Monday, December 3, 2007

LEON KILAT PHILIPPINE REVOLUTIONARY HERO

In Carcar, Cebu, there is a monument honoring the revolutionary known as Leon Kilat (Lightning Lion), whose real name was Pantaleon Villegas. My maternal grandmother, Filomena Alesna, was from Carcar, and so growing up we used to visit Carcar. The white monument of a man on a horse became part of Carcar's landmarks, along with St. Catherine's church and school, and the rotunda in the middle of the highway.

My mother used to point out the old house where Leon Kilat had been assassinated, but the story was always vague. What I understood was that Leon Kilat had been a revolutionary and he was assassinated by one of his men.

My history teachers and books weren't much help either, primarily because Philippine history was taught from a Tagalog-centric point of view. We were taught that Andres Bonifacio founded the Katipunan, which had serious battles with the Spaniards in 1896. The Katipunan sent Leon Kilat to Cebu to work with the Cebuano revolutionaries. This happened in the summer of 1898.

Leon Kilat was born in Bacong, Negros Oriental, and he had worked in Cebu and in a circus in Manila where he met a Katipunero. He was said to have possessed an anting-anting (talisman) and had magical powers. He was a Visayan but not a Cebuano. In San Nicolas, Cebu, he was tentatively accepted by the Cebuano revolutionaries, ancestors of numerous Cebuanos - Noel, Alcoseba, Barcenilla, Alfafar, Abellana, Gundoy, Cui, and others.

An earlier battle with the Spaniards was successful and the Spaniards had to retreat to Fort San Pedro. But the Spaniards quickly dispatched a ship to Cebu. When the revolutionaries heard about the Spanish ship, they retreated to Carcar.

On April 7, 1898 (Holy Thursday), Leon Kilat was in Carcar. His plan was to attack the Spaniards on Easter Sunday in Carcar. Leon Kilat was treated as an honored guest and he stayed in the house of Tiyoy Barcenilla. Upon Leon Kilat's request, a tailor took his measurements because Leon Kilat wanted a new uniform to wear the next day. A feast was prepared in the Barcenilla House for Leon Kilat and guests.

What Leon Kilat did not know was that one of the men, Florencio Noel, had met the Spanish friar, Father Francisco Blanco. Father Blanco had reportedly told Noel that the only way Carcar would escape Spanish retaliation was if Leon Kilat would be killed.

So, on the night of Holy Thursday, goat, chicken, pork were served to the men at the Barcenilla House, and afterwards, the men drank coffee and Ginebra (gin) in the living room. Meantime, the Carcar men who had decided to do away with Leon Kilat, became ill at ease, and they whispered among one another, and in fact, Apolinario Alcuitas shouted in Cebuano, "Brothers, I am informing all of you that tonight, I will slaughter a horse."

All of this apparently went unnoticed by Leon Kilat, or perhaps he had too much Ginebra, because he didn't flee. He went to bed, in the room near the stairs of the Barcenilla House. Vicente Barcenilla chatted with Leon Kilat in his room; he goes down in history as the last person to have seen him alive.

Then sometime during the night, several men entered Leon Kilat's room. One of them used Kilat's own rifle butt to smash his skull. And then the men stabbed Kilat. It was a collective deed, but Apolinario Alcuitas' name goes down in history as the assassin.

After insuring Leon Kilat was dead, the group brought his corpse to the center of town to display it. It was 5 a.m. Good Friday, April 9, 1898.

So, generally, historical accounts stop right there. One can assume that the Spaniards did indeed spare Carcar after they regained power. But Spanish power was shortlived because on May 1, 1898, Admiral Dewey launched the Battle of Manila Bay.

American intervention in Spanish Philippine politics quickly put an end to Spanish rule.


Post Script: My grandmother, Filomena Alesna, was most likely related to Florencio Noel. But Cebu is like that. If you trace far back enough, everyone is related. If you think about it, politically speaking, in any revolution, people are never quite sure which side to take. There are those who want the status quo; and there are those who want change.

10 comments:

Dom Cimafranca said...

Hi, Ms. B.,

A couple more details: Leon Kilat was a very colorful character akin to a secret agent of the time. He had several disguises and worked in a travelling carnival.

His birthplace is actually Bacong in Negros Oriental. He has a small statue in the city plaza. His descendants still live within the area.

Anonymous said...

I am thrilled to learn I could be related to Cecilia Brainard. My grandfather, Ricardo Alesna, is also from Carcar, Cebu.

richard@alesna.net

Anonymous said...

Hi Ms. Brainard

If you could help & give some me some info. I'm tracing my roots. My grandfather is Sergio Alesna, from Carcar went to Mindanao as "sakada" between 1920s or 1930s. We dont have info about his family back in Cebu. God Bless.

jbalesn2673@hotmail.com

weljo said...

Hi Ms. Brainard

If you could help & give some me some info. I'm tracing my roots. My grandfather is Sergio Alesna, from Carcar went to Mindanao as "sakada" between 1920s or 1930s. We dont have info about his family back in Cebu. God Bless.

jbalesn2673@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

Hello Ms. Brainard,
I was born and was educated in Cebu City but I never heard of the name Leon Kilat taught in my history classes ever since, curiosity struck in my mind every time I pass and read a street by his name in the heart of the city. When I was on vacation last October 2008, I passed by Carcar on my way back to the city from Badian and visited an old house near the church they converted into a museum.Its only there that I learned about one of our history's great and as usual died a treacherous way just like Bonifacio and Antonio Luna


LP Toronto, On, Canada

Talisa said...

Hello Ms. B -
I was in Carcar last Sunday and it was awesome. I'd like to ask if you have any information which you can share with me and readers about the two ladies who are in the monument in the Carcar rotunda? I thought it was amazing! This is a beautiful blog, by the way!

Unknown said...

hi ms. if you could trace who are the brothers of policarpio villegas the father of leon kilat, then I would be very thankfuand need to meet you for a personal thanksgiving.

Maritess Amores La-ag said...

Hi Ms B.
I am from Bacong,Negros Oriental, and I am so grateful that you took all the pains to learn and share your knowledge about our great Leon Kilat. Our town actually celebrates his birth anniversary for one whole week- starting off on the 23rd of July culminating with a grand finale complete with fireworks display on the 27th. Our local government unit actually invites people from Carcar to come and join us . This year,the 141st birth anniversary of Leon Kilat, we are expecting 100 guests from Carcar.

Unknown said...

Hello Ms.Brainard
I am reaching out to you to say, "Thank you for the information on the Great Leon Kilat"
I am also reaching out to the Villegas family on behalf of my mom, her maiden name is Pilar Villegas Ortiz. My Grandmothers name was Paz Villegas and was born in Bacong. Some of her brothers names are: Indalicio Villegas, Tusong Villegas, Lolong Villegas, Iliong Villegas and Hugo Villegas are all that my mom could remember at this time. She does know that there are two more brothers and one sister, but can not remember their names at this time.
If there are family members that would like to get in touch with my mom, please email me at: cynthialambert@gmail.com
Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to try and get in touch with my family roots.

Unknown said...

Hello Ms.Brainard
I am reaching out to you to say, "Thank you for the information on the Great Leon Kilat"
I am also reaching out to the Villegas family on behalf of my mom, her maiden name is Pilar Villegas Ortiz. My Grandmothers name was Paz Villegas and was born in Bacong. Some of her brothers names are: Indalicio Villegas, Tusong Villegas, Lolong Villegas, Iliong Villegas and Hugo Villegas are all that my mom could remember at this time. She does know that there are two more brothers and one sister, but can not remember their names at this time.
If there are family members that would like to get in touch with my mom, please email me at: cynthialambert@gmail.com
Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to try and get in touch with my family roots.