Readings in Philippine History

The Assassination of Antonio Luna

Submitted by:

ME – 1101 / Group 13

Members:

1. Carandang, Precious Ann R.

2. Paz, Maria Mikaela C.

3. Rosales, Rjay A.
I. Introduction

The fifth of June 1899 marked the controversial death of someone we recognize as a hero today:
General Antonio Luna. Several arguments surround the true cause of his passing in the cathedral of San
Nicolas in Cabanatuan. Some of these include claims of Luna's assassination by the Caviteño rebels,
leading to bigger conspiracies involving personalities like the then President Emilio Aguinaldo, for one.
Several arguments have been made regarding this historical affair, each of them presenting their own
views and evidences as support.

II. Background of the Topic

Spain, after its defeat in the Spanish-American War, surrendered the Philippines, among its other
colonies Puerto Rico and Guam, under the power of the United States of America, in what transpired to
be the known Treaty of Paris.

Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War of 1898 was a dispute between the two power nations, leading to the
end of the Spanish colonial rule and the acquisition of their former colonies as new territories under the
rule of the United States of America.

The conflict began in Cuba, a then Spanish colony also vying for independence, when the US'
Battleship Maine mysteriously sank due to an explosion in the Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898,
killing 266 American sailors. Prior to this, United States' mainstream newspapers have been graphically
portraying Spain's inhumane methods of subduing the Cuban rebels (Spain implemented the
Reconcentration Policy, where one-third of the Cuban populace perished from starvation, and the lack of
sanitary conditions and medicines), earning the American's sympathy for the said country.

The demand that America intervene to help the Cuban rebellion grew, and eventually, the United
States sent ships to state their presence in and defend Cuba, thus the sending of the USS Maine in
Havana. The ship's explosion underwent Spanish and American investigations, where the former's
findings said the explosion was due to a technical problem on the Maine's part while the latter said an
outside factor was involved, claiming that a mine blew up the Maine.
 The United States' President William McKinley ordered to blockade Cuba, particularly Havana,
on April 21, 1898, proceeding to officially declaring war four days later.

The first official battle of the war took place in the Philippines when Commodore George Dewey
led the Asiatic Squadron all the way from Hongkong to the Manila Bay on May 1, destroying the Spanish
fleet situated there which was led by Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo. The Americans side recorded only
seven wounded soldiers, without any casualties. By August, the Philippine capital was fully under the
Americans.

On May 19, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, having granted an audience with American Consul General
Edward Spencer Pratt hurriedly returned to the Philippines, issuing a proclamation urging the Filipinos
the resume the revolution against Spain, with Pratt's assistance. On the 12th of June, 1898, Aguinaldo
declared the Philippines' independence from the Spanish rule from the balcony of his house in Kawit,
Cavite.

The war commenced with a few more battles and eventually, on July 16, Spain surrendered its
troops of 23,500 around the city of San Juan in Cuba. Finally, both sides proceeded to sign a peace treaty
in Paris in December 10, marking the end of Spain's rule over its colonies and the recognition of United
States as a global military power.

The Treaty of Paris

August 12, 1898 – the Protocol of Peace directed five commissioners each from the American
and Spanish parties to meet in Paris to discuss peace terms between the opposing countries. Aguinaldo
sent Felipe Agoncillo as the representative of the revolutionary government of the Philippines; however,
President McKinley refused to recognize him. Following this, the commission met again from October to
December 1898, agreeing that the Spanish colonies, including the Philippines, must be given up to the
Americans.

On December 10, 1898, at 8:50 in the evening, the Treaty of Paris, a peace agreement between
the United States of America and Spain, was finally signed by US representatives namely Cushman
Davis, William Frye, Whitelaw Reid, George Gray and William Day, and Spanish delegates Eugenio
Montero Rios, Buenaventura Abarzuza, Jose de Garnica, Wenceslao Ramirez de Villa-Urrutia, and Rafael
Cerero. The treaty was signed without Filipino representation.
 The Treaty of Paris contained thirteen articles stating the conditions, obligations and benefits that
both countries will enjoy over the ceded islands. It also stated how Spain sold the Philippines to the
United States for $ 20 million, with an additional $ 5 million for war recuperation expenses.

The Philippine-American War

After the Spanish-American war, the Filipino revolutionaries under Aguinaldo have most of the
territories in Luzon, proclaiming the establishment of the independent Philippine Republic. When the
Republic has confirmed that US forces are indeed after colonizing the Philippines, the prior battles of
disagreement and confusion between the two sides have evolved into what we now know as the
Philippine-American War, in 1899. The war knew one of the most recognized Filipino generals and
strategists, Antonio Luna.

Antonio Luna: Early Life

On October 29, 1866, the seventh child of Laureana Novicio-Ancheta and Joaquin Luna de San
Pedro was born in Binondo, named Antonio Luna de San Pedro y Novicio-Ancheta, more known as
Antonio Luna.

Antonio was a bright student, receiving his first bachelor's degree in Arts, from the Ateneo
Municipal de Manila in 1881. He continued his academics in the University of Sto. Tomas, pursuing
chemistry, music, and literature studies.

Persevering more to further his studies, Antonio traveled to Spain, joining his brother Juan who
was studying painting there. In 1890, he earned a licentiate in Pharmacy at the Universidad de Barcelona,
followed by a doctorate from the Universidad Central de Madrid. He further studied bacteriology and
histology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Because of a well-received paper on malaria, Luna was
appointed by the Spanish government to a post as a specialist in communicable and tropical diseases in
1894. He also studied the art of war, military tactics, fencing, and became a sharpshooter.

Luna and the Revolution

Within the same year, Antonio went back to the motherland, where he fought for and won the
position of Chief Chemist in the Municipal Laboratory in Manila. There, with his brother Juan, Antonio
established a fencing society they called Sala de Armas.
 During one of their sessions, the Luna brothers were approached and persuaded to join the secret
society of Katipunan, but they refused the offer. Like the other émigrés (immigants), they believed that
reform is a better choice than violent revolutions as the road to achieve independence.

While in Spain, Antonio became a writer for the La Solidaridad, under the penname Taga-Ilog.
Using this nom de plume, he wrote Impressions, a piece which described Spanish customs and
idiosyncrasies. Furthermore, he also joined Masonry like most Filipino liberals in Spain, eventually rising
to being Master Mason, the third and last stage of Masonry.

However, in 1896, when the existence of the Katipunan was leaked to the public, the brothers
were arrested for having been accused as members of the secret revolutionary society and was detained in
Fort Santiago. Juan was freed while Antonio was exiled to Spain in 1897, where he was imprisoned at the
Cárcel Modelo de Madrid. Because he was a painter who had connections, Juan talked to his contact on
the Royal Family of Spain, interceding for his brother's freedom.

After being wrongfully indicted, Antonio has kept a grudge on Spain, and in the late 1898, he
returned to the Philippines, bearing a recommendation letter Felipe Agoncillo. Luna offered his services
to fight for the Filipino Republic, where Aguinaldo immediately positioned him at the top of several army
brigades. Luna immediately noticed the disorder and promptly held a wide recruitment program for the
Filipino army.

Using his knowledge of the European war schemes, Luna organized professional guerilla soldiers
and with them, assembled what was called the Luna sharpshooters. It was also Luna who recommended
the establishment of Academia Militar, the first military school in the country, now known as the
Philippine Military Academy. Generals he fought on the battlefield recognized the formidable strategist
Luna is, even though he never won a battle for the Philippines.

Luna's Death and the Controversies Surrounding It

On the 4th of June, 1899, Luna was residing in his headquarters at Bayambang, Pangasinan,
discussing future tactics with Tarlac's General Francisco Macabulos. Luna reportedly received a telegram
from the then President Aguinaldo, ordering him to a meeting in the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Cathedral
in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, where the President established a new home and office. Macabulos, not able
to join Luna in the meeting, told the fellow general to be careful, before the two of them parted ways.
 Selecting a few of his men, the general immediately rode for the cathedral and arrived the
following day. Luna along with his faithful aide Colonel Francisco Roman, and some soldiers, arrived at
the Cabanatuan convent after being summoned by the president; however, the meeting with Aguinaldo did
not take place. Instead, the general, with his men, lost their lives that afternoon in Nueva Ecija.

Upon entering the Cabanatuan convent, Luna recognized that the sentry was one of the Kawit
battalion soldiers he relieved from duty and tried to punish months ago. The soldier ignored him, failing
to salute and present arms, which made the general angry. After slapping the soldier, he continued to walk
inside the convent only to see Felipe Buencamino, one of the autonomists in Aguinaldo's cabinet whom
he greatly disapproved of, in El Presidente's seat. Buencamino told him how the president had already left
that morning to check on the San Isidro and Tarlac troops, which made Luna even more enraged.

The two engaged in a heated argument which only halted when they heard a single shot in the
convent. Luna hurriedly came out to check and saw Captain Pedro Janolino, the Kawit officer who
refused to obey his orders and failed to send the requested reinforcements when Luna's battalion tried to
retake Caloocan from the Americans. Luna immediately bubbled with anger, and Janolino, feeling that the
general would lay hands on him, immediately pulled out his bolo and wounded the general's forehead.

More Kawit soldiers came out and crowded the general, firing and stabbing him anywhere they
could. Col. Roman tried to help him but he, too, was shot and died. The general was reported to have
withstood 30 stab wounds before dying, his last words reportedly being "Cobardes, asesinos!" (Cowards,
assassins!) Buencamino ordered the men to empty out Luna’s pockets and get all the papers in him,
specifically the deceptive telegram.

Upon learning the death of Luna, Aguinaldo ordered an investigation, which concluded that
General Luna instigated the attack therefore absolving the Kawit soldiers from any charges. Furthermore,
due to the lack of evidences, Aguinaldo’s name was cleared, as well as his cabinet members and many
ilustrados who have helped Buencamino in Luna’s assassination.

III. Evidences

The San Francisco call issued an article headlined GENERAL LUNA IS MURDERED BY
AGUINALDO, Put Out of the Dictator’s Way Because He is Too Ambitious. In the article, the newspaper
claimed that “General Antonio Luna, one of the bitterest foes of the Americans in the Philippines, has
been assassinated by order of Aguinaldo.” (San Francisco Call, Volume 86, Number 14, 14 June 1899)
The San Francisco Call, Volume 86, Number 14, 14 June 1899
 The Evening Times

The Evening Times also reported news of Luna’s death, narrating how the general insulted a
guard in the Cabanatuan convent and pulled his revolver, causing the entire guard to attack them (Luna
and Roman) with bayonets to defend themselves.

Moreover, Antonio Luna’s assassination was featured in Julio Nakpil’s Apuntes Sobre La
Revolucion Filipina (Notes on the Philippine Revolution). Julio Nakpil was Gregoria de Jesus’ second
husband, and a general during the war with the Spaniards. In Chapter VII, page 103 of his Notes, Nakpil
wrote how Aguinaldo issued the order that Luna be assassinated, for the latter general “did not conceal his
desire to be the head of the cabinet.” Antonio Luna was reportedly planning a coup d’état against the
President, which served as the grounds for his assassination.

Related to this, Historian Augusto Deviana says that Gen. Aguinaldo might have had his own
motive in having Gen. Luna assassinated, a widely shared opinion that then Rep. Jun Abaya (Aguinaldo’s
grandson) disagrees with, saying that his grandfather only did what he had to do to protect the country's
freedom. He, Deviana, shared the same story of how Luna was hacked to death by the Caviteños, along
with the account of Buencamino ordering the soldiers to empty the general’s pockets, retrieving the
telegram he had received.

On another note, Captain Pedro Janolino, on an interview by Antonio Abad recorded on Vivencio
Jose’s Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna, claimed that what transpired was purely self-defense against the
general’s rage, and not an assassination. When asked who ordered him to assassinate Luna, he answered
“I assume the whole responsibility for the sad happening.” He further claimed that the incident was
unexpected, and since the general was known to be a very harsh and temperamental man, he was afraid
that Luna would hurt them, pushing him to hit him first in the head with his dagger. Then at that point,
Janolino and his soldiers proceeded to attack Luna, causing him to rush out the convent badly wounded.

IV. Comparison and Contradiction of the Arguments

Comparison
1. Gen. Antonio Luna received a telegram
purportly signed by President Emilio
Aguinaldo, ordering him to meet the President
in his office in the Cabanatuan Convent.
2. Felipe Buencamino, instead of Aguinaldo, met
Gen. Luna in the convent, and told him that the
President has already gone his way to check on
the troops in San Isidro and Tarlac.
3. The two, Buencamino and Luna, was involved
in a heated argument.
4. A rifle shot was heard, and Luna came to check
Contrast
1. Gen. Antonio Luna was planning a coup d’état
against President Aguinaldo, leading the latter
to order his assassination.
2. Gen. Luna, upon seeing Janolino, pulled his
revolver out and drew a shot on the man.
3. Janolino and his men performed what was only
defense for themselves, against the raging
general.
4. Janolino claimed full responsibility on the
assassination of Luna; he said that no one
ordered them to do it.
 outside, where it came from.

5. Janolino hacked Luna with his dagger across

the general’s head, leading his men to follow
his example and they attacked the general
together.

6. The general died of stab and bullet wounds; the

stabs not lesser than thirty.

7. Buencamino stripped Luna of the papers inside

his uniform, the telegram one of them.

8. Luna was buried the next day with the uniform

he was on when he died.

9. Aguinaldo ordered the assassination.

V. Formulation of Own Arguments

We believe that General Antonio Luna was indeed assassinated, given the myriad of accounts all
pointing to the same conclusion, along with the evidences presented with it. Though the telegram was not
found, all sources we found agreed that it was present, and that it was what pushed Luna to ride to
Cabanatuan that day. By all means, we cannot accept Janolino’s claim that Luna’s assassination was self-
defense on their part, since Luna was one man against a whole guard of Caviteños. Self-defense might
logically involved a bullet, or one or two stabs strong enough to defend someone and injure the attacker,
but the general suffered around 30 brutal stabs, which was evidently all done in anger, as one would think.

The general was killed, and by people of his own country even. This, in itself, was already tragic
in our opinion, since what everyone really wants during that time is freedom, and they, as citizens of the
same country, should have worked together to achieve such instead of backstabbing one another, in this
case, literally, just to feed themselves with their most coveted vengeance against the strict general.
VI. Relevance and Importance

The assassination of Luna is a historical event that holds an essential part in our history. General
Antonio Luna's life was spent in good intentions for the nation, and it is important that we know about his
days and experiences, especially the event of his death over the hands of his fellow Filipinos.

Luna's death recalls the similar fate as that of Andres Bonifacio's execution in Cavite, among the
early days of the revolution. Both were rivals of Aguinaldo for the leadership of the Filipinos. This part of
history remains relevant especially today that the elections are nearing again. This reminds us that the gift
of freedom oftentimes entails sacrifices, and that people in power who wish to stay in their seats would do
anything, no matter how gruesome and inhumane an act may be.

We are therefore inspired to always be mindful of who we vote for and to always look out for the
welfare of our country, because her peace is our prosperity.

VII. Effects to the Philippine History

Antonio Luna's bloody end has impacted the Filipino history greatly. General Hughes once said
regarding the matter how "The Filipinos only had one general, and they have killed him." The general was
undoubtedly a remarkable strategist and despite not winning any battle in his lifetime, his death was no
question, a loss for the movement for independence. However, corrupt personalities seemed to think
otherwise, deeming his demise a benefit to their ulterior motives. Had the revolutionary government then
shared the same dedication to the country as General Luna had, maybe we could have had a chance at a
proper independence, instead of the short lived one we got from Aguinaldo on his balcony, in 1898.

VIII. Bibliography

The following links were used in the process of writing this report:

 https://www.filipinoamericanwar.com/lunaassassination.htm

 http://malolosrepublic.blogspot.com/2010/06/bibliography.html?m=1

 https://macapili-filipino.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-killing-of-general-antonio-luna.html?m=1

 https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18990614.2.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-
txIN--------1
 http://thetruthaboutourhistory.blogspot.com/2009/07/untolds-story-in-life-of-gen-emilio.html?
m=1

 https://www.google.com.ph/amp/s/xiaochua.net/2013/06/06/xiao-time-5-june-2013-ang-pataksil-
na-pagpaslang-kay-antonio-luna/amp/

 https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/09/28/15/hero-or-traitor-historian-weighs-aguinaldo-luna

 http://nhcp.gov.ph/julio-nakpil-musician-turned-revolutionary/

 https://pinas.activeboard.com/t19180666/the-assassination-of-andres-bonifacio-and-antonio-luna/

 https://www.philstar.com/business/2015/09/29/1505307/historical-interpretations-myths-and-
mysteries-luna-aguinaldo-and-bonifacio

 https://www.wattpad.com/172596846-the-american-colonial-period-the-assassination-of/page/6

 https://www.wheninmanila.com/furious-leaders-who-said-it-general-antonio-luna-or-mayor-
rodrigo-duterte/2/

 https://www.thoughtco.com/antonio-luna-philippine-american-war-hero-195644

 http://www.taal.ph/history-culture/notable-taalenos/felipe-agoncillo/

 https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1322/today-in-philippine-history-october-29-1866-
antonio-luna-was-born-in-binondo-manila

 https://www.univie.ac.at/ksa/apsis/aufi/forbes/forbes55.htm

 http://www.msc.edu.ph/centennial/aluna.html

 https://www.univie.ac.at/ksa/apsis/aufi/forbes/forbes54.htm

 https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/war

 https://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id=7
 http://nhcp.gov.ph/the-treaty-of-paris-an-instrument-of-peace-or-an-insignia-of-betrayal/

 http://www.msc.edu.ph/centennial/treaty.html

 https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/trask.html

 https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/reconcentration.html

 https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/intro.html

 https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024441/1896-12-16/ed-1/seq-
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 https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1895-03-08/ed-1/seq-
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 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paco_Rom%C3%A1n

 http://streetstrategist.blogspot.com/2011/12/macabulos-estate-and-sta-ignacia-tarlac.html?m=1

 https://archive.org/details/sittingindarknes00bain

 http://nhcp.gov.ph/?option=com_content&task=view&id=63

 https://www.revolvy.com/page/Francisco-Macabulos

 https://news.abs-cbn.com/blogs/opinions/09/24/15/aguinaldo-descendant-says-antonio-luna-not-
assassinated