When Legends Become History: The Case of the Battle of Agtawagon Hill

(The following is an excerpts from my study on local history entitled, Understanding Balete, an unpublished material, which I'm currently updating due to recent findings.)

The later decades of the 19th century saw the rise of nationalism in the whole archipelago. Historians (Constantino and Zaide for instance) claimed that the martyrdom of Catholic priests Frs. Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora served to awaken the dormant spirit of Filipino nationalism. Rizal himself a martyr, recognized the significance of this tragic event and thereby dedicated his second novel El Filibusterismo to those illustrious priests.

This growing consciousness for a Filipino nation is best exemplified when Bonifacio together with his friends organized the Katipunan on July 7, 1892. The manner of growth and the rapid spread of this secret society are but indications of this collective desire for freedom.

In the Aklan region, Iban and Del Castillo met no difficulty in recruiting for members to join the Revolution. In a very short span of time since they arrived from Manila (February 1897) they managed to organize the Katipunan in both sides of the Akean river highlighting it with the staging of the symbolic Pacto de Sangre on March 3, 1897 under a Dangkaean tree at Kungtang (Ochando). John Barrios (1998) related that more than 100 men had attended the event. He further claimed that in the three months long leadership of Iban and del Castillo they were able to enlist 1,000 members more or less for the Katipunan.

Although the leadership of Iban and Del Castillo was short-lived (Iban died as one of the 19 martyrs of Calivo on March 23, 1897 while Del Castillo was shot to death on March 17, 1897) the rural masses were able to maintain the struggle where they took it to the hills. This is a valid strategy considering the superior weapons of the guardia civiles and the arrival of casadores (Tagalogs) and Spanish soldiers led by Comandante Ricardo Monet from Manila through Batan.

Nicolas Prado (1952) noted that the seat of power of the remnants of the group of del Castillo in the eastern side of the Akean River during the later part of 1897 was at the hill of Makawiwili where Rafael Maraingan acted as General en jefe. Together with him were Manuel Bernaldo Almanas, the general en Brigada and Eustaquio Gallardo as General en divicion. They called their station Hipatora Central or Central Headquarters. This group was responsible for the ambush of the troops of Comandante Monet at Tinuptupan.

When Aguinaldo declared the Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 at Kawit, Cavite, the struggle for independence in Aklan raged on. Eugenio Fulgencio, et al. (1971) referred to a manuscript Actas by Julian Peñalosa, when they related of the raid by several groups of “insurrectos” led by Macario Lacson, Superiano Felizardo together with Rafael Maraingan and Cabibes (perhaps Commandante Macabebe which culminated with the burning of most of Batang on August 21, 1898 and the death of many casadores and 11 innocent people. It was said that many people fled following the defeat of Batang for fear of retribution from the Katipuneros.

Jose Parcon (1977) wrote in his unpublished Masteral Thesis of the arrival of Tagalog Katipuneros headed by Gen. Ananias Diocno at Navas sometime after the declaration of the Philippine Independence. Constantino (1975) however related that Visayan revolutionaries had already vanquished the Spanish forces in Antique and Capiz (Aklan included) before the expedition sent by Aguinaldo arrived.

The Tagalog Katipuneros arrived in Batan in 1899 and established a Revolutionary Government under the Philippine Republic. They were driven out by the joint forces of US Army, the newly organized Constabulary and Philippine Scouts nearing end of the Filipino-American War in 1902. Diocno and his men might have joined forces with that of Maraingan and Gallardo making his stronghold at Manaway, Dalipdip where he was earlier (March 17, 1901) cornered due a treachery.

In Balete, it was said that the remote and ragged hill of Oquendo was made into an evacuation site during the American campaign. It was also used by the Pulahanes coming from Lambunao and Passi as well as by the Maraingan and Gallardo group as route towards the hill of Agtawagon. It was said that the cannons displayed in front of the police station in Balete and that at Camp Pastor Martelino in Kalibo were relics taken from that hill – that it was used during a skirmish or battle against the Americans. Other old folks would assert though that it was used against the Spaniards. The saga of Agtawagon as a battle site where many guardia civiles and cassadores died was once related in a composo by Manuel Cortes.

On the other hand, Jose Dandoy claimed that there was no battle whatsoever that took place at Agtawagon. He narrated that it was only made into a station of the group led by Maraingan to while the moment but more so to draw power from hill that they believed to be enchanted. He related that this group upon notice proceeded to Mauebong where they staged an ambush against a band of casadores coming from Batan. Other than that the old folks in Balete seemed to have memory lapses as to what really took place in that majestic hill overlooking the town proper.

In Gama, an American captain (although popularly known as a general) C.E. Morton was hiding under the protection of Mariano Cortes for fear of getting caught by the insurrectos. Elkanah Babcock however did not mention such story in her A War History of the Sixth U.S. Infantry. Instead, she narrated that on February 9, 1901, seventy enlisted men of Company K of the 6th US Infantry under Lieutenants Nesbitt and Awl destroyed the town of Balete (misspelled as Balet) and had a skirmish with "insurgents" on the road. Then on June 17 of the same year, Nesbitt led thirteen men and went up the mountains capturing in the process one "ladrone."

During the World War II, the hill of Agtawagon did serve as the headquarters of the remnants of the 64th Infantry Regiment under the command of Maj. Jesus Jismundo. However, no battle took place in it this time.

In the late 1960's to early 1970's, a local transport operator painted the headboard of his minibus with the label, El Tiroteo de Agtawagon. His son intimated that his father had asked his elder sisters to construct in Spanish the phrase, "The Battle of Agtawagon", and did in turn came up with the now locally renown phrase. Such was its popularity then that unsuspecting callers easily assume that the noun "tiroteo" (from the verb tirotrear, meaning, to shoot at and from which the Visayan and Tagalog word Tiro is derived) means "battle" in English (Batalla is the Spanish word for Battle, while Guerra is for War) . Balete then commemorates it annually as its civil justification for sanctioning a religious fiesta in honor of St. Rafael the Archangel. Always shown in covers of souvenir programs, in streamers set up on arches or in stages during coronation programs is the phrase, "In commemoration of the _th anniversary of the Battle of Agtawagon" running vis-a-vis with the asseveration, "In honor of St. Rafael the Archangel." By 1996, all were frantic of preparing for its centenary comes the following year. The planners were envisioning a grand celebration but somebody reminded of revisiting the past so as to tell the next generation of the heroisms of their forebears.

So we revisited the past. We tried to hear the stories of old people (the oral history so to speak) while at the same time dug into the dusty bundles of manuscripts in some archives as there was no written history aside from those unsupported and unvalidated narratives found in souvenir programs. Having done, with some stories and manuscripts gathered, we ceased from pursuing that grandiose plan of celebrating the centennial of some alleged battle which supposedly took place at Agtawagon Hill.

So hard was this going back into the past that I've warned those who consider tracing this path that they ought to have the patience of Job, the persistence of Sisyphus and the dexterity of a Benitinanon. Nevertheless, we take heed of Socrates's advice that the unreflected life is not worth living and thus, no matter how hard the going, we keep on tracing our steps among the footprints of the fallen and the brave.