‘ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD’ Actors reenacting the historic last battle that ended the Spanish rule in Quezon province in 1898 on Sunday take on the roles of a wounded Filipino revolutionary being attended to by his companions during the siege in Tayabas City. —PHOTO COURTESY OF TAYABAS HERITAGE GROUP
LUCENA CITY—The Republica Filipina Reenactment Group (RFRG) and members of a local heritage group commemorated on Sunday “Trece de Agosto,” or Aug. 13, the date of the historic battle in Tayabas City that ended the Spanish colonial rule in Quezon province in 1898.
RFRG, a Manila-based group of history aficionados that relives key events during the Philippine revolutionary era, reenacted the attack of revolutionaries against the Spanish forces holed out in “Casa Real,” “Tribunal,” “Carcel Publica” and at the local church.
Filipino guerrillas led by Generals Eleuterio Marasigan, Miguel Malvar and Vicente Lukban staged the assault against the Spanish troops led by Lt. Col. Joaquin Pacheco in the siege that started on June 24, 1898.
By Aug. 13, 1898, Pacheco, the last Spanish governor of the province, 20 officials and 175 soldiers finally surrendered. Their defeat was formalized with the signing of a surrender document held at the plaza of the church that marked the end of the Spanish governance in the whole province.
“Aside from the fulfillment of a childhood dream, it has become a personal advocacy to help relive the ideals of our heroes and rekindle our love for the country,” Bernard Supetran, a freelance travel writer, tourism consultant, lecturer and RFRG member, told the Inquirer in an online interview.
He played the role of Pacheco during the reenactment.
On July 21 this year, Quezon Gov. Angelina Tan approved Provincial Ordinance No. 2023-011, declaring Aug. 13, 1898, and every 13th day of August as the “Independence Day” of the province.
Emmanuel Franco Calairo, head of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), praised the city government for its efforts to preserve the rich heritage of Tayabas.
Historical tourism
Calairo, in his recorded speech during the commemoration of the historic event in Tayabas City on Sunday, encouraged the promotion of historical tourism to showcase the rich heritage of the locality.
He also urged Filipinos to use modern technology as a tool in the preservation of the country’s heritage, adding the NHCP has been keeping up with the changing times brought by the digital age and encouraged the public to use social media to promote the country’s history and culture.
Tayabas City is home to one of the province’s historical treasures—the 136-meter stone arch Malagonlong Bridge, also known as Puente de Malagonlong, built between 1840 and 1850, that was declared a “marked historical structure” by the NHCP in August 2011. Ten other Spanish-era bridges are spread out in the city.
The Minor Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, a favorite place among heritage tourists, was built in 1565 by Franciscan priests and features a 100-meter-long aisle.
Spanish-era stone crosses, measuring from a few inches to 2 meters, are also found in remote forested areas in the shadow of mystical Mt. Banahaw in Tayabas, a throwback to the time when it was established in 1578 by two Franciscan missionaries.
From 1779 to 1910, Tayabas was the capital town of the then Tayabas province, which is now known as Quezon. INQ
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