Gen.

Gregorio Del Pilar

Liberator of Bulacan
A general at 22
 “Ang
mamatay ng
dahil sayo”
Where was Gen. Gregorio
Del Pilar born?
Gregorio Hilario del Pilar y
Sempio was born on
November 14, 1875 in
Bulacan, Bulacan
He was a nephew of Marcelo
H. del Pilar, editor in chief of
Diariong Tagalog and La
Solidaridad
It is said that when he was 12
years old, his Tiyo Marcelo and
himself Goyo, Katipuneros fondly
recalled a duel between the 12-
year-old Goyo and his 37-year-old
uncle Marcelo
The duel ended in draw
Gregorio Del Pilar on his
education and early life
Although the del Pilar clan was said to
be a principalia (upper or noble class),
Gregorio Del Pilar’s branch was
relatively poor
During his childhood, his mother
worked as a helper
Goyo studied in Ateneo Municipal de
Manila
During his studies in Ateneo Municipal de
Manila at the age of 15, he stayed in the
house of his fraternal aunt, Hilaria H. Del Pilar,
and her husband, the propagandist and first
President of Katipunan, Deodato Arellano
From being a meat pie vendor, the poor Goyo
from Bulacan became a student of Ateneo de
Manila with the help of his principalia relatives
He helped his uncle distribute revolutionary
pamphlets and other materials such as
Dasalan at Tocsohan
Gregorio Del Pilar and the
revolution
The young Goyo stayed at the house of
his favorite aunt, Hilaria del Pilar, the
wife of propagandist and the first
Supremo of the Katipunan, Deodato
Arellano
The secret society was founded in 1892
and Goyo first served as a secret
messenger who would distribute
pamphlets written by Filipino reformers
in Europe
Once there was an anti-revolutionary pamphlet
entitled “Questions of Great Interest”
published by an Augustinian friar, Felipe
Garcia, who had a habit of distributing counter-
revolutionary materials after mass. For some
reason, Goyo and his companions were able to
access the sacristy of the Malolos church and
secure copies of the said pamphlets. They
then removed the cover and placed them in
the satirical Filipino pamphlets which originally
carried the titles “The Vision of Fr. Rodriguez”,
“By Telephone”,”Prayers and Jokes” (Dasalan
at Tocsohan), “Kai-igat Kayo” etc.
 Dasalan at Tocsohan
Aba guinoong Baria nakapupuno ka nang
alcancia ang Fraile'I sumasainyo bukod ka
niyang pinagpala't pina higuit sa lahat,
pinagpala naman ang kaban mong mapasok.
Santa Baria Ina nang Deretsos, ipanalangin
mo caming huag anitan ngayon at cami
ipapatay. Siya naua.
When the parish priest distributed the
booklets to the congregation and even
encouraged them to read it, little did he
know that he was actually shooting
himself in the foot. In other words, their
plan to discredit the Propaganda
Movement backfired-all because of
Goyo’s shrewdness
The youngest General in the
Revolutionary Army
Manuel Tinio, known by his Katipunan pseudonym,
Magiting. Tinio hadn’t even completed his high
school education when he joined the Katipunan. In
fact, the young boy from Licab, Nueva Ecija was not
given initial responsibilities in the secret society
because he was too young at the time of his
joining. But Tinio never let his youth incapacitate
him; he first fought in the field in 1897, and it was
also in the same year when Aguinaldo promoted
him to the rank of brigadier-general at the age of
20.
The Aguila meets
Matanglawin
Goyo was only appointed lieutenant colonel in
1897 after a successful raid in the town of
Paombong, Bulacan. Almost a year later, he finally
earned the title of full general as a reward for his
key role in helping liberate Bulacan and Nueva
Ecija from the Spaniards. On March 15, 1896,
Goyo received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the
Ateneo de Manila. As it turned out, 1896 was also
the year the Philippine Revolution erupted, and
Goyo decided to enlist himself in the Katipunan
instead
According to Lt. Jose Enriquez, Goyo’s closest
friend and one of the eight survivors of Battle
of Tirad Pass, Goyo signed an oath with his
own blood, promising to support the society,
keep its secrets, obey its laws and aid its
comrades. After the rites, the Supremo
(Deodato Arellano) approached his nephew
and said “Like the Aguila, be vigilant. It is the
price of liberty!”
Jose Enriquez’s older brother, Anacleto who is
known for his pseudonym Matanglawin or hawk’s
eye was someone whom Goyo looked up to and
considered his idol
Anacleto was Bulacan’s father of Katipunan who
unfortunately died after he and his group were
cornered in a San Rafael church by Spanish
riflemen
The battle is so gruesome, the Spaniards
massacred civilians that the church was said to be
ankle deep in blood. The Battle of San Rafael is
said to be Goyo’s inspiration in joining the
revolution
Goyo the “Seven
Musketeers” and the “Battle
of Kakarong de Sili”
Goyo’s baptism of fire happened when he became
part of Gen. Eusebio Roque’s troops in Kakarong
de Sili, a fortress near San Rafael, Bulacan
Joining del Pilar was a group of young men, also
known as the “Seven Musketeers of Pitpitan”
Among these men are Julian del Pilar, Goyo’s older
brother, Juan Socorro, his brother in law; Juan
Mendez Catindig; Felix De Jesus; Melencio
Manahan; Adeodato Manahan; and Isidro
Wenceslao
Kakarong had been recognized as the biggest
headquarters in Bulacan until an attack of the
Spaniards in 1897 led to its collapse. The
Battle of Kakarong caught the Katipuneros by
surprise, but Goyo and the rest of the
musketeers fought up to the last minute. Upon
realizing that they were clearly outnumbered,
Goyo and the other survivors decided to
escape
Among the fatalities of that bloody
battle was Juan Mendez Catindig,
one of the seven musketeers
Goyo missed death when a
Mauser bullet only grazed to his
forehead
Because of his bravery, he was
promoted as a leiutenant
The young officer then led his men to
Montalban before returning to Bulacan. Back
to his home province , Goyo and his group
ambushed several cazadores who were
escorting a friar back to Malolos. A cazadore
was killed by Goyo, while the friar and the rest
of his entourage managed to escape.
The Spaniards left behind four sacks of silver
coins and a mauser, much to the delight of del
Pilar who had only owned a Remington before
the encounter
Gregorio del Pilar as
Antonio Luna’s almost-
assassin
It is said that the boy general and his master
met in Sad Isidro, Nueva Ecija just a few weeks
after their futile attempt to negotiate with the
Schurman Commission. It was here where
General Aguinaldo gave his protégé the
difficult task of capturing Luna who was
accused of high treason, dead or alive
But as it turned out, Luna had already been
killed by the Presidential Guards in
Cabanatuan before Goyo and his troops could
reach Luna’s headquarters in Bayambang,
Pangasinan
Battle of Tirad Pass
December 1899
On November 1899, Aguinaldo’s party had reached the
town of Concepcion and climbed the peak of Mount
Tirad. Del Pilar ordered three lines of trenches be dug
up on the pass and had the pick of all the men that can
be spared on orders from Aguinaldo. While Aguinaldo
and the rest were in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, Del Pilar rode
to the rearguard to ensure the safety of the retreat.
Word had come that the Americans were advancing on
Tirad Pass in an effort to cut off Aguinaldo from the
Tinio Brigade situated on the Abra River. The U.S Army
33rd Infantry Regiment, under Major Peyton. C. March
took Concepcion on December 1 and began to scale
Tirad Pass the next day
On December 2, 1899, Goyo and his 60 men clashed with
300 American soldiers of Major Peyton C. March in the
legendary Battle of Tirad Pass. The Americans had
difficulty in attacking the Filipino position, they saw
opening with the aid of Tingguian Igorot named Januario
Galut. The Americans then devised a plan to flank the
entrenched defenders from the village of Lingay at the foot
of the pass, and from the peak. Vicente Enriquez, one of
the eight survivors of the battle, said that after he and the
general went to higher trenches, Del Pilar tried to spot
enemies in hiding but couldn’t see past the cogon leaves
which were moving irregularly. The General was about to
mount his pinkish white horse when he was hit by a bullet
from behind at the nape of his neck, just below the level of
his mouth