8. Leon kilat and Cebu revolution - Revolutionaries Gain Ground

8.  Leon kilat and Cebu revolution - Revolutionaries Gain Ground

By Emil Justimbaste The Freeman, 1998

THESpaniards were finally on the run. The troops of Gen. Montero were fleeing for their lives to Fort San Pedro before the sharp bolos of the katipuneros under the leadership of Leon Kilat. With the newly seized rifles from the fleeing Spaniards, they gained new weapons and renewed confidence to win the war. 


By 5:00 in the afternoon of April 3, 1898, Capt. Monfort who held his ground near the Puente de la Revolucion (Colon bridge) had no choice but to order his men to the fort. Just to show that they were not yet beaten, loyalist soldiers shouted while on their way:"Viva España!" Not to be outdone, the katipuneros shouted back:"Viva katipunan! Viva Filipinas!" 

At the fort, Montero was mad. He ordered all government military personnel to leave their stations outside to come to the fort. Only those areas which had munitions and food, like the San Agustin church and the cathedral, were not deserted totally. 


Many Spaniards who did not heed Montero's order were executed by the katipuneros. One was a Spaniard Enrique Carratala from Dulho, San Nicolas. A group caught up with him, then killed him. 


Outside the fort, the katipuneros had a heyday. On the suggestion of Severo Padilla, telegraph lines were cut. These were the city's connection to Balamban, then across the sea to Escalante in Negros Oriental. From escalante, the lines continued to Iloilo and to Manila. Reinforcements could come from these two places with the lines open. 


Katipuneros led by Llamas, Abellar and Hernandez freed all prisoners at the carcel without any objection from the chief warden Telesforo Salguero, who was himself a katipunero. Then they proceeded to Carreta where the Hospital de Lazarinos was located and freed the lepers. 


In the meantime, Leon Kilat ordered some of his men led by Elpedio Rama and Gregorio Padilla to buy medicines for their wounded from Botica Antigua. The drugstore owner Andres Krapenbauer allowed them to enter the premises upon knowing that their leader, Leon Kilat, once worked for him. He gave the medicines for free, saying it was his contribution to the movement. The wounded were treated in the residence of Jacinto Pacaña at Labangon which was now converted into the general headquarters of the katipunan and infirmary. Among the wounded were Gines and Cabreros. 


That night, the katipuneros of Talisay, led by the Aliño brothers, attacked the guardia civil detachment, killing the Spniards, the administrator, his wife and children. The parish priest Fr. Valerio Rodrigo (Fr. Pedro Medina in another account) managed to escape on a banca to Cebu and sought refuge at the fort. 


The rebels also captured the cartilla teacher, Maestro Hilario Gandiongco. But he was subsequently released upon learning that he was not known to mistreat Filipinos. 


In Pardo, the parish priest Fr. Tomas Jimenes was murdered by the rebels of Tabunok. The cartilla teacher maestro Mariano Crisologo was taken prisoner. 


At the fort that night, the Spaniards still felt they could defend it indefinitely. Their confidence was bolstered with the presence of two gunboats, Maria Cristina and Paragua, which bombarded areas in San Nicolas, burning some houses there. The latter arrived from Iligan that afternoon. 


The Spaniards reasoned that the two could guard the two sides facing the sea, leaving only one side to be defended by those at the fort. However, during a conferece with his officers, Montero admitted that a massive attack by the insurrectos could overwhelm them since they were vastly outnumbered. They had to ask for reinforcement. 


At around 10:00 pm, Montero sent out a patrol to verify if the katipuneros were still in the city. They were met by a group of katipuneros at at the corner of Escolta and Lutao st. (now M.C. Briones), who were only too eager to fight. The soldiers beat a hasty retreat to the fort. 

The next three days 

The next three days, the rebels were in complete control of the city. They formed a temporary government under Leon Kilat because new recruits had to have a semblance of organization. The katipunan had spread throughout the province when it was learned that the Spaniards were on the retreat and holding out only in the fort. 


New recruits had to undergo training in miltary tactics and reconnaisance, but they could not be trained to shoot due to the shortage of ammunitions. At this time, the katipuneros had swelled to 2,000 in Cebu province. They also appointed Fr. Toribio Padilla as their chaplain even if he was still under house arrest in the Seminario de San Carlos. 


With more recruits coming in, discipline had declined. Looting was reported in establishments known to be strongholds of the Spaniards: at the Recollect convent, in the houses of Spaniards, Chinese stores at Lutao and mestizo-Chinese at Parian. The Recollects reported a loss of P19,000 in cash, while the Campaña de Tabacos (Tabacalera) P30,000 and an undetermined property destroyed. 


In the meantime, the victorious katipuneros conducted patrols in the city. Groups were sent to various parts - to Carbon, Tinago, Parian, Zapatera and San Roque - keeping a safe distance from the cannons at the fort and the riflemen stationed at the church towers of San Agustin and the cathedral and the David Sommer building. 

Fort San Pedro

Attack on the fort 

But the leaders of the katipunan were uneasy. As long as the Spaniards were at the fort, they had something to worry about. They wanted to finish them off. So on Tuesday, April 5, Leon Kilat riding a horse led a group and attempted to stage a breakthrough. But the attack failed due to the rapid firing of rifles and a volley of cannon fire. He fell off his horse, stood up, dusted himself, and continued riding his horse. The legend of his invulnerability was bolstered. 


The news of that incident not only proved to other rebels that his "talisman" was reliable, but it also served as a rallying point for them to continue their struggle against the enemy. 


So they did not give up the seige of the fort. Instead, they tightened their watch so as to cause the death of Spaniards from hunger or thirst sooner or later. At this point, the rebels captured one Cebuano who stayed inside the fort and revealed to Leon Kilat its actual situation. The occupants were suffering from food and water shortage, he said. So the katipuneros decided to attack the fort the next day, Wednesday.

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