Spanish Revolution in the Philippines

1. Lakandula or Sulayman Revolt (1574)

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also known as the Tagalog Revolt, was an uprising in 1574 against Spanish colonial rule led
by Lakandula and Rajah Sulayman in Tondo Manila. The revolt occurred in the same year as the
Chinese pirate Limahong attacked the palisaded yet poorly defended enclosure of Intramuros. This
Revolt was caused by losing Soliman and Lakandula's kingdom when they were defeated by Miguel
Lopez de Legazpi to accept the Spanish sovereignty on the promise that they would be well-treated by the
Spaniards and would still retain some of their royal and political powers.
When Governor General Lavezaris replaced Legaspi, he revoked their exemptions from paying tribute
and confiscated their lands. Father Martin convinced Lakandula and Soliman to abort the revolt and
promised to grant their privileges. Nevertheless, Solaiman continued his revolt which was brutally crushed
in 1574.

2. Consipiracy of the Maharlikas or the Tondo Conspiracy (1587 1588)

- a plot against Spanish colonial rule by the kin-related noblemen, or datus, or Manila and some towns of
Bulacan and Pampanga. It was led by Augustin de Legazpi, nephew of Lakandula, and his first cousin,
Martin Pangan.
3. Tamblot Revolt (16211622)
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a religious uprising in the island of Bohol, led by Tamblot in 1621. The Jesuits first came to Bohol in 1596
and eventually governed the island and converted the Boholanos to the Catholic faith. Tamblot,
a babaylan or native priest, urged his fellow Boholanos to return to the old belief of their forefathers. [7]
The revolt began on the day when the Jesuits were in Cebu, celebrating the feast day of St. Francis
Xavier. It was finally crushed on New Year's Day, in 1622. Tamblot was executed and his head was
severed on a pike to serve as a warning to the populace.

4. Bancao Revolt (16211622)

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The Bancao Revolt was a religious uprising against Spanish colonial rule led by Bancao, the datu of
Carigara, in the present-day Carigara Philippine province of Leyte.
Bancao had warmly received Miguel Lpez de Legazpi as his guest, when he first arrived in
the Philippines in 1565. Although baptized as a Catholic in his youth, he abandoned this faith in later
years. With a babaylan, or religious leader named Pagali, he built a temple for a diwata or local goddess,
and pressed six towns to rise up in revolt. Similar to the Tamblot Uprising, Pagali used magic to attract
followers, and claimed that they could turn the Spaniards into clay by hurling bits of earth at them.
Governor-General Alonso Fajardo de Entenza sent the alcalde mayor of Cebu, Juan de Alcarazo,
with Spanish and foot soldier colonial troops, to suppress the rebellion. Bancao's severed head was
impaled on a bamboo stake and displayed to the public as a stern warning. One of his sons was also
beheaded, and one of the babaylans was burned at the stake. Three other followers were executed by
firing squad which the Spanish already possessed at that time. Other historical sources/accounts reports

The Bancao Revolt as the first recorded uprising against foreign colonization. Carigara was known only a
decade after Magellan landed in Limasawa in 1521. The uprising may well have taken place towards the
end of the 16th century.

5. Sumuroy Revolt (164950)

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In the town of Palapag today in Northern Samar, Agustin Sumuroy, a Waray, and some of his followers
rose in arms on June 1, 1649 over the polo y servicio or forced labor system being undertaken in
Samar. This is known as the Sumuroy Revolt, named after Agustin Sumuroy.
The government in Manila directed that all natives subject to the polo are not to be sent to places distant
from their hometowns to do their forced labor. However, under orders of the various town alcaldes,
or mayors, The Waray were being sent to the shipyards of Cavite to do their polo, which sparked the
revolt. The local parish priest of Palapag was murdered and the revolt eventually spread
to Mindanao, Bicol and

the

rest

of

the Visayas,

especially

in

places

such

as Cebu, Masbate,Camiguin, Zamboanga, Albay, Camarines and parts of northern Mindanao, such
as Surigao. A rebel government was successfully established in the mountains of Samar.
The defeat, capture and execution of Sumuroy in June 1650 delivered a big setback to the revolt. His
trusted co conspirator David Dula sustained the quest for freedom with greater vigor but in one of a fierce
battles several years later, he was wounded, captured and later executed in Palapag, Northern Samar by
the Spaniards together with his seven key lieutenants.

6. Diego Silang y Andaya (December 16, 1730 May 28, 1763)

- a revolutionary leader who conspired with British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the
northern Philippines and establish an independent Ilocano nation. His revolt was fueled by grievances
stemming from Spanish taxation and abuses, and by his belief in self-government, that the
administration and leadership of the Roman Catholic Church and government in the Ilocos be invested in
trained Ilocano officials. He met an Itneg woman with a name of Gabriela Carino. He married Gabriela
and raised a family in the Ilocos Province.
7. Dagohoy Rebellion (17441829)
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In 1744 in what is now the province of Bohol, what is known today as the Dagohoy Revolt was
undertaken by Francisco Dagohoy and his followers. This revolt is unique since it is the only revolt
completely related to matters of religious customs, although unlike the Tamblot Uprising before it, it is not
a complete religious rebellion.

After a duel in which Dagohoy's brother died, the local parish priest refused to give his brother a
proper Catholic burial, since dueling is a mortal sin. The refusal of the priest eventually led to the longest
revolt ever held in Philippine history: 85 years. It also led to the establishment of a free Boholano
government. Twenty governors-general, from Juan Arrechederra to Mariano Ricafort Palacin y Abarca,
failed to stop the revolt. Ricafort himself sent a force of 2,200 foot soldiers to Bohol, which was
defeated by Dagohoy's followers. Another attack, also sent by Ricafort in 1828 and 1829, failed as well.

Dagohoy died two years before the revolt ended, though, which led to the end of the revolt in 1829. Some
19,000 survivors were granted pardon and were eventually allowed to live in new Boholano villages:
namely, the present-day towns of Balilihan, Batuan, Bilar (Vilar), Catigbian and Sevilla (Cabulao).

8. Pule Revolt (18401843)

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One of the most famous religious revolts is the Pule Revolt, more formally known as the Religious Revolt
of Hermano Pule. Undertaken between June 1840 and November 1841, this revolt was led
by Apolinario dela Cruz, otherwise known as "Hermano Pule". De la Cruz started his own religious
order, the Confraternity of Saint Joseph (Spanish: Confradia de San Jos) in Lucban, located in the
present-day province of Quezon (then called Tayabas), in June 1840. However, there were two types of
priests in the Philippines then: secular priests, or parish priests, which were usually Indio, and religious
priests, or convent priests, which were usually Spanish. Due to the concentration of Spanish religious
power

and

authority

in

the

already-established

religious

orders

(the Augustinians, Jesuits and Franciscans to name a few) and the concept that Filipino priests should
only stay in the church and not the convent and vice versa (although this was not always followed), the
Spanish government banned the new order, especially due to its deviation from original Catholic
rituals and teachings, such as prayers and rituals suited for Filipinos. However, thousands of people in
Tayabas, Batangas, Laguna and even Manila already joined.
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Because of this, the Spanish government sent in troops to forcibly break up the order, forcing De la Cruz
and his followers to rise in armed revolt in self-defense. Many bloody battles were fought with the order's
last stand in Mount San Cristobal, near Mount Banahaw, in October 1841. The Spaniards eventually
won, and Apolinario de la Cruz was executed on November 4, 1841 in the then-provincial capital,
Tayabas.