or campaign of persuasion is eternally imprinted in the nations combatant army. The blockade and the assaulting of a bastion, or
other stronghold, cherish the recount chronicles of any armed conflict. Time after the hostility is settled, the winner
and the loser, rekindle its history to resurrect the justifiable cause and the sacrifice
of their armies. In one instance, the Boxer
Rebellion of 1901 virtually diminished the episode in Peking, trying to ouster all
foreigners from China. It has accomplished
legendary dimensions and typified patriotism, heroism, and bravery under difficult
The assault of the
Spanish Garrison in Baler was one of those conflicts, and even though, brutal, epical,
heroic than the Boxer Rebellion, was rarely taken into account by the Spanish, the
Filipinos, or the Americans who took part in it. Maybe
that remissness was due to the fact that the war took place after the American military
took possession of the Philippines from Spain in August 1898. Or perhaps neither the major contenders, Spanish
and the Filipinos, would win their armed struggles against the United States.
No place in the
history of the Spanish integrity, honor, and patriotism for a lost cause, distinctly
manifests the event that took place in the east coast of Luzon.
Baler, located in
a horseshoe shape valley enclosed by mountain ranges of the Sierra Madre to the west and
the harborless shore of the Pacific Ocean to the east, is a desolate town. Access to this location is extremely difficult by
both land and sea, at certain times of the year almost impossible by sea. Impeded by this condition, there occurred an event
that indelibly marked the name Baler, in the history of the Spanish
colonial dominance for it was in Baler church where it all began. It was on this church, where Filipino insurgents
from 27 June 1898 to 2 June 1899, besieged the detachment of the Spanish army that lasted
for 337 days.
At that time, the
church was the most antiquated and valuable structure, and the universal hallmark of
Spanish authority in Baler. It was an
inelegant coral structure, scrawny and forlorn and overlooked. Nevertheless, this solitary shrine became the
sanctuary of the ablest heroic of Spanish sovereignty in the Island of Luzon. It was within the protection of its walls that a
detachment of Spanish soldiers took refuge. Although
haggard, starving, neglected, but nonetheless undefeated, it was where this army withstood
the siege under impossible circumstances for eleven months during the last days of the
Spanish and early days of the American takeover in the Philippines.
enactment and passage of the Pact of Biacnabato on 14 December 1897 and prior to leaving
as a self-imposed exile in Hong Kong, Aguinaldo issued an order to his scattered scanty
forces throughout the Philippines to surrender to the Spanish Sovereignty. In El Principe (Baler), Commandant
Teodorico Luna Novicio, after receiving the order from Aguinaldo, surrendered his command
to Major Don Juan Genova on 09 February 1898. Unexpectedly,
however, peace prevailed only a little more than two months.
Following the surrender of Novicio, the Spanish authorities in Manila
determined to withdraw Major Don Juan Genovas battalion, and replace Captain Don
Jesus Roldan Mazonaidas company. The
replacement force was limited to a detachment of fifty men under the newly appointed
Politico-Military Governor; Captain of Infantry, Don Enrique de las Morenas y Fossi. Accompanying him were two of his subordinates;
Lieutenant Don Alonso Zayas, a Puerto Rican national serving in the Spanish army,
Lieutenant Don Saturnino Martin Cerezo, and a surgeon of the Medical Corps; Doctor Don
Rogelio Vigil de Quiñones, who was accompanied by a corporal and an attendant of the
detachment left Manila on February 7 via Laguna to Mauban.
They underwent a delay in Mauban while awaiting the arrival of the transport
ship Manila. They finally made it to
Baler the evening of the 12th of February 1898.
Aboard the same ship was Fray Candido Gomez Carreño, once a prisoner during
the massacre of Don Motas detachment, who was going back to his parish in Baler. After the unloading and discharging all its cargo
and passengers, the ship went underway for Manila with Genovas battalion and
Mazonaidas company onboard.
The Church of Baler in 1897
The outbreaks of war
between the Spanish and the Americans brought about a new situation in the Philippines. On May 16, 1898, Aguinaldo boarded the revenue
cutter USS McCulloch at Hong Kong, and landed at Cavite three days later. Motivated by the status quo and his sudden
reappearance, heroism among Filipinos flared anew and outlying Spanish army posts
throughout the island were under siege by hordes of fanatical Filipinos. Those troops, which could not get away,
surrendered with the exception of the Spanish garrison in Baler.
1898, the situation was rapidly deteriorated. Backstairs
rumors were circulated and traveled fast to Baler indicating that the drafting of new men
for insurgency was taking place in Caranglan and Pantabangan. Don Cerezo, in secrecy wanted to verify whether
the rumors were factual. He succeeded in this
endeavor via an informant and recounted his discovery to Captain Las Morenas. Morenas immediately dispatched a letter, to the
Commanding Officer of the post in Pantabangan, which warned him about the situation so
that proper measures could be taken.
As the days dragged along the conditions changed in an alarming situation
and finally the towns aforementioned capitulated and overrun by the insurgents. It became evident that communications between the
Spanish detachment in Baler and the rest of Luzon were cut off.
On the morning of
the 28th of June the Spanish authority noticed that the townspeople were
disappearing, and at daybreak the following morning, the town was forlorn and totally
deserted. The desertion of inhabitants is an
indication that a portent of the unforeseen is likely to happen. Immediately, they took to the church for it was
built of corals and stone plastered together by lime and honey. Inside, they were able to stock ammunitions and
other provisions. In the churchyard, they dug
a well that supplied them with water.
On June 29, Captain
Las Morenas sent out a patrol and encountered a strong unit of the Filipino insurgents. The patrol retreated back to the church were the
barrage of insurgents gunfire broke the tranquility as small arms bullets and lantacas,
locally made cannons, ricocheted against the thick wall of the garrison.
Early the morning
of July 19th, the besieged received a letter signed by Captain Calixto
Villacorta, Commanding Officer of the Filipino insurgents, which demanded the surrender of
the garrison. He wrote:
- I have just
arrived, with the three columns of my
- command; and, aware of the useless resistance you
- are keeping up, I inform you that if you will lay
- down your arms within twenty-four hours, I shall
- respect your lives and property, treating you with
- every consideration. Otherwise, I shall force you
- to deliver them; I shall have no compassion on no
- one; and shall hold the officers responsible for
- every fatality that may occur.
Given at my headquarters, 19th of July 1898
Calixto Villacorta, Commander
- The next morning
the defender answered with the following message:
midday today terminates the period fixed in
- your threat. The officers cannot be held responsible
- for the fatalities that occur. We are united in the
- determination to
do our duty, and you are to
- understand that if
you get possession of the church,
- it will be only
when there is left in it nothing but
- dead bodies; death
being preferable to dishonor
- Upon the rejection
of the demand, the insurgents dug trenches surrounding the church and from there directed
a series of fire from all directions at the defenders. It continued from days to weeks and
then to months, and with its passing days situations in their sanctuary became unbearable. Extreme exhaustion, the insufficiency and bad
condition of their foods, the staunch and ever-present apprehension, the unclean air and
the other bad unhealthy conditions to which the Spanish were subjected to, produced the
fatal epidemic against them to which they had no defense.
- The disease such as
beriberi and dysentery overcome them and later took its toll. One of its first fatalities was Fray Candido Gomez
Carreño, the parish priest who succumbed to it on 25 September. While he lay dying, a truce was arranged. During this time a Baler resident, Pedro Aragon,
better known in Baler as husband of Zenaida Molina, presented himself and requested for
allowance to talk to the priest. He had
explained to Captain Las Morenas that he had been a prisoner in Manila, for his
involvement in the assault of Don Motas detachment.
He also explained that he had been set free after the signing of the Pact of
Biacnabato, and was instructed on important matters to see the priest of having the priest
convince them to surrender. Las Morenas told
him that Fray Carreño was dying and had no change of speaking with him. Pedro left despondently. A day later Captain Las Morenas had fallen gravely
ill. His second in command, Lieutenant Juan
Alonzo Zayas died of beriberi.
- As the attack
progress, the Spanish force diminished. During
this occurrence, the numbers of Filipinos grew, and a more modern cannon had been
acquired, which complemented their lantacas that were carved out from palm tree
trunks. Favorably for the Spanish, the
Filipino artillerymen were untrained, most of their shots fired were near misses and with
poor quality ammunition. Nonetheless, the
horrible sound of an oncoming missile was deafening and nerve-racking.
casualties were mounted in the rain-filled dugouts.
They became easy prey for the Spanish sharpshooter stationed in the church
belfry. The Filipino problems were also
aggravated by the unyielding and continuous refusal of Captain Las Morenas to come to
terms. Although, on several occasions he had
been informed about the downfall of Spain.
- Around October,
more men were stricken by beriberi. Captain
Las Morenas was one of several who died and following his death Lieutenant Martin Cerezo
had taken responsibility of the command.
- In mid-November,
in spite of the earlier lack of persuading the Spaniards to surrender by force, Villacorta
once again attempted to convince the remaining force.
Holding up a flag of truce, he informed Lieutenant Martin Cerezo that Manila
had befallen to the Americans and that the Philippines were no longer the property of
Spain. The lieutenant declined to believe. Villacorta then deposited miscellaneous newspapers
from Manila, substantiating the loss of the Philippines to the Americans, at the church
entrance. Despite the evidence that had been
placed, Cerezo still did not believe.
- On the night of 14
December, Don Cerezo determined on a courageous plan to replenish their waning food
supply. Under barrage of rifle fire, he
dispatched Private Jose Chamiso and Jose Alcaida Bayuna to rush out of their sanctuary of
safety to nearby empty houses of the inhabitants and set it on fire. The fury of the flames that had rapidly spread
throughout the town compelled the Filipinos to withdraw further from the Spanish garrison. Moreover, they left behind their foods consisted
of tomatoes, oranges, gourds, and other fresh vegetables.
The seized produce were a welcoming sight for the Spanish, it did not only
replenish their food supply, but also aided in the plight to terminate the miserable
affliction of beriberi.
- Unknown to the
Spanish cloistered within the church, Spain had already ceded the Philippines to the
United States in exchange for $20 million under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Lieutenant Martin Cerezo and his force,
ironically, were now defending a territory that legally belongs to the United States.
- After 184 days, the
Spanish detachment suffered 14 deaths; 13 succumbed to disease and one from wounds. An additional five had deserted the garrison. Out of the 38 of what were left, 15 were still
agonizing from beriberi. In total, there were
only 23 able troops left to fight.
- On December 29,
after a long and difficult journey through the mountains, Captain Miguel Olmedo, emissary
to General Diego de los Rios, arrived in Baler to repatriate his countrys army. He approached the Filipino insurgents commander,
with a flag of truce in hand, to explain he was sent from Manila by Spanish high command
to deliver the treaty of peace between Spain and the United States to the commander of the
Baler garrison. The Filipinos allowed him to
pass through their line of defense and escorted him forty paces where he could talk to
Lieutenant Martin Cerezo.
Spanish Uniform During The Assault of the Garrison in Baler
- Upon introduction
with Captain Olmedo and after having learned that he was sent from General Rios with an
official order, Lieutenant Cerezo asked one of
his men to obtain the letter for him to see. Due
to some clerical errors in the written order, Lieutenant Cerezo suspected a ruse and
refused to believe Captain Olmedo. After
failing to persuade Lieutenant Cerezo of his identity and honesty of the order, Captain
Olmedo had no choice but to retrace his unbearable trek back to Manila with his mission
unaccomplished. Around the end of February, Lieutenant Cerezo suspected that three of his
heroic men, Corporal Vicente Gonzalez Toca, Private Jose Alcaida Bayona, and Antonio
Manache Sanchez, were contemplating desertion. Upon
an inquiry, they admittedly reveal their plan and were placed under arrest and jailed in
an improvised cell.
- Barrage of fire
continued throughout the month of March. Filipino
forces continued unwavering cannonade of the church.
The garrison jolted, but in spite of the wreckage, the church stood still. Peeping out through the hole, the deadly Spanish
shooters made an easy prey for the Filipino artillerymen to put them out of action.
- A puzzling event
had occurred to the defenders the afternoon of April 11.
The garrison heard a cannon fire from the vicinity of the sea. The restricted view of the ocean from the church
steeple revealed no ship. Nevertheless,
that evening, a ray of searchlight crisscrossing the sky brought eventful joy to the
detachment. Thinking that the war with the
United States was over and that the Spanish government had dispatched a ship for them to
be rescued, they rejoiced. In actuality, the
war had ended eight months before, and the shot they had heard was fired by the U.S.S.
Yorktown, a Navy gunboat commanded by Commodore William Sperry. The ship was dispatched to Baler to learn the fate
of the Spanish detachment.
Survivors of Spanish Detachment in Baler
- 2 Gregorio Catalan Valero
3 Vicente Predrouzo Fernandez
- 4 Loreto Gallego Garcia
5 Ramon Buades Tormo
- 6 Miguel Mendez Exposito 7 Jose Jimenez Berro
- 8 Felipe Castillo Castillo
9 Jose Pineda Tura
- 10 Jose Martinez
Eufemio Sanchez Martinez
- 12 Ramon Ripolles
Manual Menor Ortega
- 13 Temoteo Lopez
14 Pedro Planas
- 15 Francisco Real
- 17 Juan Chamizo
1 Saturnino Martin Cerezo
- 19 Marcelo Adrian
20 Marcos Mateo Conesa
- 21 Antonio Bauza
- 23 Eustaquio Gopar
Hernande 32 Ramon Mir Brils
- 31 Pedro Vila
30 Domingo Castro Camarena
- 29 Bernardino
Sanchez Cainzo s 28 Jesus Garica Quijano
- 27 Emilio Fabregat Fabregat
26 Jose Olivares Conejero
- 25 Miguel Perez
24 Santos Gonzalez Roncal
- The commodore
summoned Lieutenant James C. Gillmore and Ensign William H. Standley and instructed them
to map out where the church was located. At
dawn, of 12 April 1899, a whaleboat was lowered from the starboard side of the ship with
Lieutenant Gillmore, officer-in-charge of the operation, and 14 of the ships crews. They were to take Ensign Standley and
Quartermaster J. Lysaught to the foot of Point Baja (Ermita) and walk their way up
the summit to locate the church. After
unloading their passengers, Lieutenant Gillmore, for unknown reason, pressed onward up
Baler Kinalapan-Pingit River despite a warning from an onlooker. About a kilometer away they were befallen by
misfortune. The Filipinos ambushed them. Gillmore with his crews were captured. They were held prisoners for eight months until
miraculously turned lose in the middle of jungle by their captors, and subsequently
rescued by the American forces under Lieutenant Colonel Luther R. Hare.
- During the month
of May several more determined attempt to force the garrison to surrender failed. During one such attempt, a shell landed inside the
church and wrecked the jail holding the three would-be deserters. They were injured and tended medically. During breakfast, Private Alcaide Bayuna got away
from his jailer and hastily run out in a hail of gun fire but made it to the enemy line. Being a trained artilleryman, the dispirited
Bayuna was given the opportunity to man the cannon by the Filipinos and shelled the
Spanish garrison. It had caused considerable
damage. To the Spaniards, Bayna was a
The Balerian Insurgents
- On May 28, General
Rios dispatched another of his officers, Lieutenant Colonel Cristobal Aguilar y Castañeda
to Baler. Under the flag of truce he had no
difficulty in crossing the Filipino line of defense. From the church, Lieutenant Cerezo
cried out to them that he would not accept a conference so long as only one man went
forward with a flag. Castañeda, dressed in a
Lieutenant Colonel of the General Staff, approached Lieutenant Cerezo as agreed. Due to the many tricks he thought to have been
attempted against him, Lieutenant Cerezo believed Lieutenant Colonel Castañedas
story would also be another hoax. Despite
Castañedas endeavor to convince him of the legitimacy of his mission, which lasted
for two days, he was forced to give up and return to Manila. During his departure, he tossed several bundles of
Spanish newspapers; among them was the El Imparcial from Madrid.
- At dawn of June 1,
it was decided, by the fearless commander, that the detachment of Baler could hold no
longer. He planned to cut his way through the
enemy lines, to try and reach the nearest army post, unaware that not a single Spanish
garrison existed in the island. Before
leaving, he had realized the problem about the three deserters was to be resolved. He
pondered for a while and then finally came upon the conclusion to execute them
according to the Spanish Code of Military Justice. Their
bodies were buried in the churchyard.
- As he waited for
an opportune time to escape, he decided to look at the bundle of newspapers hurled by
Castañeda to the church entrance.
- Upon reading, he
learned from the columns of El Imparcial, Cuba, the
Puerto Rico, and Guam had been liberated from Spain, and the flag waving on the church
steeple of Baler, was the only flag flying throughout the island of Luzon.
The Town of Baler in 1897
- After having
realized that Spain was no longer a belligerent nation, he promptly ended the deadlock and
began negotiating with the Filipino commander. In
his exchange for surrender, Lieutenant Cerezo drew up and requested the following
agreement, which was received without changes or delineation:
First. From this date
hostilities on both sides are suspended.
Second. The besieged lay down
their arms, delivering them to the commander of the besieging force, together with the
military equipments and other effects belonging to the Spanish Government.
Third. The besieged force do not
become prisoners of war, but shall be escorted by the Republican troops to a point where
Spanish troops may be found, or to a place from which they may safely join the latter.
Fourth. Private property is to
be respected, and no injury to be done to individuals.
And, for the purpose of carrying it into effect, this agreement is executed
in duplicate, being signed by the following gentlemen: Lieutenant Colonel Simon Tecson,
commanding the besieging force; Major Nemesio Bartolome; Captain Franciso T. Ponce, Second
Lieutenant, commanding the besieged force, Saturnino Martin; Doctor Rogelio Vigil
- And Finally It Was
Over. The Siege of Baler, which lasted 337
days, finally ended the Iberian sovereignty over of the Philippines after more than 300
year; was frayed, tattered, torn, and deteriorated. However,
what was left of the remaining 33 Spanish survivors was a nation they still honored and
- On July 20, they
were repatriated to Spain, reaching Barcelona on September 1, 1899. There, they received their due honors with the
exception Lieutenant Don Alonso Zayas, a Puerto Rican national. Captain Enrique de las Morenas y Fossi was
posthumously promoted to major and awarded Spain highest military medal, the Laureate
Cross of San Fernando.
- Lieutenant Don
Saturnino Martin Cerezo continued his service with the Spanish Army and became a general. He died in 1948.
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