The Balangiga Massacre — Filipino

Version
(September 28, 1901)

Written by Valentin Loyola and

Jose F. Abletez based on the Duran Memoirs

In the summer of 1959 two young Filipino writers visited Balangiga and interviewed its
distinguished citizen, Don Pedro Duran Sr., the last Filipino survivor and participant of the tragic
"Balangiga Massacre," which was really the greatest military disaster inflicted by the fighting Filipino
patriots on the American invaders during the Filipino-American War. Don Pedro, who was then more
than 80 years old with a mind still vibrant, warmly welcomed them. He narrated to them the story of
the gory "Massacre" and showed them his written memoirs on that fateful event. From the Memoirs,
Loyola and Abletez were able to write the Filipino version of the "Balangiga Massacre," as follows:*

On August 11, 1901, the seventy-five American troops under the command of Captain
Thomas W. Connell1 landed at Balangiga. The people of the town peacefully allowed them to occupy
the town plaza, public buildings, and the church. At first the relations between the town folks and the
American soldiers were good because the latter behaved well and did not molest any Balangiganon.
At that time Pedro Duran was a 24-year old sergeant of the cuadrilleros (town police) and because of
his knowledge of Spanish he served as interpreter between Capitan Valeriano Avanador 2 and the
Americans.

Unfortunately, an incident happened on the night of September 22, 1901 which incited the
people's antagonism against the Americans. On the evening, two intoxicated soldiers, while strolling
in the warm tropic evening entered a tuba store owned by a young native woman named Catalina
Catalogo, talking to her in English. Not knowing this language, she could not understand what they
were saying and laughed in reply. Apparently the two tipsy soldiers interpreted her mirth as an insult
and angrily dragged her out of the store. Her two big strong brothers, hearing her shrieks for help,
rushed to her rescue and gave her abductors a sound thrashing. In retaliation for this licking of his
men, the American commander that same night arrested 143 able-bodied men of the town and put
them to prison.

This incident ignited the hostility of the entire people of Balangiga against the American
invaders. This hostility was aggravated by the new order of the American commander imposing forced
labor on all men of the town (including the prisoners). The women were left to do all domestic work in
their homes and to cultivate the farms. Under heavy guards, the men cut trees in the forest and
hauled them into town. They also constructed wooden barricades and fortifications for the protection
of the American garrison from guerrilla attacks.

The brave and patriotic people of Balangiga, infuriated by American atrocities, sought the aid
of General Vicente Lukban's guerrillas, who were bivouacked in the hills under the direct command of
Captain Eugenio Daza, to free themselves from their persecutors. On September 26, 1901, Capitan
Valeriano Avanador, accompanied by some men, secretly contacted Daza and his band of guerrilla
fighters at a hidden place near the town. At this war pow-wow both groups (townsmen and guerrillas)
conceived a clever plan of action, fixing the time of their attack on the enemy at dawn of September
28, the feast day of Balangiga's patron saint, St. Michael, the Lord's Avenging Angel.

At dawn of September 28, 1901, the town fiesta of Balangiga, many "women," unnaturally
dressed in bulging skirts and kimonas and heavily veiled started trooping towards the church
seemingly to hear the early

morning Mass. Another group of them, similarly dressed but carrying long bamboo tubes was
making a beeline towards the stockade near the town plaza apparently bringing water for the
prisoners. Everything appeared normal and peaceful to the American sentries and to the soldiers and
officers who had just awakened from their nights sleep and were eating breakfast.
 Without the knowledge of the hated enemy, all the veiled "women" upon reaching the church
discarded their veils, ripped off their dresses, and grasped their hidden long bolos. These "women"
were really men who were ready to fight for freedom's sake. And so were the "women", carrying long
bamboo tubes, who upon arriving at the stockade poured out bolos, not drinking water, for the
imprisoned Balangiganons. From inside their female dresses, they took out their own fighting bolos.

Suddenly the church bells rang loud and clear, breaking the morning stillness. The guerrillas,
armed with rifles and bolos, who were waiting outside the town, rushed inside and joined the men of
the town in assaulting the American troops. Fighting raged everywhere with the fury of a typhoon. The
Americans, caught by surprise, were doomed. They, officers and soldiers, were slaughtered like pigs
by the enraged bolomen.

According to Pedro Duran, Sr., who killed an American sentry with his sharp bolo at the
beginning of hostilities, only one American soldier was able to make a gallant stand due to a mistake
of a guerrilla. He said: "One guerrilla, however, bungled his job: he was unable to get his man, this
American soldier was able to grab a rifle and, like a one-man fortress, he made a gallant stand
against a horde of yelling bolomen. He fired at the onrushing mass, killing sixteen of them. But like an
uncontrollable tide, the guerrillas charged on."

The bolomen and guerrillas annihilated almost all the 74 American invaders during the fight. A
few American soldiers were able to survive the flashing bolos of the Balangiga patriots by fleeing like
frightened rats from a sinking ship. Duran, one of the principal participants of the event, knew two of
these American survivors. One of them was Sergeant Charles W. Hannings, whom the
Balangiganons called "Sergeant Chow" because he was in charge of the company kitchen.

Only sixteen Filipino patriots died in action during the bloody carnage according to Duran.
They were as follows:

1. Santos Devanadero
2. Benito Canillao
3. Pablo Abejero
4. Agustin Acedillo
5. Bango Catalogo
6. Juan Bajar
7. Esteban Aguirre
8. Badal Eleche
9. Egilino Albarina
10. Juan Albarina
11. Gono Elacion
12. Custodio Elacion
13. Hilario Garcia
14. Gogang Asidre
15. Toribio Abejero
16. Basilio Abing

Background

The document presented here is a product of the encounter between the American invaders

and the native people of Balangiga. It narrates the struggles and the hardship of the both parties in

the encounter.it explains the events happened in the side of the native people of Balangiga. It also
explains how the Balangiganons planned to do their fight. . The document also tells how brave the

native people of Balangiga is, despite of their lack of weapons to use for the fight. The author

narrates the tragic defeat of the invaders against the native people using only bolo. It shows how

patriotic Balangiganons was.

External criticism

It was a tragic experience for the foreign invaders when the native people of Balangiga

showed their strength against the abuse of the American.

The author wrote this article because he wanted to express their opinions about the tragic

happenings in Balangiga. Based on my understanding, the author shows what are the situations

faced by the Filipinos that time for the people to understand the side of the native people of

Balangiga.

The author narrates the sequence of events in the encounter. He stated the situations from

the beginning until the end of the encounter. He expresses the event in a fair way. The author didn’t

use offending words to the both parties. In fact the author clears some misconceptions in the

encounter.

The author of the documents was Valentin Loyola and Jose F. Albetez based on the speech

of Duran on September 13, 1959. The author narrates how brave Balangiganon was. They clearly

stated how the Balangiganons planned to fight for the freedom of the native people. The documents

made sense to the Filipino people on how brave the native people was just to achieve

independence.

Content Analysis
 As we analyze the document, The speech of Duran show us the courage and patriotism of
the balangiganons and the successful raid in the balangiga ecnounter, he is right Balangiga massacre
was the greatest filipino military achievements during American-filipino war.

In the First part of the story was the arrival of the Americans to Balangiga and he explained
how the conflict between the Filipino and Americans started. The second part is he described the
plans and people who are involved in the raid. Durano was a witnessed because he was a part of the
attack that’s why he had gave a concrete and a clear explanation about the balangiga Massacre.

It was very patriotic and very favorable story to the Filipino because Duran was a part of the
Filipino attackers, He described the bravery of the Filipinos and underestimated the americans.
Lastly Duran also state the casualties on their side

Duran did not mentioned the aftermath of the Attack which is the reveng of the
americans.Duran did not mentioned any significance for the americans.

Duran Statement was a very important to our history and many Filipino was touched to his
testimony. Filipinos at the present are looking to the heroism of the Filipino who sacrifice their lives
for the country’s freedom.