REVOLUTIONARY WAR IN ILOCOS – 2. Tinio of Ilocos

Source : Alfonso S. Quilala, Jr. © 1996  and PHGLA
All rights reserved

Gen. Manuel Tinio

Gen. Manuel Tinio, not Gregorio del Pilar as commonly believed, was the youngest general during the Revolution. He was born in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija on June 17, 1877. When Aguinaldo put up a republic at Biak-na-Bato, Tinio was appointed a brigadier-general in the Revolutionary Army at which time del Pilar (born 1875) was still a lieutenant-colonel. Tinio accompanied Aguinaldo to exile in Hong Kong in 1897.

The Americans fetched Aguinaldo from Hong Kong to restart the revolution against Spaniards. Gen. Manuel Tinio was assigned the task of destroying the Spanish forces in Ilocos. He proceeded to Dagupan where he found his brother Maj. Casimiro Tinio and his troops cooperating with Gen. Francisco Makabulos in the siege of the town. With the situation under control, Makabulos allowed Casimiro and some of his officers to be incorporated into the Ilocos Expeditionary Forces.

Gen. Tinio's vanguard marched to San Fernando and found the town besieged by revolutionaries from Zambales under "General" Mauro Ortiz. In a combined effort, Tinio and Ortiz finally forced the surrender of the Spaniards. Tinio resumed his march to the north and helped to liberate the towns of Balaoan, Bangar, and Tagudin. He proceeded to Candon where he met Isabelo Abaya, who had just liberated the town. Abaya was commissioned by Tinio as Captain of Infantry in the Tinio Brigade. Tinio and his force went farther north and entered the city of Vigan on August 13. He found the city already under control by Blas Villamor and Estanislao Reyes.

The Ilocano forces grew to a full brigade of more than 3,000 fully-equipped and combat-ready troops. This regional army was formally integrated as an armed unit of the republic on the occasion of Gen. Tinio's appointment as military governor of the Ilocos provinces and commanding general of all Filipino forces in Northern Luzon.


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