6-FEATURES: Three heroes in liberation of Pangasinan
Balita News
By Leonardo V. Micua
DAGUPAN CITY, June 05 (PNA)--Three Pangasinenses figured
prominently in the war that finally ended Spanish rule in the province
on July 22, 1898, more than a month after the proclamation of Philippine
Independence on June 12, 1898 at Kawit, Cavite.
Col. Vicente del Prado of San Jacinto, Juan Quesada of Dagupan
and Major Daniel Maramba of Sta. Barbara led their respective armies in
the famous "Battle of Dagupan" that finally liberated the entire
province from Spanish colonial rule.
All three heroes of the "Battle of Dagupan" served as governors
of Pangasinan with del Prado first, followed by Quesada and years later
by Maramba.
Their combined armies of raw and ill-equipped foot soldiers were
pitted against the cream of the Spanish Army led by General Francisco
Ceballos who retreated at the brick-walled Dagupan church where they
made their last stand, hoping that reinforcement from the Ilocos would
come.
The book, "Pangasinan 1801 to 1900" by Professor Rosario Mendoza
Cortes, said Del Prado was appointed as early as April 17, 1898 by Don
Francisco Makabulos as the politico-military governor for Pangasinan
with Quesada as his second in command.
Maramba joined the Makabulos organization as early as March,
1898. Educated at Ateneo de Manila like del Prado, Maramba surprised the
Spanish friars in Sta. Barbara when he stormed their convent and placed
them under house arrest.
The "Battle of Dagupan" began on the 18th of July. On this day,
Maramba brought his force to Dagupan after capturing Mangaldan earlier.
Del Prado did likewise after freeing most of the towns in western
Pangasinan.
With the aid of General Makabulos and his forces, the attackers
routed the Spaniards after only four days of fighting.
The "Battle of Dagupan" was inevitable. As early as 30th of
June, the Spanish authorities decided to evacuate all their forces to
Dagupan where a last stand was to be taken. This was after losing many
towns from the insurgents.
Aside from the uniformed men, also ordere to go to Dagupan were
civilian elements, including voluntarios locales of the towns not yet
taken by the insurgents namely San Jacinto, Pozorrubio, Manaoag and
Villasis.
Also taken to Dagupan in haste was the image of the Most Holy
Rosary of the Virgin Mary of Manaoag, the patron saint of Pangasinan.
Although cornered at the Dagupan church, the Spaniards inflicted
much casualties in the ranks of the attackers because of their vantage
position. From atop the church, marksmen of the Spanish Army could pick
on targets even from a distance.
As a result of this attack, bodies piled up like an embankment
or a high wall east of the church. Only through wits and cunning thus
the rebels were able to contain the snipers from inflicting more
casualties.
Historian Restituto Basa, author of the book "Story of Dagupan,"
said the rebels rolled banana trunks bundled with sawali to hide
themselves from snipers line of fire till they got near the church.
After defeating the Spaniards in the "Battle of Dagupan", the
Pangasinenses decided to reenact the proclamation of independence done
earlier in Cavite on the 12th of June in their own principal town of
Dagupan to celebrate their freedom from foreign masters.
There was a proposal to declare the 22nd day of July a
provincial holiday in Pangasinan to commemorate the liberation of the
province from a foreign souvereign but unfortunately this did not
materialize.
The outbreak of the Filipino-American War did not give the
Filipinos a chance to celebrate the first anniversary of Philippine
Independence and the Pangasinenses the first anniversary of their
liberation from Spanish rule.
On September 27, 1898, town chiefs of Pangasinan were gathered
at Malolos for an election. Quesada was elected as governor with del
Prado as the province's representative to the National Assembly.
Historian Basa said that in the Philippine-American War, Quesada
followed President Emilio Aguinaldo in his retreat to the north and
died of malaria somewhere in Abra province.
Aguinaldo transferred the capital to Bayambang to escape the
Americans before moving to Calasiao and Dagupan. Quesada elected to die
with Aguinaldo instead of seving under the Americans.
Del Prado fought the Americans and never bowed to them even till
his death. Captured somewhere in Sison town and branded as brigand, he
was asked to swear his allegiance to the American flag but he demurred.
For allegedly spitting on the conqueror's flag instead of
electing freedom and a promised high position in the government, del
Prado was executed before the eyes of his people at the Dagupan Plaza.
Maramba later became governor in the second decade of the 1900s
under American rule. Well loved by Pangasineses, he was instrumental for
the establishment of the sprawling provincial nursery.
The first provincial official to focus his attention to boost
farming, Maramba initiated the the planting of mango trees that still
line up both sides of the highway from Sta. Barbara to Calasiao. (PNA
Feature) MB/JV/LVM/rma
PNA 06050938