Courage was Filipinos’ main weapon By: Ambeth Ocampo

Summary:

“The real weapon in the revolution was not guns or bolos but raw courage!”

Things are not simple as they are made to be in textbooks and movies. According to the inventory sent to headquarters by the president of Maypagibig in December 1896, we will realize that courage was the primary drive for Filipinos to continue their stand against the Spanish colonizer. The group only had: “16 ang binabalahat na kapsula (guns requiring cartridges); 2 escupeta dalawa kanyon (two double-barreled shotguns); 5 escupetang isang kanyon ngunit dalawa ang sira (five single-barreled shotguns, but 2 are defective); one rifle owned by Florencio Lavina.”

The list could already tell us that the Katipuneros fought with little else but bravery (or was it folly?) with few guns, fewer bullets, and no target practice. What could the Katipuneros feel on the battlefield?

Feliciano Jacson, a pharmacist from Manila known as “Totong” or “Patola,” supervised the Katipunan gunpowder factory due to his professional training. It was around the last quarter of 1896 when the Katipuneros maintained a munitions plant in San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias).

Jose Ignacio Pawa, a Chinese blacksmith from Tondo who later rose in the rank and became a General set up another factory in Imus for the repair of guns ad reloading cartridges and muzzles. He also made bamboo cannons (probably the type we use at New Year) that was crudely reinforced with a baling wire. Although these bamboo cannons were only effective at very close range, they boosted the morale of frontliners in a direct attack on the enemy. Despite their shortcomings, these bamboo cannons were a definite improvement from lances or bolos that were only useful at literally an arm’s length from the enemy.

It appears that the industrious and creative General Pawa also made paltiks. The guns on display at the Museo ng Rebolusyon in Pinaglabanan look like ordinary metal tubes attached to triggers and handles. On January 14, 1897, a certain Modesto Dimla “Matianac” wrote to General Vito Belarmino offering a metal pipe he had bought to be converted into trabucos or blunderbusses. He even offered to cover all expenses provided the guns made out of his tubo are strong and sturdy.

It only says one thing: In war, the Filipinos use all manner of weapons and all types of warfare. This will prove that real history is not as simple as textbook history.

ANALYSIS:

Bonifacio believed it would take no less than an armed revolution to free the Philippines from Spanish rule. Unlike Rizal and other people in the reform movement, Bonifacio believed that the Philippines should be totally separated from Spain. In his essay "What the Filipinos Should Know," Bonifacio wrote in Tagalog:

“Reason tells us that we cannot expect anything but more sufferings, more treachery, more insults, and more slavery. Reason tells us not to fritter away time for the promised prosperity that will never come. Reason teaches us to rely on ourselves and not to depend on others for our living. Reason tells us to be united, that we may have the strength to combat the evils in our country.”

He also wrote about how the Filipinos were tortured by the Spaniards. They were bound, kicked, and hit with gun butts. They were electrocuted and hung upside down like cattle. He said that Filipino prisoners were thrown into the sea, shot, poisoned. For Bonifacio, it was time to take action.

Seeing the country’s situation which was insufficient of weaponry, it was really a very difficult thing to battle their enemy. Bolos, spears, bows and arrows plus the limited number of guns are nothing against the powerful guns and canons of the Spaniards. Truly, it was raw courage that drove thousands of Filipinos to join the “free-our-country” force with just those things at their hands. Believing that their number as a whole could be the source of strength and unity among them, they still chose to offer their lives for this heroic reason.

I really believe in the text which says, “The real weapon in the revolution was not guns or bolos but raw courage.” It is visible that our weapons are nothing against that of theirs, but we still manage to fight without fear of dying. What else could be the reason for this?

What drove them to join the battlefield was purely courage. The thought of winning a battle and the need to free their motherland was the manifestation of courage since they knew that anytime could be their last.


COMPARISON WITH ANOTHER SOURCE:

From the book, “History of the Filipino People by Teodoro A. Agoncillo:

Preparations for the Struggle, pp.168

Meanwhile, the Katipunan began preparations geared for any emergency. Bonifacio thought that sooner or later the revolution would explode, and he did not want to be taken by surprise. Consequently, he ordered the manufacturer of bolos to be distributed to the members of the society. Bolos alone, however, would not do, for the enemy was armed with Remingtons and Mausers.

First Skirmishes, pp.172

After the “Cry of Balintawak,” the first encounter happened between the Katipuneros and the Spanish Army at 10 in the morning of August 25, 1896. Because of their inferior weapons, which consisted mainly of bolos and a few guns, the rebels decided to retreat. On the other hand, the Spaniard, finding themselves greatly outnumbered, also decided to retreat. So both camps retreated and thus prevented a bloody encounter.

..."IT WAS COURAGE WHICH MADE FILIPINOS MARCHED FOR FREEDOM!"