COL. MAXIMO ABAD:
VICTORIES AND TWINGES
IN HIS LIFE STORIES
INTRODUCTION
The photo above attests to 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. This is a valuable find which gives enough information on Maximo and validates some events in the life of Maximo posited by Obligacion.
In the said book, it was told that Abad was born in the pueblo of Imus, province of Cavite in 1869 and obtained a degree in the Escuela Normal. Thereafter, he proceeded to Boac to teach, confirming the initial information of Obligacion that Abad was a “‘Maestro’ in the first school for boys established there, ‘Escuela de Niños.’”
The present branch of the National Museum in Boac was the site of the Escuela de Niños as can be seen in the Historical Marker in the said edifice.
In a short manuscript entitled “Historical Background & List of All Municipal Mayors of Boac,” in the entry on “Transportation and Education, (Boac North District: 1988), Maximo Abad was mentioned as indeed, one of the early teachers in Boac. It narrates that:
“During the second half of the 1880s and through the 1890s, public school for boys were opened in the big barrios of Balimbing, Kawit, and later on Poras, of Boac. Private schools in the Poblacion and in barrios of the different towns conducted individual teachers, taught reading writing and catechism.
“It is unfortunate that no list is available of local teachers whose names and of many private tutor of the past. Among the few are remembered by the older inhabitants of Boac are:
“Florentino Paras – Maestro Tinong; Ricardo Paras, his brother; Maestro Pedro Nepomuceno; Juan Nieva, teacher in Balimbing and Kawit; Roman Angeles from Laguna, maestro in Poras; Maestro Maximo Abad from Imus, Cavite; Mariquita Lopez, later, Mrs. Herrera; Victoria Nieva de Mercder; Tomasa Nepomuceno de Leuterio; and Maestro Ramon Leuterio.
“In September 1898, the provincial government established in Boac, the capital of the province, a secondary school called ‘Colegio Plaridel.’ The subjects studied were Spanish Grammar, Latin, History, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Philosophy. Don Ricardo Paras, Sr. was appointed Director of the College and the instructors were Fr. Esteban Aviles who taught Latin, Don Isabelo Silva, Don Gregorio Nieva, Don Ramon Leuterio, Don Maximo Abad, and Don Florentino Paras. Many students enrolled, and after finishing, some of them went to Manila to pursue higher learning.”
ABAD AS CAPTAIN OF THE
MARINDUQUE REVOLUTIONARY FORCE
Serving as a teacher and at the same time, a revolutionary officer under the army of Aguinaldo, who labored with other Katipunan officials in Marinduque to recruit other members and establish chapters in the different pueblos of the island, he was conferred the rank of Captain on February 1899. In the typewritten manuscript “Mañga Kasaysayan ng Marinduque” (Madrigal: 1957, 92-96), it was narrated that:
“Ng ikaapat ng Febrero taon din 1899 ng magkasira ang Americano at Pilipino at ng ika 10 nito ng suguin ng Gobernador Don Martin Lardizabal ang dalawang official Maximo Abad at Martin Lardizabal sa Cavite at sa bayan ng kinatatayoan ng Pamahalaan ng Teniente General [Mariano] Trias, upang makipanayam.”
“xxx Kinabukasan ng umaga ika 23 ng Febrero katanghalian sinapit nila ang doongan ng Laylay; pagawas nagtungo sa bahay Pamahalaan ang dalawang magkasamang official Maximo Abad at Pedro Madrigal unang magbigay alam ng kanilang pagdating at maiabot sa Gobernador Don Martin Lardizabal ang dalawang balot (pliego cerrado) ni General Trias.
“Ng kinahapunan [Pebrero 23] nagkatipon ang Delegado de Justicia Don Eduardo Nepomuceno, Delegado de Policia Don Calixto Nieva, Delegado de Hacienda Don Tomas Roque, binuksan ng Gobernador at binasa ng Delegado de Justicia ang pliego cerrado (balot) na naguutos sa Gobernador ng Marinduque na sa madaling panahon mag tatag ng isang Batallion Infanteria at isang Batallion Milicianos, at sa huli’y ang Gobernador Don Matin Lardizabal ginawang Gobernador Politico Militar na may gradong Comandante (ang Comandante noon ay may saguiag tatlong (3) bituin ginto).”
“xxx Ng maitatag ang Batallion ng Marinduque ayon sa utos ni General Trias ng Timugan Sur, ay datihan isang Compania ng Infanteriya, na paabot lamang sa dalawang Compania, ang may sandatang baril. Binahagi ang baril sa tig wawalongpo at walo (88).
Ayos ng Unang Compania (primera compania)
Maximo Abad Kapitan Namamahala
Isabelo Silva 1er Teniente
Juan Echevarria 2o “
Simon Malajacan 2o “
Ikalawang Compania (segundo compania)
Teofilo Roque Kapitan Namamahala
Gumersindo de la Santa 2o Teniente
Crisanto Lozano 2o “
Crispin Chavez 2o “
Maximo Abad was later promoted from Captain to Colonel due to his outstanding accomplishments in the revolutionary force (Artigas y Cuerva: 1917).
ABAD DURING THE FILIPINO-AMERICAN
WAR IN MARINDUQUE
[ABAD & TEOFILO ROQUE: This photo was cropped from a digital picture entitled “Abad en route to surrender, Boac, Marinduque Is. P.I.,” from the Harry H. Bandholtz papers ca.1890 – ca. 1937 with repository at Bently Historical Library, Item No. BL003767 and accessed by the author through umich-bhl-9436 on November 09, 2014.]The coming of the Americans to the Island of Marinduque makes one wonder on what impressions they have had of our people. Former Philippine Civil Governor William Howard Taft in his Statement before the Committee on the Philippines of the United States Senate Hearings in relation to affairs in the Philippine Islands in 1901 has this to say:
“We then went across to Marinduque. At the time we were there, there was a Colonel Abad in the mountains with about one hundred and fifty rifles and insurgents. The people of Marinduque have a higher average intelligence than those in almost any of the other provinces. The Jesuits were located there, and the Jesuits are good educators; and I suppose more people in Marinduque speak Spanish than possibly in any other part of the islands.”
Another impression on Marinduque’s people by the invading forces, upon their arrival in the island (Whitmarsh: 1900, 919-923) was documented in this wise:
“As we marched through the pretty village of Lai Lai, in the shade of a lofty palm grove, the few people who had not fled hastily threw out little white flags, shirts, handkerchiefs, chemises, floursacks, any rag, indeed, that was or had once been white. Except this show of fear, they made no demonstration whatever, and it was impossible to judge from their appearance what our reception would be at Boac, which lies three miles inland. Everywhere as we progressed we found model trenches and other evidences that a determined resistance had been planned; but since these model trenches were empty, and the scouts and flankers stirred up nothing more than a few grazing carabaos, it was also evident that the plans at the last moment had been abandoned.”
The account on the assessment of the status of the revolutionary force in the Island of Marinduque, the capability of the revolutionary force, the taking over of the Church of Boac as quarters of the invading American soldiers and the strategic importance of Marinduque Island, among others (Birtle: 1901, 256-257) are documented in the narrations below. Following the narrations, various photos of the Boac Church from an open source are presented for proper information and referencing to aid future researchers and students of local history.
“As Bates extended U.S. control into southern Luzon he became concerned that the guerrillas might use neighboring islands like Marinduque as points of refuge and supply. Moreover, Marinduque was an important source of cattle at a time when there was a shortage of beef in Manila. These factors led him to secure the island.
“On 25 April 1900, two navy gunboats and a transport hove to off Laylay, Boac's maritime terminus. On board were Colonel Edward E. Hardin and a battalion of the 29th U.S. Volunteer (USV) Infantry. Hardin landed two companies and proceeded to Boac, where the few townsfolk who had not fled cautiously received him. After setting up quarters in Boac's citadel-like church, Hardin sent his men on two reconnaissance marches, both of which were performed without incident. With the island apparently tranquil, Hardin left one company (A/29) and a Maxim-Nordenfelt machine gun at Boac and sailed off to occupy several other islands.
“Martin Lardizabal, a fifty-five-year-old Boac resident, was the insurgent governor of Marinduque. A wealthy individual, he exercised enormous influence over the island in general, and Boac society in particular. Prior to the Army's arrival, Lardizabal wielded his authority through normal governmental channels. After the occupation, the insurgent civil structure went underground, secretly collecting taxes and providing supplies, information, and recruits for the forces in the field. This network of agents and sympathizers maintained insurgent control over the population and linked the people to the guerrillas. For most part the insurgents depended upon the population's voluntary cooperation, but at times they resorted to threats, torture, and even murder to enforce their will.
“Lardizabal's military counterpart was Lieutenant Colonel Maximo Abad, a mustachioed school teacher from Luzon's Cavite province. Though not a bold commander, Abad tenaciously adhered to the cause of Filipino independence. He had two forces at his disposal. His primary tool was the Marinduque Battalion—250 full-time, uniformed "regulars" who were fairly well armed. The battalion was subdivided into a headquarters staff and four regionally based "Guerrillas:" 1st (Gazan), 2d (Boac), 3d (Santa Cruz), and 4th (Torrijos). Each Guerrilla had several officers and about fifty-five enlisted men. Unless called together for a special operation, the Guerrillas operated independently in their home regions, moving between mountain base camps. The typical camp consisted of several storehouses/barracks (cuartels) surrounded by entrenchments, with outposts and sentry shacks posted along the routes of approach. Although reasonably well organized and disciplined, the men of the Marinduque Battalion, like the rest of the Filipino army, were poor shots.”
THE BOAC CHURCH, 1901: US flag in bamboo pole
[The Boac Church was used as a garrison of the American Soldiers on their arrival in Marinduque in April 25, 1900. The photo shows the American Flag on a bamboo pole at the ‘Mataas na Bayan’ side and a portion of the village in ‘Labak.’ This is a zoom in photo from the Philippine Photographs Digital Archive of the University of Michigan with source from AHZ9193; Record ID No. 1770; Location ID No. PHLA037; and Original Inventory No. 53-0013.]
THE BOAC CHURCH, 1901: American soldiers’ tents
[The Boac Church was used as a garrison of the American Soldiers up until the last years of their “pacification campaign” in Marinduque. The photo shows the American Soldiers’ tents inside the fortress on the side of the convent near Boac River. This is a zoom in photo from the Philippine Photographs Digital Archive of the University of Michigan with source from AHZ9193; Record ID No. 1770; Location ID No. PHLA037; and Original Inventory No. 53-0013.]
THE BOAC CHURCH, 1901: view from bamboo bridge
ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE BOAC CHURCH, 1901
[The photo is referenced as “Church seen from river bed. Boac, Marinduque Island, Tayabas – 1901.” The photo was accessed from the Philippine Photographs Digital Archive of the University of Michigan with source from AHZ9193; Record ID No. 1770; Location ID No. PHLA037 and original Inventory No. 53-0013.]
ABAD’S VICTORY IN THE BATTLE OF
PULANG LUPA, SEPTEMBER 13, 1900
The victory of Lt. Col. Maximo Abad on September 13, 1900 was referred to, in another version, as the Battle of Massiquisie (Tucker: 2013, 1196-1198) which necessitated the US forces to bring additional U.S. troops to the island and to conduct punitive raids to cripple the guerrilla activities. Details of the battle is narrated as follows:
“September 13, 1900. Philippine-American War. Battle of Massiquisie. The town of Massiquisie is on the Island of Marinduque. Only about 400 square miles in size with some 50,000 people, Marinduque lies just off the southern coast of Luzon. In April 1900, Major General John C. Bates, commanding U.S. forces in southern Luzon, dispatches a battalion of the 29th U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiment to Marinduque. Despite regular army patrol to the interior, the guerrillas refuse to engage the troops in a pitched battle. xxx
“In early September, the presence of the U.S. Navy (ex-Spanish) gunboat Villalobos provides Shields with the opportunity to deploy forces to Torrijos on Marindu-que’s southern coast. Ordering First Lieutenant M. H. Wilson and 41 soldier to defend Sta. Cruz, Shields and 51 others to proceed via the gunboat to near Torrijos and land on September 11. The Americans scatter some 20 guerillas and destroy their base. On September 13, Shields and his troop proceed into the interior, intending to return to Sta. Cruz. Insurgent leader Lieutenant Colonel Maximo Abad masses virtually the entire insurgent force on the island – some 250 men with rifles and another 2,000 men with bolos – and ambushes the Americans. Following several hours of fighting, Shields orders a withdrawal to prevent an envelopment. Retreating more than three miles, the Americans take up position behind dikes in a rice paddy close to the town of Massiquisie . . . Vastly outnumbered, Shields is forced to surrender."
The victory of Abad in Marinduque was considered as one of the major registered military triumphs in the war for Philippine independence, denying the Americans to gain a record of continuous victories (Lindaman & Ward: 2013, 18). Among the partial victories of the Filipino revolutionists include:
“In the year 1900, the Americans suffered several defeats at the hands of the Filipino guerrillas. On January 17, 1900, the Filipinos captured an American pack train in Alaminos, Laguna, killing some guards and chasing the survivors. On September 13, Colonel Maximo Abad and his guerrillas routed the American troops in the Battle of Pulang (sic) Lupa near the town of Sta. Cruz, Marinduque, and captured their commander, Captain Devereux (sic) Shields. Four days later (September 17, 1900), General Cailles and his Lagunense forces decisively defeated Colonel Cheatman’s troops in Mabitac. Laguna.”
EVENTS WHICH LED TO THE SURRENDER
OF COL. MAXIMO ABAD
The American forces’ pacification campaign in the island of Marinduque did not turn favourable as planned and expected especially after their stinging defeat on September 13, 1900. They mercilessly responded (Rockoff: 2012, 79) to this defeat and employed inhuman tactics. The US Forces implemented their alternative plans which was explained further by Rockoff, viz:
“The first plan was to arrest all male inhabitants between the age of fifteen and sixty and deport them to a prison island. This policy, however, proved hard to execute. Many men went into hiding, and when navy ships patrolling the prison island were withdrawn in order to make them available for other actions, most of the prisoners escaped. The army then turned to tactics reminiscent of General Sherman’s during his famous march to the sea in the Civil War: they began systematically destroying homes and supplies in the interior of the island to starve out the rebels and win the grudging support of the civilians, particularly the wealthier civilians who had the most to lose. x x x
In the final phase of the campaign on Marinduque, the army combined internal devastation of the island with ‘concentration’ – forcing the population to live in designated towns garrisoned by Americans. In this way the interior became a wasteland that could not support the insurgency. On April 15, 1901, as a result of the direct pressure on the Marinduque insurgents, and of the events elsewhere in the Philippines, resistance on the island came to an end with the surrender of the most important guerrilla leader, Colonel Maximo Abad. The story on Marinduque remained hidden from the American public. As William Howard Taft was to admit in a letter to Elihu Root, the Secretary of War, ‘The severity with which the inhabitants have been dealt would not look well if a complete history were written out.’”
Another version on the events which led to the surrender of Maximo Abad that, in a way, inflicted lesser destruction, devastation and loss of lives and livelihood of the people of the island (Tucker: 2009, 380-381) was narrated as follows:
“Major Frederick A. Smith took charge on February 6, 1901, and embraced Corliss’ methods with two exceptions. Smith stopped the devastation of livestock and hemp, and he concentrated the population in American-held towns. All civilians were now gathered in six concentration centers to keep them from aiding the guerrillas. Those found to be aiding the insurgency were labelled as enemy combatants and jailed. Reminiscent of the Spanish reconcentrado (reconcentration) policy in Cuba, the American tactic did help U.S. officials assert control over the island. Separated from popular support and menaced by repeated U.S. forays into the interior, Abad gave up on April 15, 1901. By early May, Philippine Commissioners confirmed the island’s pacification and the institution of civilian rule. During the pacification campaign on Marinduque, U.S. forces suffered 27 casualties, apart from the more than 50 men captured. Abad’s guerrillas sustained some 100 casualties, while 200 others were taken captive.”
Another details on the concentration of the population dubbed as ‘Corliss experiment,’ in Marinduque to pressure the surrender of Abad and other officials were written as grim and vivid reminder of the atrocities of the Americans that unfairly considered the rules of war and the basic respect to rights and dignity (Spingola: 2012, 202-203) as can be visualized from the following accounts:
“Accordingly, on October 22, 1900, Hare, with 1,200 men, began a campaign to arrest the male population between fifteen and sixty and to destroy any village or house from which hostile fire emanated. The military was to shoot any male who ran or acted suspicious. Hare planned to ship the prisoners to Polo Island, 400 yards off the coast of Santa Cruz. Two ships would guard the Island to prevent escapes. Out of over 600 captives, all were noncombatants.
The military torched several villages and two rice storehouses. They shot several villagers who tried to escape. The soldiers moved most of the captives to Polo Island for Internment. x x x,
“Over a five-day period in mid-December, Captain Francis E. Lacey, Jr. and 127 men destroyed 364 houses, forty-five tons of palay (unmilled rice), 600 pounds of rice, thirty bushels of corn, 188 bales of hemp, 330 ponies, one hundred caribou, and 233 cattle, and killed one Filipino man who ran when he saw the military. However, Lacey could not link the destroyed property to the insurgents. “Because circumstances were so horrific in the interior, people began returning to the coastal towns. Santa Cruz’s population increased from one hundred individuals to 8,000 by the end of January. The army’s destructiveness created severe food shortages, which generated chronic illness and malnutrition. x x x
“By the end of February, 12,000 people were in Santa Cruz, and over 7,000 each were at Mogpog and Gazan. Thousand took the oath of allegiance. Smith enticed prominent Boac citizens to sign a statement saying that the insurrection was destroying the island. x x x
“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 . . . 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 condition of peace.’ The inhabitants left the filthy, overcrowded camps and returned to their homes to plant new crop before the beginning of the rainy season. Marinduque’s population never again took up arms against America.”
The last episode of the American ‘pacification campaign’ in Marinduque was characterized with varied reactions and some citizens turned informers of the Americans due to ‘either from war weariness, opportunism, or because of a genuine belief in the ultimate benefits of American rule’ (Birtle: 1901, 267-268, 272), as narrated extensively:
“During Corliss's two months on Marinduque, Abad stuck to his strategy of avoiding combat. All contacts between American and Filipino forces during this period were initiated by the Americans, including two actions in early January 1901 in which Army columns overran base camps of Teofilio Roque's 2d Guerrilla. The consequences of these actions were not long in coming. The officers of the 2d Guerrilla were tightly linked to the ruling families of Boac and Mogpog whose assets in land, livestock, and trade were literally going up in smoke. The oligarchs undoubtedly conveyed to the officers their dismay over the consequences of continued resistance. Moreover, some of Boac's inhabitants, either from war weariness, opportunism, or because of a genuine belief in the ultimate benefits of American rule, had turned informer. Among them were several leading citizens of Boac, including Tomas del Mundo, the former head of the Katipunan Society on Marinduque, Casimiro Contreras, another ex-insurgent, Saturnino Trinidad, Boac's energetic padre who preached peace despite repeated threats of assassination, and Calixto Nieva, a former captain in the revolutionary army and a person of great influence. Sources like these indicated how successfully Corliss's, campaign had fragmented Marinduquc's elite. Their assistance had made possible both the arrest of Martin Lardizabal and the string of American successes in January.
“Disturbed by the devastation and demoralized by the knowledge that some of their influential kinsmen had turned against them, Major Pedro Lardizabal, Captain Teofilio Roque, and five other officers surrendered in late January 1901. In the following days a number of citizens and militia officers voluntarily swore oaths of allegiance to the United States.
“Among them were the cream of Boac-Mogpog society, including members of the influential Roque, Nepomucena, and Nieva families – all of whom had relatives among the officers who surrendered on the twenty-third. These developments severely damaged the insurgent organiza-tion at Boac, the heart of the resistance, and dealt Abad a stunning blow. Still, the fact that no rank and file had surrendered, and that no arms had been turned in, raises questions as to the sincerity of some of the oath takers and suggests that some of them covertly continued to support the insurrection, just as Martin Lardizabal had done in May 1900 when he had ostensibly surrendered to Major Muir.
“If the surrender was a ruse to fool Corliss into reducing the pressure, it failed. Not only did he not relent, but much to the consternation of the citizens of Boac, he refused to release the officers as the Army typically did when individuals voluntarily surrendered. Instead, he sent them, together with Martin Lardizabal and the other insurgents who had been captured in January, to Manila on charges of being "guerrillas" and "war rebels." These were the first prisoners dispatched to Manila from Marinduque and the action, while demonstrating toughness, may well have deterred others from surrendering.” x x x
“On 15 April, Abad, Fausto Roque, eight other officers, eleven insurgent agents, and seventy men of the 1st and 2d Guerrillas entered Boac's central plaza and laid down their arms in an impressive ceremony witnessed by the citizenry. Though Smith had refused to negotiate, he acceded to most of Abad's demands. After Boac's padre administered the oath of allegiance, Smith released Abad and his men and eventually arranged to pay them a bounty for the fifty-one firearms they had brought in. Such leniency may seem incongruous given Smith's stern campaign, yet generosity was undoubtedly the wisest course and reflected the U.S.'s overall policy of endeavoring to bind the wounds of war as quickly as possible”
LIWASAN NG KALAYAAN MARKER, 1975
[Photo taken by the author. The historical marker perpetuates the significance of important historical events in the ‘liwasan,’ including the signing of the cessation of Filipino-American War in Marinduque. The marker was unveiled on December 6, 1975.]POST-WAR PERIOD:
ABAD AS THE FIRST CLERK OF COURT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
(ESCRIBANO DE JUZGADO
DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA)
IN MARINDUQUE
Since October 14, 1901 to February 14, 1902, Abad was appointed Clerk of the Court of First Instance of Marinduque (Artigas y Cuerva: 1917). In the published report of the United States Philippine Commission entitled: “Public Laws and Resolutions Passed by the United States Philippine Commission During the Quarter Ending November 30, 1901,” it was documented that one of the Resolutions of the said Commission has designated Maximo Abad as Clerk of Court in the Court of First Instance in Marinduque, that is under the Court of First Instance for the Seventh District, as can be gleaned from page 412 of the said Report. During that time, Taylor J. Lawton was designated as Supervisor for the provincial services in Marinduque.
In a previous Report of the Philippine Commission on the laws and resolutions it has enacted, pages 406-408, it was described that the salaries of the personnel of the Court of First Instance pursuant to Act No. 184, include: “Courts of First Instance for the Seventh District: One judge at four thousand dollars ($4,000.00) per annum; one clerk for Batangas at eleven hundred dollars ($1,100.00) per annum; one clerk for Marinduque at seven hundred dollars ($700.00) per annum; one clerk for Mindoro at eight hundred dollars ($800.00) per annum.”
In page 741 of the same Report, the rooster of designated/appointed Justices of the Peace per town of the province of Marinduque including their original dates of appointments include the following:
Lardizabal, Emilio, Boac, Aug. 31,190; Sevilla, Rosauro, Gazan, Aug. 31,1901; Maneja, Evaristo, Torrijos, Aug. 3I, 1901; Lecaros, Vicente, Santa Cruz, Aug. 31,1901; and, Nepomuceno, Vicente, Mogpog, Aug. 31, 1l01
CLERK OF COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE:
CHARGED WITH SEDITION IN
HIS OWN COURT
In one of the primary sources, specifically the “Third Annual Report of the Philippine Commission. 1902. Part 1. Bureau of Insular Affairs, War Department. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1903,” the author found the following account below, on the arrest of Abad. He was later on charged with “sedition,” convicted by the Court of First Instance and meted sentence of from one to ten years for sedition.
“The organization of the constabulary of Marinduque was begun by Second-class Inspector Thomas Embry, September 25, 1901. He was relieved October 9, by Thirdclass Inspector John B. Schuetz, who was in turn relieved by Second-class Inspector B. L. Smith, on December 31, 1901. Inspector Smith was assigned to the 1 dprovince of Tayabas in April and was relieved as senior inspector of Marinduque by Thirdclass Inspector H. J. Brown. On June 30, First-class Inspector Richard H.
“In the month of January, 1902, 25 rifles were found hidden away in the hills and guarded by two ex-insurgent soldiers. These rifles were found by Inspector Schuetz Griffith, the present senior inspector, took charge. Inspector Smith made a thorough investigation which resulted in the arrest of the clerk of the 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 Perñia, ex-insurgent soldiers, and the presidente 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. Conditions at present are very good in Marinduque and will probably remain so. The military have been entirely withdrawn from the island.” p. 203
Subsequently, Maximo Abad was exculpated in an En Banc decision of the Supreme Court in G.R. No. L-976 dated October 22, 1902:
G.R. No. L-976, October 22, 1902
THE UNITED STATES, complainant-appellee,
vs.
MAXIMO ABAD, defendant-appellant.
Perfecto Gabriel and Pablo Borbon, for appellee.
Office of the Solicitor-General Araneta, for appellee.
LADD, J.:
“The offense with which the defendant was charged and of which he has been convicted is that defined in section 14 of Act No. 292 of the United States Philippine Commission, which is as follows: "Any person who shall have taken any oath before any military officer under the Civil Government of the Philippine Islands, whether such official so administering the oath was specially authorized by law so to do or not, in which oath the affiant is substance engaged to recognize or accept the supreme authority of the United States of America in these Islands or to maintain true faith and allegiance thereto or to obey the laws, legal orders, and decrees promulgated by its duly constituted authorities and who shall, after the passage of this act, violate the terms and provisions of such oath or any of such terms or provisions, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars or by imprisonment not exceeding ten years, or both."
“The defendant is a former insurgent officer and is entitled to the benefit of the proclamation of amnesty if the offense is one of those to which the proclamation applies. Assuming, for the purposes of the present motion, that the defendant is guilty of the offense, there is no evidence in the record showing that it was committed pursuant to orders issued by the civil or military insurrectionary authorities, or that it grew out of internal political feuds or dissensions between Filipinos and Spaniards of the Spanish authorities, or that it resulted from internal political feuds or dissensions among the Filipinos themselves. If it is covered by the amnesty it must be because it is embraced within the words employed in the proclamation to designate the first class of offenses amnestied, namely, "offenses of treason and sedition."
x x x
“In the present case the act by which the defendant is found by the court below to have violated the oath was that of denying to an officer of the United States Army the existence of certain rifles, which had been concealed by his orders at the time of his surrender in April, 1901, and of the existence and whereabouts of which he was cognizant at the time of the denial. If this act was a violation of the oath, which upon the evidence in the case may be doubtful, it was probably also an act of treason, as being an act of adhering to the enemies of the United States, giving them aid and comfort, and if the element of breach of promise is to be regarded as merely an incidental circumstance forming no part of the essence of the crime of violation of oaths of allegiance, the offense in this particular case might, perhaps, be held to be covered by the amnesty as being, in substance, treason though prosecuted under another name. x x x
“We hold, therefore, that the offense of violation of oaths of allegiance, being one of the political offenses defined in Act No. 292, is included in the general words "treason and sedition," as used in the proclamation. The defendant is entitled to the benefits of the proclamation, and upon filing in this court the prescribed oath the case will be returned to the court below with directions that he be discharged. So ordered.
“Arellano, C.J., Torres, Cooper, and Willard, JJ., concur.
Smith and Mapa, JJ., did not sit in this case.”
MAXIMO ABAD ESTABLISHED
A FAMILY IN BOAC AFTER THE WAR
In year 1998, while preparing for the Centennial of the Philippine Independence, and searching for primary documents on the lives of local heroes, the author found in Book I of the ‘Registro de Nacimientos’ in the Civil Registry Office of the Municipality of Boac the following information about ‘Maria Leonor Abad’ contained in the first digital image of the document below. Another Roque in the registry is that of ‘Aniceta Rosario Roque,’ child of Fausto Roque and Epitacia Saez, who was born on March 17, 1902.
[The name ‘Maria Leonor Abad’, dated March 19, 1902 can be found on the seventh to the last line of Book I (1902-1908), Registro de Naciementos.’ Boac Civil Registry Office, Marinduque.]
The Registro de Nacimiento revealed that on March 19, 1902, Maria Leonor was born with Maximo Abad as father and Arcadia Roque as mother. Interestingly, “The Journal of Military History 61” (Birtle: 1902, 256), mentioned Abad’s relations with the Roques and can be read, viz:
“The civil and military leadership of the resistance movement on Marinduque was firmly rooted in the island's middle and upper classes. The insurrection was also in many ways a family affair. Abad's brother-in-law, Captain Pausto Roque, commanded the 1st Guerrilla. Both Fausto's father and uncle were important insurgent leaders in the civilian community, while his cousin, Teofilio Roque, commanded the 2d Guerrilla. Martin Lardizabal also had family ties with the insurrection. One nephew, Pedro Lardizabal, was a major on Abad's staff, and another nephew was a Manila merchant who orchestrated the clandestine transfer of supplies and information between that city and the island. Martin Lardizabal's brother-in-law, Pedro Madrigal, was a lieutenant and adjutant of the Boac-based 2d Guerrilla. Two other members of the Madrigal family served as officers, while the influential Nepomucena and Nieva families each supplied a lieutenant to the cause. Thus American military authorities faced not only a difficult physical environment, but an opponent that was Intertwined with the island's socio-economic elite and capable of using the power and prestige of that class to mobilize support for the insurrection.”
The register of births (nacimiento) and the Birtle account present solid bases in determining the family relations of Abad with the Roques. Abad is a brother-in-law of Fausto Roque while Teofilo Roque is Fausto’s cousin. Teofilo comes from the lineage of Tomas Roque (see family tree below), Tomas is the uncle of Fausto.
Since Arcadia Roque’s name does not appear in the family tree of Tomas Roque (see below), it is safe to surmise that Arcadia comes from the lineage of Leoncio Roque, the father of Fausto Roque. There is no record on baptism of Maria Leonor Abad in the Boac Parish of the Immaculate Conception. Such record should have contained the marriage information of Maximo and Arcadia if there was any, and/or the maternal surname of Maximo.
FAMILY TREE OF DON TOMAS ROQUE
[This family tree was presented by Ms.Juanita Roque-Enriquez to the Boac Historical Society during the “Unang Talakayang Pangkasaysayan ng Bayan ng Boac,” held at the Municipal Social Hall on July 14, 2000, 8:00AM – 4:00PM as part of the activities for the Centennial of the Battle of Paye.]MAXIMO AS LOCAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF IMUS, CAVITE
Based on available records, it can be surmised that Maximo moved to Cavite after his stint as Clerk of Court of First Instance in Marinduque, and after obtaining favourable decision from the Supreme Court in a case of treason filed against him by the Insular Government.
During the 1909 general elections, he ran for the office of municipal president against the incumbent, Felipe Topacio, and obviously won the electoral contest. In fact, he was listed to head the Municipality of Imus for the period 1910-1912, based on the “List of Municipal Heads of Imus, Cavite,” 1888 – present, which is featured hereof:
LIST OF MUNICIPAL HEADS OF IMUS, CAVITE
1888-PRESENT (2014)
Maximo tried his luck for another term when he ran as incumbent for the same office during the general elections on June 4, 1912. It did not turn fortunate on his favour, but he sought the recourse of the court to resolve a legal infirmity on the eligibility of his opponent, Felipe Topacio.ELECTORAL CASE DURING THE 1912 GENERAL ELECTIONS INVOLVING
ABAD’S SECOND TERM
During the 1912 elections, Maximo Abad and Felipe Topacio contested the mayorship (municipal president) seat for the second time. Topacio received 430 votes, and Abad 281 in that election but Abad filed an electoral case against Topacio questioning the legality of Topacio’s candidacy. While Abad won in the Court of First Instance, the case was elevated to the Supreme Court which eventually rendered its decision on October 1912. Portions of the decision can be read as follows (LAWPhil: 2012):
“G.R. No. L-8069, October 7, 1912
FELIPE TOPACIO, petitioner,
vs
ISIDRO PAREDES, judge of First Instance, ET AL.,
respondents.
Ramon Diokno, for petitioner.
Mercado, Adriatico and Tirona and J.E. Blanco, for respondents.
TRENT, J.:
“This is an original action instituted in this court wherein the petitioner prays that a writ of certiorari issue to the judge of the Court of First Instance of the Province of Cavite, directing him to certify to this court a transcript of the record of the proceedings had in that court on a certain election contest, hereinafter set forth. x x x
The petitioner alleges that the respondent judge exceeded his jurisdiction in the course of that election contest in that he declared that no one had been legally elected president of the municipality of Imus at the general election held in that town on June 4, 1912, and the petitioner prays that the judgment thus rendered and all subsequent proceedings based thereon be declared null and void for lack of jurisdiction. x x x
The admitted facts are these: on June 4, 1912, a general election was held in the town of Imus, Province of Cavite, to fill the office of municipal president. The petitioner, Felipe Topacio, and the respondent, Maximo Abad, were opposing candidates for that office. Topacio received 430 votes, and Abad 281. Abad contested the election upon the sole ground that Topacio was ineligible in that he was reelected the second time to the office of the municipal president on June 4, 1912, without the four years required by Act No. 2045 having intervened.
There is now no question and never has been about the correctness of the method of casting and counting the votes. The only question in this case which it necessary for us to determine is whether or not the respondent judge had jurisdiction, under the provisions of section 27 of the Election Law, as amended by Act No. 2170, to declare that no one was legally elected president of Imus on June 4, 1912. In other words, have the Courts of First Instance jurisdiction, under the above provisions of law, to determine the eligibility of candidates for office? It is admitted by all that the contest under consideration was instituted in the Court of First Instance of Cavite under those provisions and that the only question raised or which could have been raised by the pleadings in the proceedings in the court below was whether or not Topacio was eligible to be elected and to hold the office of municipal president. x x x
Applying the familiar principle of ejusdem generis, we hold that jurisdiction under this section is limited to those matters which may be decided by an inspection of the registry list and of the ballots and their res gestae. (Sutherland, Sta. Const., par. 268 at seq; Sedgwick, id., 360; 36 Cyc., 1119.) x x x x x x
For the foregoing reasons, we are of the opinion and so hold that the respondent judge exceeded his jurisdiction in declaring in those proceedings that no one was elected municipal president of the municipality of Imus at the last general election; and that said order and all subsequent proceedings based thereon are null and void and of no effect; and, although this decision is rendered on respondents' answer to the order to show cause, unless respondents raised some new and additional issues, let judgment be entered accordingly in 5 days, without costs. So ordered.
Arellano, C.J., Torres, Mapa and Carson, JJ., concur.”
DECISION IN THE ABAD ELECTORAL CASE,
CITED AS A 'JURISPRUDENTIAL SPRING'
IN RECENT (2013) SUPREME COURT DECISION
IN AN ELECTION CONTEST, GR. NO. 195649
The dispositive portion of this decision reads: “WHEREFORE, premises considered, the Petition is GRANTED. The Resolution of the COMELEC En Banc dated 2 February 2011 is hereby ANNULLED and SET ASIDE. Respondent ROMMEL ARNADO y CAGOCO is disqualified from running for any local elective position. CASAN MACODE MAQUILING is hereby DECLARED the dulyelected Mayor of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte in the 10 May 2010 elections.”
One of the jurisprudential principles used by the High Court in rendering this decision sprung from the Abad electoral case of 1912. This recent ruling cited the Abad case quoted partly herein below, viz:
“EN BANC
G.R. NO. 195649: April 16, 2013
CASAN MACODE MAQUILING, Petitioner, v. COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS, ROMMEL ARNADO y CAGOCO, LINOG G. BALUA, Respondents.
D E C I S I O N
SERENO, C.J.:
THE CASE
"This is a Petition for Certiorari ender Rule 64 in conjunction with Rule 65 of the Rules of Court to review the Resolutions of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). The Resolution in SPA No. 10-1 09(DC) of the COMELEC First Division dated 5 October 2010 is being assailed for applying Section 44 of the Local Government Code while the Resolution of the COMELEC En Banc dated 2 February 2011 is being questioned for finding that respondent Rommel Arnado y Cagoco (respondent Arnado/Arnado) is solely a Filipino citizen qualified to run for public office despite his continued use of a U.S. passport.
xxx xxx xxx
"Resolving the third issue necessitates revisiting Topacio v. Paredes which is the jurisprudential spring of the principle that a second-placer cannot be proclaimed as the winner in an election contest. This doctrine must be re-examined and its soundness once again put to the test to address the ever-recurring issue that a second-placer who loses to an ineligible candidate cannot be proclaimed as the winner in the elections.
"The Facts of the case are as follows:
On June 4, 1912, a general election was held in the town of Imus, Province of Cavite, to fill the office of municipal president. The petitioner, Felipe Topacio, and the respondent, Maximo Abad, were opposing candidates for that office. Topacio received 430 votes, and Abad 281. Abad contested the election upon the sole ground that Topacio was ineligible in that he was reelected the second time to the office of the municipal president on June 4, 1912, without the four years required by Act No. 2045 having intervened.
"Abad thus questioned the eligibility of Topacio on the basis of a statutory prohibition for seeking a second re-election absent the four year interruption.
"The often-quoted phrase in Topacio v. Paredes is that "the wreath of victory cannot be transferred from an ineligible candidate to any other candidate when the sole question is the eligibility of the one receiving a plurality of the legally cast ballots."
"This phrase is not even the ratio decidendi; it is a mere obiter dictum. The Court was comparing "the effect of a decision that a candidate is not entitled to the office because of fraud or irregularities in the elections x x x with that produced by declaring a person ineligible to hold such an office."
"The complete sentence where the phrase is found is part of a comparison and contrast between the two situations, thus:
"Again, the effect of a decision that a candidate is not entitled to the office because of fraud or irregularities in the elections is quite different from that produced by declaring a person ineligible to hold such an office. In the former case the court, after an examination of the ballots may find that some other person than the candidate declared to have received a plurality by the board of canvassers actually received the greater number of votes, in which case the court issues its mandamus to the board of canvassers to correct the returns accordingly; or it may find that the manner of holding the election and the returns are so tainted with fraud or illegality that it cannot be determined who received a plurality of the legally cast ballots. In the latter case, no question as to the correctness of the returns or the manner of casting and counting the ballots is before the deciding power, and generally the only result can be that the election fails entirely. In the former, we have a contest in the strict sense of the word, because of the opposing parties are striving for supremacy. If it be found that the successful candidate (according to the board of canvassers) obtained a plurality in an illegal manner, and that another candidate was the real victor, the former must retire in favor of the latter. In the other case, there is not, strictly speaking, a contest, as the wreath of victory cannot be transferred from an ineligible candidate to any other candidate when the sole question is the eligibility of the one receiving a plurality of the legally cast ballots. In the one case the question is as to who received a plurality of the legally cast ballots; in the other, the question is confined to the personal character and circumstances of a single individual.
"Note that the sentence where the phrase is found starts with "In the other case, there is not, strictly speaking, a contest" in contrast to the earlier statement, "In the former, we have a contest in the strict sense of the word, because of the opposing parties are striving for supremacy."
"The Court in Topacio v. Paredes cannot be said to have held that "the wreath of victory cannot be transferred from an ineligible candidate to any other candidate when the sole question is the eligibility of the one receiving a plurality of the legally cast ballots."
"A proper reading of the case reveals that the ruling therein is that since the Court of First Instance is without jurisdiction to try a disqualification case based on the eligibility of the person who obtained the highest number of votes in the election, its jurisdiction being confined "to determine which of the contestants has been duly elected" the judge exceeded his jurisdiction when he "declared that no one had been legally elected president of the municipality of Imus at the general election held in that town on 4 June 1912" where "the only question raised was whether or not Topacio was eligible to be elected and to hold the office of municipal president."
"The Court did not rule that Topacio was disqualified and that Abad as the second placer cannot be proclaimed in his stead. x x x Let us examine the statement:
"x x x the wreath of victory cannot be transferred from an ineligible candidate to any other candidate when the sole question is the eligibility of the one receiving a plurality of the legally cast ballots."
What prevents the transfer of the wreath of victory from the ineligible candidate to another candidate?
When the issue being decided upon by the Court is the eligibility of the one receiving a plurality of the legally cast ballots and ineligibility is thereafter established, what stops the Court from adjudging another eligible candidate who received the next highest number of votes as the winner and bestowing upon him that "wreath?"
An ineligible candidate who receives the highest number of votes is a wrongful winner. By express legal mandate, he could not even have been a candidate in the first place, but by virtue of the lack of material time or any other intervening circumstances, his ineligibility might not have been passed upon prior to election date. Consequently, he may have had the opportunity to hold himself out to the electorate as a legitimate and duly qualified candidate. However, notwithstanding the outcome of the elections, his ineligibility as a candidate remains unchanged. Ineligibility does not only pertain to his qualifications as a candidate but necessarily affects his right to hold public office. The number of ballots cast in his favor cannot cure the defect of failure to qualify with the substantive legal requirements of eligibility to run for public office.” [http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2013/april2013/195649.pdf; Accessed on November 18, 2014, 10:23AM]
ABAD ESTABLISHED A SECOND
FAMILY IN IMUS, CAVITE
There is no information yet on what happened to the family of Maximo in Marinduque. An internet-based genealogical reference, however, revealed information on another family he established in Imus, Cavite that is consistent with the period when he was the presidente municipal in that town. This information (http://www.geni.com/people/Ramon-Lozano-Abad/6000000000784382083?through=6000000000787130002) revealed that Maximo has union with a certain “Consolacion ‘Nena’ Lozano,” a widow of Isidro Sunico. He fathered two children with “Nena,” Josefina Lozano-Abad and Ramon Lozano Abad, who was born on October 23, 1912. Nena has three children in her previous union with Isidro: Francisca Lozano Sunico, Ramon L. Sunico and Julito Sunico. The profile of Atty. Ramon Lozano Abad was provided by Ramon Abad Soriano:
“RAMON LOZANO ABAD
“Birth: October 23, 1912; Imus, Philippines, Cavite, Philippines; Son of: Col. Maximo Abad and Consolacion Abad; Husband of: Encarnacion Abad y Locsin; Father of: <private> Abad; <private> Lopez; Ma. Aurora Locsin Abad; <private> Soriano (Abad); <private> Abad and 1 other; Brother of: Josefina Abad; Half brother of: Ramon L. Sunico; Francisca Sunico and Julito Sunico
“Atty. Ramon Lozano Abad, known to family and friends as 'Lolo' Moning or Ramoning. Earned his Bachelor of Laws from the UP in 1937 passing his bar in the same year. Taught in the College of Commerce University of the East. Served under Secretary of Defense Peding Montelibano. During the Japanese Occupation operated a bicycle repair shop. After the war opened an Ice Cream Kiosk at Sta. Mesa, Manila beside his home. Son of Col. “Maximo Abad, national hero of Pulang Lupa Marinduque (Camp Maximo Abad named in his Honor) and Nena Lozano-Sunico Abad. Born in Imus, Cavite. Lived in Piquet, North Cotobato at the time the province was being colonized by 'revolutionarios militar' under land grants (homestead patents). Then his father was first Governor General of North Cotobato. Member of the Code Committee of Capistrano and drafted the Law on Partnership. Loved to play golf at the Wack Wack and Valley Golf every Sunday Mornings with his friends. Died on October 17, 1991 at New Jersey, United States; Burried on October 22, 1991 at Parañaque, Philippine.”
Atty. Ramon L. Abad was the one who received, on behalf of his father, the Philippine Legion of Honor Award conferred by the Republic in 1965. Details on this will be discussed in the later topic. Consolacion Abad, endearingly called “Nena,” was the daughter of Antonio and Ramona Lozano, but there is no available information yet on where they originated. She will be mentioned later in a significant event in Pikit, Cotabato during the period of the agricultural colonies.
Based on the information above, it can be deduced that after Abad’s unsuccessful bid for a re-election in Imus, he moved the family to Cotabato. There is also a mention in the internet-based genealogy that Maximo has another wife, a certain “Unknown Castañeda.”
However, there is no record to support this claim. Because a long period of time that elapsed, the members of the family of Abad may have found it hard to recall several other significant information. The author supposes that the name “Castañeda” may have been mistaken to be that of “Arcadia,” Abad’s first wife in Marinduque who was the mother of “Maria Leonor Abad.”
But there are still some other possibilities. Abad’s first wife, Arcadia, was a sister of his colleague in the revolutionary force, Captain Fausto Roque and a cousin of Teofilo Roque. Is it possible that Consolacion ‘Nena’ Lozano, her second wife, was related to Crizanto Lozano, another officer and colleague of Abad in the revolutionary force?
And, if indeed, there is a third wife, “Castañeda,” was she related, in any manner, to an officer named “Castañeda” of the same revolutionary force, who was with Abad during his surrender on April 15, 1901 or of a certain Juan Castañeda who was a capitan municipal of Imus in 1899?
MAXIMO AS SUPERINTENDENT
OF THE “COLONOS”
In the “Annual Reports, War Department Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1913 Report of the ' Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War 1913: (In One Part; Washington: Government Printing Office 1914,” it can be read that: “The Philippine Legislature on February 11, 1913, enacted Act No. 2254, known as the ‘Agricultural colony act,’ and appropriated P400,000 for the purpose of carrying it into effect. The objects sought to be obtained by this act were (a) to increase the production of food cereals; (b) to equalize the distribution of population of the islands; and (c) to afford opportunity to the inhabitants of the islands to become landed proprietors and to bring under cultivation the rich public lands of the islands which are now sparsely populated. The bureau is taking a very active part in recruiting and locating these colonists” (p. 202.).
In a subsequent publication, the “Annual Reports, War Department Fiscal Year Ended June 30. 1916: Report of the Philippine Commission, to the Secretary of War. 1915 (January 1, 1915, To December 31, 1915) (In One Part); Washington: Government Printing Office, 1916,” reported that: “On November 18, 1915, the Philippine Commission, by Act No. 2539, extended and "-made applicable to that part of the Philippine Islands inhabited by Moros or other non-Christian tribes," Act No. 2254 of the Philippine Legislature, this being the general organic act for the establishment of the agricultural colonies. This act had been passed originally having especially in view the establishment of agricultural colonies in Cotabato within the territorial jurisdiction of the then Moro Province. By reason of this well-known intent, the Commission had not been requested specifically to extend it to Mindanao-Sulu, but in view of the possible technical legal point being raised at any time, the Commission was requested to make such extension, and, as has already been stated, by Act No. 2539 formally made Act No. 2254 applicable to all the territory not nominally within the joint legislative jurisdiction of both houses of the Legislature” (p. 278).
(Artigas y Cuerva: 1917) mentioned that Maximo Abad was designated as superintendent of the Agricultural Colony in Cotabato on April 5, 1913. Those colonies were also called ‘colonos.’
The coming of the first batch of colonists in Pikit was considered as the founding date of that town (Gornez: 2014) as can be read from her account of the History of Pikit Colony:
“On June 17, 1913, the first batch of colonist from Cebu arrived at Fort Pikit after two days of travelling on a flat-bottomed river boat “Hall” following the course of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, to venture in this “Land of Promise.” The first group of colonist were assigned to colony No. 1 consisting of Manding, Ladtingan, Calawag, Gligli and Inug-ug. Other groups followed in 1914 and 1915. They were assigned to Colony No. 2 which is thebarrio of Silik, Colony No. 3 at Paidu Pulangi, Colony, No. 5 at Pagalungan and Colony No.7 at Talitay. These places had been smoothly colonized through the cooperation of Datu Piang Dulawan. Datu Matalam, father of Ex-Governor Datu Udtog Matalam of Pikit, Pagalungan, Datu Plang Mamasalakeg of Baletican Maridagao and Datu Amani-Pukan of Mamaulanan, Silik.
“The colonists experienced great hardship and untold sacrifices. They had to guard their farms against devastation of wild hogs which abounded in the area. They suffered from bites of swarms of mosquitoes; they had to use mosquito nets even while eating their supper. The dike which was constructed along the Rio Grande was inadequate, and the occurrence of ravaging floods which wrought severe destruction to the crops were greatly feared by the farmers, these floods caused some of the colonists to move out to Midsayap and other places in the province. x x x”
Gornez also described the administrative governance of the ‘colonos’ and the various concentrated powers being wielded by the colony superintendent including those of a deputized executive, administrator of justice and inspector of the lands, in the following accounts:
“During the Colony days the Colonies had a special government under the administration of the Colony Superintendent; Mr. Maximo Abad was then appointed. Mr. Miguel Jacosalem, Asst. Supt. for Colony No. 3, Datu Abdula Piang, Asst. Supt. for Colony No. 3, Mr. Tuan Afdal, Asst. Supt. for Colony No. 4, Mr. Ruperto Gemarino, Asst. Supt. for Colony No. 5 and Mr. Primo Curo, Astt. Supt. for Colony No. 7. x x x
“A special form of government was established for the colony. It was administered by Mr. Maximo Abad as colony superintendent. He was not only a colony superintendent, but at the same time he was a deputy governor, an auxiliary justice of the peace and land inspector, he exercised this tremendous concentration of power in a way that the colonists were at his mercy.”
In the period 1922-1925, Gornes narrates that Maximo Abad was still living in the colonies when her wife Nena was involved in a controversy of a planned sale of the colony in Manding which was agreed upon among parties to be the area for a town site. Gornes narrated, thus:
“On July 7, 1922, the colonist sent a petition addressed to the Governor General through the Director, Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes requesting; (1) The creation of Pikit into a regularly municipality, and (2) The establishment of barrio Manding as town site and seat of the Municipal Government.
“On March 14, 1923, the Director of Non-Christian Tribes, Hon. Jose Sanvictores came. He instituted a changed in the colonists’ contract. The important provisions of the contract were; (1) The 35% deduction; if colonists fail to settle their accounts after the fifth year their lands whatever improvements introduced thereon shall be forfeited to the government.
“The colonists discovered for the first time that barrio Manding which they petitioned to be reserved for town site purposes was applied for by Nena Abad, wife of the colony superintendent under ‘sales application’ covering an area of 72 hectares. The colonists protested against this sales application and filed its protest with the Bureau of Lands on February 15, 1925. They were greatly disappointed because Barrio Manding which was assured to them by the authorities and the superintendent. himself, that it would be made a town site for the municipality of Pikit was applied for by no others than the wife of the superintendent the colonist held a meeting in a colony bunkhouse which was used as a classroom. It was during this meeting that they agreed and prepared a manifesto protest against the sales application of Mrs. Nena Abad. The protest angered Mr. Maximo Abad and in retaliation, complaints of ‘Conspiracy against the Administration’ and ‘Entering a room without permit’ were filed against the colonists by a certain Captain Ciriaco Montera of the Philipine Costabulary and Mr. Jose Ostrea, District Supervisor as consequence of these.”
[A ‘Colono Marker’ in Glan, Sarangani reminding the present generation that Glan was once Agricultural Colony No. 9 in the past. Accessed from: Glan, Sarangani Province: Yesteryears’ Heritage is Today’s Treasure. By Olan Emboscado, September 22, 2014. http://thetravelteller.com/glan-sarangani-province-yesteryears-heritage-is-todays-treasure/. Color edited.]
HONORING THE HEROISM OF
COL. MAXIMO ABAD, 1965
The National Government Portal – Edited at the Office of the President of the Philippines Under Commonwealth Act No. 638: “President’s Week in Review: September 12 – September 18, 1965,” Posted on October 11, 1965: Official Gazette & National Library Sources printed in the Official Gazette: http://www.gov.ph/1965/10/11/ presidents-week-in-review-september-12-%E2%94%80-september-18-1965/ revealed invaluable information on the conferment of honors to Abad and other members of the revolutionary force in Marinduque:
“September 13 – The President [Diosdado Macapagal] arrives at Ga[s]an Airport, Boac, Marinduque aboard the plane ‘Common Man’ from Masbate late this morning where he is the guest of honor and speaker at the ‘Marinduque Day’ ceremonies. The day, which marks the first observance of the Battle of Pulang Lupa where a hand of Filipino soldiers led by Col Maximo Abad routed a company of American invaders 65 years ago, was earlier Proclaimed as special public holiday in that province by the President.
“The Chief Executive, after the civic-military parade in the provincial capital, confers the Philippine Legion of Honor Awards, with the rank of commander, posthumously upon 16 members led by Col. Maximo Abad, who took part in the historic encounter. The nearest kin of the Pulang Lupa battle heroes receive the awards in behalf of the heroes.
“Receiving the award for Colonel Abad is his son, Ramon, a Manila businessman.
“Other posthumous awardees are Capt. Cayetano Vida, Capt. Pedro Lardizabal, Lt. Teofilo Roque, Lt. Gumersindo de la Santa, Lt. Isabelo Silva, Lt. Raymundo Recalde, Lt. Luciano Parreño, Lt. Rosauro Luwalhati, Sgt. Silvino Paglinawan, Sgt. Victor Mascariñas, Sgt. Herculano Josue and Sgt. Alejandro Manguerra.
“After the presentation of awards, the Marinduque provincial board also gives an award to the President for taking cognizance of the “Day”.
“Aside from the President and representatives of the battle heroes, Jesus Cabarrus, president of the Marinduque Iron Mines, who sponsored the writing contest on the history of Marinduque which led to the “discovery of the Battle of Pulang Lupa,” also attended the celebration.
“The reenactment of the famous battle at the capitol grounds highlights the Marinduque Day rites.”
PHILIPPINE LEGION OF HONOR AWARD MEDAL
[Philippine Legion of Honor Award: Created by Philippine Army Circular No. 60 dated July 3, 1947, the Philippine Legion of Honor is conferred upon a Filipino or foreign citizen in recognition of valuable and meritorious service in relation to the military affairs of the Republic of the Philippines. http://philippinedi plomaticvisits.-blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post.html. Color edited.]EPILOGUE:
This work is a celebration of the victories in the life and contributions of Col. Maximo Abad and his revolutionary colleagues in championing the cause of independence against two aggressors, the Spaniards and the Americans, and his other feats as public servant, despite the twinges along the course of performing his duties.
There are, however, several other gaps in the information compiled, especially those regarding his parents and exact birthdate, and of his death information. Let these be major challenges for future researches who want to continue “tracing the footsteps of Maximo Abad,” that is initiated by Eli Obligacion.
Let this also serve as an opportunity to thank Eli for such initiative and for continuously devoting precious time in seeking information for our historical events and personages for the present and future generation to appreciate and ponder upon.
Sincere gratitude is also extended to Curt Shepard for investing time and resources to make available invaluable primary sources of local history in his website, www.ulongbeach.com.
This work is dedicated to my wife, Lyra and to our daughter, @Aine for continuously giving appreciation, love and support as this work is being prepared.
This serves also as the first post in my newly-established blog.
REFERENCES:
Municipality of Boac, Municipal Civil Registrar’s Office:
Book No. 1: Registro de Nacimientos, 1902-1908
Manuel Artigas y Cuerva: Galeria de Filipino Ilustres
Manila, 1917. Imp. Casa Editoria “Renacimiento”
Elizondo 219, Kiapo [umdl open source]
US Senate. Affairs in The Philippine Islands. Hearings Before The
Committee on the Philippines of the United States Senate.
57th Congress 1st Session, Washington, D. C.,
January 31, 1901.
Annual Reports, War Department Fiscal Year Ended June 30. 1916:
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