General Luna Full Movie

[Nikita Desjardins]

Regardedas one of the fiercest generals of his time, he succeeded Artemio Ricarte as the Commanding General of the Philippine Army. He sought to apply his background in military science to the fledgling army. A sharpshooter himself, he organized professional guerrilla soldiers later named the "Luna Sharpshooters" and the "Black Guard" with Senyor Michael Joaquin. His three-tier defense, now known as the Luna Defense Line, gave the American troops a difficult endeavor during their campaign in the provinces north of Manila. This defense line culminated in the creation of a military stronghold in the Cordillera.[3][page needed]

Despite his commitment to discipline the army and serve the Republic which attracted the admiration of the people, his temper and fiery outlashes caused some to abhor him, including people from Aguinaldo's cabinet.[4] Nevertheless, Luna's efforts were recognized during his time, and he was awarded the Philippine Republic Medal in 1899. He was also a member of the Malolos Congress.[5] Besides his military studies, Luna also studied pharmacology, literature, and chemistry.[6]

At the age of 6, Luna learned reading, writing, and arithmetic from a teacher known as Maestro Intong.[6] He also memorized the Doctrina Christiana, believed to be the first book printed in the Philippines.[6][14] The book consists of 38 leaves and 74 pages of text in Spanish, Tagalog transliterated into roman letters, and Tagalog.[15][16]

After his education under Maestro Intong, he studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1881.[17] He went on to study literature and chemistry at the University of Santo Tomas, where he won first prize for a paper in chemistry titled Two Fundamental Bodies of Chemistry (Dos Cuerpos fundamentales de la Quimica). He also studied Pharmacy. Meanwhile, his background in swordsmanship, fencing, and military tactics came from his studies under Don Martin Cartagena, a major in the Spanish Army.[17] In addition, he acquired the skill to become a sharpshooter. Upon the invitation of his elder brother Juan in 1890, Antonio was sent by his parents to Spain. There he acquired a licentiate (at Universidad de Barcelona) and doctorate (at Universidad Central de Madrid).[6]

Luna was active as a researcher in the scientific community. After receiving his doctorate in 1893, he published a scientific treatise on malaria entitled On Malarial Pathology (El Hematozoario del Paludismo), which was favorably received in the scientific community.[18] He then went to Belgium and France and worked as an assistant to Dr. Latteaux at the Pasteur Institute and to Dr. Laffen. In recognition of his ability, he was commissioned by the Spanish government to study tropical and communicable diseases.[6] In 1894, he returned to the Philippines where he took part in an examination to determine who would become the chief chemist of the Municipal Laboratory of Manila. Luna came in first and won the position.[10]

In Spain, he became one of the Filipino expatriates who mounted the Propaganda Movement and wrote for La Solidaridad, headed by Galicano Apacible. He wrote a piece titled Impressions which dealt with Spanish customs and idiosyncrasies under the pen-name "Taga-ilog". Also, like many of the Filipino liberals in Spain, Luna became a Freemason and rose to the degree of Master Mason.[6]

He and his brother Juan also opened the Sala de Armas, a fencing club, in Manila.[6] When he learned of the underground societies that were planning a revolution and was asked to join, he scoffed at the idea and turned down the offer. Like other Filipino migrs involved in the Reform Movement, he was in favor of reform rather than revolution as the way toward independence.[10] Besides affecting their property, the proponents of the Reform Movement saw that no revolution would succeed without the necessary preparations.[4] Nevertheless, after the existence of the Katipunan was leaked in August 1896, the Luna brothers were arrested and jailed in Fort Santiago for "participating" in the revolution.[10] His statement concerning the revolution was one of the many statements used to abet the laying down of the death sentence for Jos Rizal. Months later, Jos and Juan were freed but Antonio was exiled to Spain in 1897, where he was imprisoned in Madrid's Crcel Modelo.[6]

His more famous and controversial brother, Juan, who had been pardoned by the Spanish Queen Regent Maria Christina of Austria herself, left for Spain to use his influence to intercede for Antonio in August 1897. Antonio's case was dismissed by the Military Supreme Court and he was released.[10][19] Upon his release in December 1897, Luna studied field fortifications, guerrilla warfare, organization, and other aspects of military science under Gerard Leman, who would later be the commanding general of the fortress at Lige.[6] He also read extensively about the discipline when he was at the Ateneo de Madrid.[19] The second phase of the revolution began with the return of Emilio Aguinaldo by the US Navy to Cavite in 1898 his establishment of the Dictatorial Government of the Philippines.[4][20] Upon arriving in Hong Kong, Luna was given a letter of recommendation to Aguinaldo and a revolver by Felipe Agoncillo and he returned to the Philippines in July 1898.[21]

Luna courted Nellie Boustead, a woman who was also courted by Jos Rizal, between 1889 and 1891.[10] Boustead was reportedly infatuated with Rizal. At a party held by Filipinos, a drunk Antonio Luna made unsavory remarks against Boustead. This prompted Rizal to challenge Luna to a duel. However, Luna apologized to Rizal, thus averting a duel between the compatriots.[22]

Since June 1898, Manila had been surrounded by the revolutionary troops. Colonel Luciano San Miguel occupied Mandaluyong, General Po del Pilar advanced through Sampaloc and attacked Puente Colgante, causing the enemy to fall back, General Mariano Noriel, Paraaque, Colonel Enrique Pacheco, Navotas, Tambobong and Caloocan. General Gregorio del Pilar took charge of Pantaleon Garcia's force when the latter was wounded, taking Pritil, Tondo, Divisoria, and Paseo de Azcrraga, Noriel cleared Singalong and Paco, and held Ermita and Malate.[23][24] Aguinaldo demanded joint occupation of Intramuros, which the Americans heeded. After one month of joint occupation, Aguinaldo withdrew his forces when he received a telegram from General Elwell Otis that he would be obliged to resort to forcible action if Aguinaldo did not pull his forces back, and Commodore (later Admiral) George Dewey's fleet had moored in Manila Bay after being warned of an unwanted conflict between Filipinos and Americans. When Luna was in the trenches, he ordered his troops to fire on the Americans. After the chaos following the American occupation, at a meeting in Ermita, Luna tried to complain to American officers about the disorderly conduct of their soldiers.[10]

To silence Luna, Aguinaldo appointed him as Chief of War Operations on September 26, 1898, and assigned the rank of brigadier general. In quick succession, he was made the Director or Assistant Secretary of War and Supreme Chief of the Republican Army on September 28,[25] arousing the envy of the other generals who were fighting since the first phase of the Revolution. Meanwhile, Luna felt that bureaucratic placebos were being thrown his way when all he wanted was to organize and discipline the enthusiastic but ill-fed and ill-trained troops into a real army.[10]

A score of veteran officers became teachers at his military school. Luna devised two courses of instruction, planned the reorganization, with a battalion of tiradores and a cavalry squadron, set up an inventory of guns and ammunition, arsenals, using convents and town halls, quartermasters, lookouts and communication systems. He built trenches with the help of his chief engineer, General Jose Alejandrino, and had his brother Juan design the school's uniforms (the Filipino rayadillo). He also insisted on strict discipline over and above clan armies and regional loyalties, which prevented coordination between various military units.[27] Envisioning one united army for the Republic, clan armies and regional loyalties presented a lack of national consciousness.[28]

When the Treaty of Paris, under which Spain was to cede the Philippines to the United States, was made public in December 1898, Luna quickly decided to take military action. He proposed a strategy that was designed to trap the Americans in Manila before more of their troops could land by executing surprise attacks (guerrilla warfare) while building up strength in the north. If the American forces penetrated his lines, Luna determined that he would wage a series of delaying battles and prepare a fortress in northern Luzon, the Cordillera. This, however, was turned down by high command, which still believed that the Americans would grant full independence.[31]

The Americans gained the opportunity to start hostilities with the Filipinos at the place and time of their choice. On the night of February 4, 1899, when most of the Filipino generals were at a ball in Malolos to celebrate the success of the American anti-imperialists delaying the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, the Americans staged an incident along the concrete blockhouses in Santa Mesa near the Balsahan Bridge.[32] An American patrol fired on Filipino troops, claiming afterward that the Filipinos had started shooting first. The whole Filipino line from Pasay to Caloocan returned fire and the first battle of the Filipino-American War ensued. Two days later, in response to the incident, the US Senate voted for annexation. In doing so, the conflict became the war of conquest, occupation, and annexation that Luna, Mabini, and others had predicted and about which they had warned Aguinaldo and his generals previously.[33]

Luna, after receiving orders from Aguinaldo, rushed to the front lines from his headquarters at Polo (present-day Valenzuela City) and led three companies to La Loma to engage General Arthur MacArthur's forces. Fighting took place at Marikina, Caloocan, Santa Ana, and Paco. The Filipinos were subjected to a carefully planned attack with naval artillery, with Admiral George Dewey's US fleet firing from Manila Bay. Filipino casualties were high, amounting to around 2,000 killed and wounded.[32] Luna personally had to carry wounded officers and men to safety; of these, the most dramatic rescue was that of Commander Jos Torres Bugalln. After being hit by an American bullet, Bugalln had managed to advance another fifty meters before he was seen by Luna collapsing by the side of the road. As the Americans continued their fire on the road, Luna gathered an escort of around 25 men to save Bugalln, who Luna stated was equivalent to 500 men. Surviving the encounter, Luna encouraged Bugalln to live by giving him an instant promotion to lieutenant colonel. However, Bugalln succumbed to his wounds.[34]

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