“A Segment In The Life Of The Boy - General”

As one of the youngest generals in the

Revolutionary Army, he was known for the
successful assault on the Spanish barracks in
the municipality of Paombong, his victory on
the first phase Battle of Quingua and his last
stand at the Battle of Tirad Pass during the
Philippine-American War. Because of his youth,
he became known as the "Boy General".He was
also known as a ladies man and was described
by National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin as the "Byron of Bulacan".

WOMEN OF HIS INTEREST

Del Pilar was known for his various relationships during the war. He was reported to have had
almost half a dozen girls, including Neneng Rodrigo, the daughter of Bulacan's civil governor, who has
his first love; a sister of Col. Jose Leyba; a woman named Poleng, and Felicidad Aguinaldo, the sister
of Emilio Aguinaldo

LEFT: Felicidad Aguinaldo, younger sister of the first Philippine president, circa 1900s (Source: Filipinas Heritage Library). RIGHT:
Dolores Nable Jose, the last love of del Pilar (Source: “General Gregorio H. Del Pilar: Idol of the Revolution” by Isaac C. Cruz)

Had he not died early, Heneral Goyo would have rivaled Rizal for the title “playboy of Philippine
history.” But what is it about Goyo that women of his time easily fell head over heels in love with
him? In addition to his military prowess at such a young age, the boy general’s physical attributes
were equally pleasing. According to Rafael Palma, “He had agreeable and genial features. He was
above the average in height, with clear pinkish brown skin, with somewhat brown eyes, straight
nose, thin lips, slender body–he may be considered a handsome fellow to all intents and purposes.”

Quoted in the book of Teodoro M. Kalaw, “long was the list of his sweethearts and of those
whom he courted. He almost had one in each town where he spent time. And thus his travelling bags
and his wallets were always replete with mysterious and perfumed letter, capricious and artistic
memoirs of women. This was possibly due to the fact that there has probably been no happier nor
more enchanting, combination in the history of humanity and of sublime human affections, than the
passion for love and the love of the country and when the two elements combine with youth and
military successes, it seems that they succeed in possessing heaven and glory, as a marvel of God’s
gift.”
In addition to historian Teodoro Kalaw, Goyo and his
troops were in Dagupan from June to November of 1899. It
was here when the boy general became vainer than
ever: he ordered the best horses and showed off his
horsemanship for all the girls to see. Filipinos being
Filipinos may focus on Gregorio’s reputation as a rake,
and indeed, almost all biographies of Gregorio del Pilar
will mention the long list of lovers he left behind. This list
often ends with a girl called Dolores Nable Jose,
supposedly the last love of the Boy General that he was
Onboard a train bound for Dagupan, Pangasinan
determined to end the war for.

WHO IN THE WORLD WERE THE NABLE JOSES?

Unlike Gregorio del Pilar, there are no biographies written solely for either Remedios or Dolores
Nable Jose. Remedios and Dolores were the two eldest daughters of Doña Paz Borja and Don
Mariano Nable Jose, a prominent Chinese mestizo businessman that specialized in ship trade like
most flourishing merchants of Dagupan at the time. They had three other siblings: Feliciano, Rocio,
and Mariano Jr. Their family could be said to be one of the richest in Dagupan; in fact, Don Mariano
was described to be at the top of the local elite, and was even part of the Malolos Congress.
 Although Gregorio del Pilar had previously passed by Pangasinan on his way to Hong Kong, it
wasn’t until 1899 that he was assigned to Dagupan, supposedly to help protect Lingayen from attack
by the Americans. He took up base at Don Mariano’s home in Pantal, and it is here that one may
presume he met the Nable Jose children.
All in all, Gregorio del Pilar spent about five months in Pangasinan, during which he and his
troops would supposedly patrol for brigands, particularly those who were formerly Luna’s men, and
arrest them for raiding pueblos for horses and arms. There were also reports of him attending many
fiestas and banquets held in his honor, and leaving a lover in each town that he visited.

Remedios was only 17 when she met the 24-year-old Goyo. She described him as a “very
romantic young man” and recounted a romantic moment they had one night: “He pointed to a
particularly bright star and asked me to look at it always after he had left that town because he
would be doing the same and thinking of me. The star, he said, would be ours, and ours alone! ”

LEFT: Young Remedios in the 1890s. RIGHT: 83-year-old Remedios in the 1960s. Source: Philippine Free Press.

It was also around this time that Gregorio allegedly proposed to a Nable Jose daughter, which
does seem true if the letter to his mother is anything to go by. The wedding, however, did not push
through – According to Remedios, who was 83 at the time of the interview, she almost tied the knot
with General Goyo but backed out at the last minute primarily because of the latter’s “playboy”
reputation or Dolores was set to marry him but the call from the President came too soon.
DOLORES NABLE JOSE

Dolo
res
cam
e to
be
kno
wn
as
Goy
o’s
grea
t
last
love
–her
nam
e
emb
roid
ered
in a
han
dker
chie
f
reco
vere
d by
the
Ame
rica
ns
fro
m
Del
Pilar
’s
lifel
ess
bod
y in
Tira
d
Pass
.
Turn
s
out,
Dolo
res
was
Rem
edio
s’
you
nger
siste
r
who
alm
ost
refu
sed
to
give
her
han
dker
chie
f as
a
souv
enir
beca
use
it’s
dirty
and
she’
s
havi
ng
cold
s at
that
time
.
Goy
o
insis
ted
and
put
the
han
dker
chie
f in
his
pock
 et,“s
ayin
g he
valu
ed it
mor
e in
that
con
ditio
n.”
Remedios Nable Jose’s claim is based solely on the interview of her, but there remains a glaring
lack of third-party sources to verify her story. In contrast, despite the lack of an interview with
Dolores, a number of third-party sources name her as Gregorio’s last love.
1. John McCutcheon, the war correspondent that was with the American troops at Tirad
Pass. In an article published by the Boston Evening Transcript, McCutcheon details that Gregorio
del Pilar and Dolores Nable Jose were set to be married around mid-November. However,
Aguinaldo’s order of a hasty retreat in early November caused the wedding to be postponed,
and ultimately, to be canceled altogether. He also mentions the handkerchief found on
Gregorio’s body to be embroidered with Dolores’ name, and that a number of the letters
retrieved from his person were from her.
Despite being an American, there is good reason to believe in the authenticity of
McCutcheon’s account. For one, McCutcheon knew del Pilar previously, having
interviewed him multiple times throughout the war. For another, he was with the soldiers
that looted Gregorio’s body, and would have actually seen the spoils himself. He also released
more articles that consistently named Dolores where she could be mentioned; had he been
mistaken, he would have corrected himself in a later article, but the reports did not change.
2. Isaac Cruz Jr’s biography of Gregorio del Pilar, “General Gregorio H. Del Pilar: Idol of the
Revolution”, includes statements from Tirad Pass survivors that he was able to interview before
they passed on.
Lt. Jose Enriquez recounted that Major March showed them some of the General’s
belongings in his possession, and asked explicitly for Dolores Nable Jose. Additionally, Captain
Isidro Wenceslao mentioned that Dolores was in Gregorio’s thoughts during his last meeting
with Aguinaldo.
 Aside from being two of the only survivors from the Tirad Pass, both men were particularly
close to the General. Jose Enriquez was the younger brother of Vicente and Anacleto Enriquez,
who were del Pilar’s aide-de-camp and idol respectively. The children of both families were
neighbours and childhood friends. Meanwhile, Isidro Wenceslao was part of the famed Seven
Musketeers of Pitpitan, the group of young men lead by Gregorio that initially joined Maestrong
Sebio’s forces at Kakarong de Sili.
If anyone had been privy to the thoughts and feelings of Gregorio del Pilar, especially in
matters so important to him as love, it would be these men.
3. “Nandaragupan : the story of a coastal city and Dagupan Bangus” names Dolores Nable
Jose as the Dagupan belle that Gregorio del Pilar fell in love with during his stay in Pangasinan.

Some people find Goyo’s love life fascinating, but for some historians, it paints a picture of how
distracted and unconcerned the young general was to the real cause of the Revolution.

References:

The Visual Traveler. (2018). “Gregorio del Pilar: A Tale of Three Decembers”.

Joaquin, N. (2005). ”A Question of Heroes”. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Anvil Publishing,

Inc.

Vistro J V and Reyes, C. (2005) “Nandaragupan : the story of a coastal city and Dagupan

Bangus”.

Cruz, I J. (1985). “General Gregorio H. Del Pilar: Idol of the Revolution”.

Kalaw, T M. (1992). “An Acceptable Holocaust: Life and Death of a Boy General”. Manila:

National Historical Institute.

Retrieved from: https://lyrerook.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/a-case-for-dolores/

Retrieved from:

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/610067/ang-huling-pag-ibig-ni-greg

orio-del-pilar/s tory/
 A Segment
In The Life Of The
Boy - General

LC Brienne T. Ilagan Readings in Philippine

History
BSA 1B Doc. Teodulfo
Macaraig