XIX Martyrs’ descendants remember heritageKALIBO, Aklan – A joyous smile shone on each of the faces of the descendants of the XIX Martyrs of Aklan when a technical team from the Public Affairs Information and Assistance Division (PAIAD) of the Municipality of Kalibo visited their residence in Brgy. Lilo-an, Malinao, and Brgys. Ochando and Poblacion in New Washington, Aklan on February 18, 2009.
Kind enough to serve as our guide when we arrived in Brgy. Lilo-an is Punong Barangay Bernardo Yatar who brought us to the homes of the descendants of Candido and Benito Iban where we met their great grandsons and grand daughters or “apó” in Aklanon (already in their fifties) who welcomed us to their humble homes.
We set up an impromptu interview area near a small sari-sari store owned by one of the descendants and talked about their great grandfathers (who are the very first of the Katipuneros in Western Visayas) who took up arms against the Spaniards, (a simple fact that often people do not remember anymore but historically significant.
The descendants (namely Calixto, Florencio & Ramses Iban, & Aida Iban Impreso) admitted that there could be folklore mixed in the stories about Gen. Francisco Del Castillo and the XIX Martyrs of Aklan but is quick enough to point out that it is only on the belief of amulets or anting-antings, some still do today even in the age of computers and the Internet.
They even laughed at the story told to them by their grandfathers and older relatives that Gen. Castillo instructed his men to put the red handkerchief (other versions says scarf) he owned over his face when he gets shot dead as it would bring him back to life. This did not happen because when Gen. Castillo got shot, his men ran off in panic and nobody was left to put the handkerchief over his face to bring him back to life.
Calixto added that it is not just Gen. Castillo who had an amulet but he was told that Candido Iban had one as well as the story goes that Candido, (the General of the 82 Katipuneros of the Levantamiento de Lilo-an, according to the local history of Brgy. Lilo-an), and other Katipuneros surrendered to an amnesty announced by a Parish Priest of St. John the Baptistv at that time to be given to the ones who attacked the Spanish Garrison in Kalibo (where Castillo died). This amnesty turned out to be false as they were captured and interrogated while being tortured.
When the leaders (or Generals) are revealed (thru torture, deception and betrayal of other Aklanons), the low-level Katipuneros are let go but to serve as a deterrence, the remaining nineteen Aklanons are beaten and shot to death except Candido Iban who remained alive despite his near fatal injuries. Knowing that his body is useless because of the injuries and despite the amulet that keeps him alive, he told one of his captors how to kill him and that is to slit his throat.
The commemorative events in the Municipalities of New Washington and Malinao such as the Pacto de Sangre (Blood Compact) and the Levantamiento de Lilo-an are all interconnected to the XIX Martyrs of Aklan since the Pacto de Sangre tells of the Katipuneros in New Washington, who like Gat Andres Bonifacio and his men, tore up their cedulas and signed the first blood compact outside Luzon against Spanish tyranny and to fight for independence while the Lavantamiento de Lilo-an is a commemoration of the heroism of the Lilo-anon members of the Katipunan.
However, not all of the XIX Martyrs are Leaders of the Katipunan as Engr. Raul Sucgang, a descendant of Isidro Jimenez, told us when we visited his home in Brgy. Poblacion in New Washington town. He explained that his ancestor is captured and martyred because of his religious belief as he belongs to the Philippine Independent Church or nowadays referred by other Aklanons as Aglipayan Church.
Despite the grisly inhuman act that happened to their ancestors, they feel that the kind of patriotism practiced by their ancestors is a necessary step to attain freedom and independence and they hope that the same patriotism will continue to flow through the veins of every Aklanons.
We set up an impromptu interview area near a small sari-sari store owned by one of the descendants and talked about their great grandfathers (who are the very first of the Katipuneros in Western Visayas) who took up arms against the Spaniards, (a simple fact that often people do not remember anymore but historically significant.
The descendants (namely Calixto, Florencio & Ramses Iban, & Aida Iban Impreso) admitted that there could be folklore mixed in the stories about Gen. Francisco Del Castillo and the XIX Martyrs of Aklan but is quick enough to point out that it is only on the belief of amulets or anting-antings, some still do today even in the age of computers and the Internet.
They even laughed at the story told to them by their grandfathers and older relatives that Gen. Castillo instructed his men to put the red handkerchief (other versions says scarf) he owned over his face when he gets shot dead as it would bring him back to life. This did not happen because when Gen. Castillo got shot, his men ran off in panic and nobody was left to put the handkerchief over his face to bring him back to life.
Calixto added that it is not just Gen. Castillo who had an amulet but he was told that Candido Iban had one as well as the story goes that Candido, (the General of the 82 Katipuneros of the Levantamiento de Lilo-an, according to the local history of Brgy. Lilo-an), and other Katipuneros surrendered to an amnesty announced by a Parish Priest of St. John the Baptistv at that time to be given to the ones who attacked the Spanish Garrison in Kalibo (where Castillo died). This amnesty turned out to be false as they were captured and interrogated while being tortured.
When the leaders (or Generals) are revealed (thru torture, deception and betrayal of other Aklanons), the low-level Katipuneros are let go but to serve as a deterrence, the remaining nineteen Aklanons are beaten and shot to death except Candido Iban who remained alive despite his near fatal injuries. Knowing that his body is useless because of the injuries and despite the amulet that keeps him alive, he told one of his captors how to kill him and that is to slit his throat.
The commemorative events in the Municipalities of New Washington and Malinao such as the Pacto de Sangre (Blood Compact) and the Levantamiento de Lilo-an are all interconnected to the XIX Martyrs of Aklan since the Pacto de Sangre tells of the Katipuneros in New Washington, who like Gat Andres Bonifacio and his men, tore up their cedulas and signed the first blood compact outside Luzon against Spanish tyranny and to fight for independence while the Lavantamiento de Lilo-an is a commemoration of the heroism of the Lilo-anon members of the Katipunan.
However, not all of the XIX Martyrs are Leaders of the Katipunan as Engr. Raul Sucgang, a descendant of Isidro Jimenez, told us when we visited his home in Brgy. Poblacion in New Washington town. He explained that his ancestor is captured and martyred because of his religious belief as he belongs to the Philippine Independent Church or nowadays referred by other Aklanons as Aglipayan Church.
Despite the grisly inhuman act that happened to their ancestors, they feel that the kind of patriotism practiced by their ancestors is a necessary step to attain freedom and independence and they hope that the same patriotism will continue to flow through the veins of every Aklanons.
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