The Last to Surrender: General Miguel Malvar

Miguel Malvar,

 one of the last Filipino revolutionary generals to surrender to the Americans.

 was born in Barrio San Miguel, Santo Tomas, Batangas on September 27, 1865.
 His parents, Maximo Malvar and Tiburcia Carpio, sent him to the school of Father Valerio Malabanan in
Tanawan.
 He married Paula Maloles and engaged in business of raising poultry and livestock farm in Santo Tomas.
 Carlos Palangca, chinese merchants helped him engage in the sugar industry.
 As his business widened, his influence in the community grew and enable him to become the gobernadorcillo.

In 1896, the revolution broke out and Malvar responded. The respect he earned from the town people made it
easy for him to assemble band of followers to fight the Spaniards. He attacked the Spanish military unit in Talisay,
Batangas and was able to rescue his father from captivity. Pursued by the Spanish authorities, Malvar fled to Cavite
where he joined the revolutionary forces of Aguinaldo. He had taste of heavy battle in Zapote Bridge with the troops of
General Eldiberto Evangelista who died in action. After Zapote, he fought in Indang, Bailen, Magallanes, and Alfonso.

On March 3, 1897, Malvar was promoted to lieutenant general and later as commanding general of Batangas.
He directed operations in Santo Tomas de Tanawan, Lemery and Talisay. Together with General Trias, he directed the
siege of San Pablo, Laguna. He was earning a reputation for his brevity.

In December 1897, the peace pact in Biak na Bato between the Filipinos and the Spaniards was signed, thereby,
ending the revolution and allowing the Filipino generals to go on exile in Hong Kong. Malvar followed his compatriots in
the British colony in early 1898. There, he delegate his task as cashier administrator of revolutionary fund. After a few
months of exile, the Filipino Generals returned to the Philippines with a renewed determination to rid the spanish
authorities in the country.

Malvar returned to the country in June 1898, bringing with him about 2000 rifles that greatly helped his
compatriots. Appointed commanding general of Southern Luzon, he organized the forces in Batangas, Mindoro, and
Tayabas. Eventually, the Filipinos won their victory, prompting Aguinaldo to declare independence from Spanish
colonialism on June 12, 1898.

Unfortunately, this independence from colonial rule was short lived.

On February 4, 1899, the Philippine- American War broke out. Malvar responded to the new enemy with
courage. He fought the American forces in Muntinglupa, San Pedro, Tunasan, Kalamba and Kabuyaw. Appointed division
general and chief of the second zone of operations in Southern Luzon, General Malvar delegated his task with General
Juan Cailles, his deputy. He fought with a better- trained and better armed enemy, the Filipinos turned into guerilla
warfare, which proved to be more effective. The American soldiers did not take this lightly. They inflicted stricter
measures in stopping Malvar and other guerillas. Aimed at starving them, they look the civilians in military zones, and
destroyed villages, crops and animals along with their more intense military campaign that eventually resulted to the
capture of Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela on March 23, 1901. General Aguinaldo’s capture deteriorated the moral of the
struggling freedom fighters. Many of them surrendered while others were captured. Malvar chose to keep what he
vowed, to fight for freedom. Being only revolutionary fighting against a gigantic enemy, his resources depleted and
strength depleted. The welfare of his family and loyal soldiers drove him to surrender to General Franklin J. Bell on April
16, 1902. He declared: “I surrendered because my family and friends who have been accompanying me are all sick,
suffering and hungry; my children and my wife have suffered all kinds of hardships”. Months after this, the Philippine
Commission Instituted the civil government of the Philippine Islands. Malvar returned to his province and pursued his
interest in agriculture, A principled man, he graciously declined the offer for him to become governor of Batangas.

On October 13, 1911, he died of liver ailment in Manila. He was 46. His remains were brought to Santo Tomas,
Batangas and were buried with high military honors.

End of Resistance

Through thousands of Filipino soldiers surrender as the result of the American peace propaganda and the capture of
General Aguinaldo, some military commanders refused to lay down their arms. General Miguel Malvar took over the
leadership of the Filipino government and what was left of it. In Samar, General Vicente Lukban resorted to ambush
American soldiers, but it eventually ended when General Lukban was captured of February 27, 1902. With his capture,
the resistance in Samar ended. Macario Sakay continued the resistance and even established a Tagalog “Republic”, but
his resistance was not serios enough to endager the American rule.

Results of the War

In this connection some statistics concerning the war appear interesting. The number of American troops that came
here was 70,000 officers and men. Up to November 1899, the average monthly engagements between Filipinos and
Americans were forty- four, but December 1899 to June 1900, the average rose to over one hundred, and when the
guerilla method was employed the average exceeded one hundred and twenty.

During the whole period of war, 4,165 Americans and about 16,000 Filipinos were killed and thousands were
wounded. These figures exclude those who died of sickness caused by the war. The destruction was tremendous. It was
alleged that hardly any town invaded by the American troops escaped burning.

The defeat of the Filipino soldiers in the Philippine- American War opened the doors of the archipelago to the
acculturation from the Western thoughts.

Chapter 11: American Regime

Pacification and Reconstruction

 The American occupation of the Philippines was the first taste of American at colonization. Unlike other
European countries like Great Britain and Holland, America adopted a rather altruistic policy, giving the Filipinos more
room in self- government. The outcome was progressive.

It was never the stated intention of America to occupy the Philippines forever as a colony. President McKinley in
his message to Congress in 1899 that: “The Philippines are ours, not to exploit, but to develop, to civilize, to educate, to
train for self- rule.”

Other reasons why the United States annexed the archipelago were not very altruistic in nature. These colonial
objectives were: (1) to pursue a ‘manifest destiny’ for America as world power; (2) to use the Philippines as a raw
materials for US industry and market to US products; (3) to use the islands for military bases; (4) to have a refueling
station that will serve American ships serving their interest in China.

Military Government

Because of the existence of war and the need to further pacify some areas, the United States established a
military government on August 14, 1898, after the capture of Manila. General Wesley Merritt became the first military
governor. The function of the military governor came from the powers of the president of the United States of America
as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces. During the period of the military rule (1898-1901) the
American military government governed the Philippines for the President of the United States.

General Merritt was succeeded by General Elwel s. Otis (1898- 1900). The last military governor was General
Arthur MacArthur (1900- 1901). The military government lasted for three years, during which the period of active war.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of the military government was the pacification of the country and the laying
down of the foundation of the civil government. It introduced the American school system, with soldiers as the first
teachers. It organized the civil courts, including Supreme Court, with Cayetano Arellano as the first Filipino chief justice.
Local governments were organized from the provincial down to the municipal levels. The first local election was
conducted under the American. It was held under General Henry W. Lawton, in Baliwag Bulacan., on May 7, 1899.

American Governor- General

Military Government

General Wesley Merrit- August 14, 1898

General Elwell S. Otis- August 29, 1898- 1900
General Arthur MacArthur- May 5, 1900- 1901

The First Philippine Commission: Schurman Commission

On January 20, 1899, President McKinley appointed the First Philippine Commission ( Schurman Commission), a
five- person group headed by Dr. Jacob Schurman, president of Cornell University, to investigate conditions in
the islands to make recommendations. In the report thaht they issued to the president the following year, the
commission acknowledged Filipino aspirations for independence; they declared, however, that the Philippines
was not ready for it.

The commission arrived in Manila on March 4, 1899, a month after the outbreak of the war. It failed to
accomplish its mission, mainly due to the existence of the war.

Specific recommendations included the: (1) established of civilian government as rapidly as possible ( the
American chief executive in the islands at that time was the military governor), (2) including establishment of a
bicameral legislature, (3) autonomous governments on the provincial and municipal levels, (4) a system of free
public elementary school, (5) withdrawal of military role in pacified areas and (6) appointment of men of high
ability and good character to important government offices.

The Second Philippine Commission: The Taft Commission