige and influence was not only confined
within his own domain. He was also widely known and respected in the ancient Sulu
Sultanate as far as Sabah. He was mainly influential in creating a pervading
consciousness of the Islam religion among the Muslim inhabitants of the different
sultanates reaching as far as the Moluccas. Sultan Kudarat was also titled Nasir
Uddin and in the 1650's he was recognized as the most powerful Muslim ruler in the
Philippines.
When Sultan Kudarat's father, Sultan
Buisan, died in 1602, he ascended to
the power as Ruler of the
Maguindanao Sultanate. During the
reign of his father, Mindanao
experienced the first attack of the
Spaniards. Sultan Kudarat himself had
armed encounters with the Spanish
conquistadors who wanted to wrest
from him the possession of his
sultanate. He successfully repulsed
them.
In the early part of the year
1637, Hurtado de Corcuera, Captain
and Governor General of the
Philippines, led personally the
(Sultan Mohammad Dipatuan Kudarat)
combined Spanish Indio forces and
attacked the Muslim citadel at Lamitan
near Lake Lanao. Sultan Kudarat with 2,000 native warriors met the enemy in what
was considered as the bloodiest and one of the biggest battles of his career. The
Muslim leader and his warriors including women and children, fought great vigor and
bravery, many of them heroically dying in the struggle. Kudarat sustained a bullet
wound in one arm, fought his way through the Spanish lines and escaped. His wife,
clasping her baby at her breast, also ran through the Spanish lines, jumped over a
cliff and eluded capture.
Sultan Kudarat rallied the other Muslim leaders to maintain their hold on the Islam
Faith and to defend their respective enclaves from foreign incursions. When some of
the Maranao chieftains collaborated with the Spaniards in the construction of a
walled fort in the midst of the Muslim settlements, he convened them at a place and
lectured to them emphasizing that they should realize the serious consequences of
their collaboration with the Spaniards.
It was known that Sultan Kudarat, in his lectures to his countrymen, had the power to
penetrate their innermost feelings. He said:
"What have you done? Do you realize what subjection would reduce you to? A
toilsome slavery under the Spaniards! Turn your eyes to the subject nations and look
at the misery to which such glorious nations had been reduced. Look at the Tagalogs
and the Visayans! Do you think that the Spaniards would consider you of better
stuff? Have you not seen how the Spaniards have trampled them under their feet?
Do you not see how they are obliged to work at the oars and at the factories
everyday with all their might and rigors? Can you tolerate anyone with a little
Spanish blood to beat you up and grasp the fruits of your labor? Allow yourselves
today and tomorrow you will be at the oars. I, at least, will be a pilot, the biggest
favor they will allow in a ship. Do not let their sweet words deceive you. Their
promises facilitate their deceits, which, little by little, will enable them to control
everything. Reflect on how they dishonored even the minor promises they made to
the heads of other nations until they had become masters of them all. See now what
is being done to these heads and how they are being led by a rod!"
It took about three hundred years to pass before due recognition and honors were
given to this very great and most valiant Muslim leader - Sultan Mohammad
Dipatuan Kudarat. To honor and glorify him, President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared
him a national hero to be enshrined in the National Hall of Fame side by side with the
other great national heroes for all generations to emulate.

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