General Antonio Luna

Oct. 29, 1866–June 5, 1899

General Antonio Luna, hero of the Philippine – American War, should be

considered our National Hero. Whilst not discrediting Jose Rizal’s
achievement and feats, General Antonio Luna’s struggle during the war
shows how courageous and patriotic a Filipino can be and that our country is
worth fighting for and dying for.
General Antonio Luna was a soldier, chemist, musician, war strategist,
journalist, pharmacist, and hot-headed general, a complex man who was,
unfortunately, perceived as a threat by the Philippines’ ruthless first
president Emilio Aguinaldo. As a result, Luna died not on the battlefields of
the Philippine-American War but assassinated on the streets of Cabanatuan.
He was a firebrand of an army commander. He was known for a disciplined
and professional demeanor in running military affairs. He was an excellent
military strategist. These made him an immensely successful professional
soldier but these were not enough to make him a hero.

MAGLUNOB, ALMARIE D.
BSBA – 2A
SOCIAL SCIENCE 5
What, then, made him my hero? In my view, there were three things that
made him eligible as a national hero.

He faced a crucible that deepened his convictions.

A hero often has a defining moment where his beliefs are severely tested from
which he rises from. Perhaps Luna’s crucible that fortified his convictions was
when he was arrested and jailed in  Fort Santiago, exiled and then jailed again
at the Carcel Modelo de Madrid for participating in the revolution against
Spain. This is no different from the modern day experience of Ninoy Aquino 
and Pepe Diokno under their principal jailer, Juan Ponce Enrile, during the
dark days the Marcos dictatorship.

He was steadfast with his cause.

He was studious and meticulous: After his release from jail, he studied
military science under the Belgian General and war hero Gerard Leman. No
doubt he was up to this task because he was a tried and tested intellectual. In
his early years, he wrote a scientific treatise on malaria and was at one time
chief chemist for the Municipal Laboratory of Manila.

He saw the dire need for professionalism in the disorderly and incompetent
revolutionary army. To address this, he set up the precursor to the Philippine
Military Academy in 1898 in Malolos, Bulacan.

His temper was most evident whenever his troops could not live up to his
disciplinarian ways. Take the case of when General Tomas Mascardo failed to
reinforce Guagua after Luna ordered this. Luna detained General Mascardo
when the former received a report that the latter’s failure was due to a tryst
with a girlfriend.

He was a leader for all of the people and not just some of them.

The Philippine revolution was being fought to turn back foreign oppressors –
first Spain and then afterwards, the United States. There was no real
consciousness to build a common nation for all Filipinos.  At that point in
time, there were only Ilocanos, Pampangos or Tagalogs  for whom being

MAGLUNOB, ALMARIE D.
BSBA – 2A
SOCIAL SCIENCE 5
Filipino came only second. He saw the need to overcome the divisiveness of the
regional politics and insisted on organization and discipline to unite the army
and foster this national consciousness.

Luna was a complex man with his flaws and imperfections. The standard
history textbooks do not do justice to his life nor to his death at the hands of
Filipinos. All that he had achieved at the age of 33 remain as a challenge to us
today. How many of our young scientists can claim to have published excellent
scientific research at age 33? How many of them have commanded an army at
that age? How many of them have a vision of the Filipino nation at that age?
And are they willing to forego monetary rewards, social and professional
advancement for the idea of nation?

So many of our heroes, not just the ones in the books, but thousands of
nameless ones, died young but found what the Filipino nation ought to be,
while today, many of us still remain unsure. That is the main reason why a
young and noble General like Luna should be the very best example of how a
young Filipino should be.

MAGLUNOB, ALMARIE D.
BSBA – 2A
SOCIAL SCIENCE 5