Leon Kilat – Cebu’s Local Hero

 

kabayo

 

Today is National Heroes Day ( Araw ng mga Bayani). We all grew up with Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Pilar, Tandang Sora and Gabriella Silang, thanks to our lessons in Sibika at Kultura. I would like to share to you one of our local heroes – Pantaleon Villegas  famously known as Leon Kilat.

Leon Kilat, hailed hero of Cebu during the Philippine Revolution during the Spanish regime. A street is named after him but do you know that he is not originally from Cebu? Leon Kilat is from the town of Bacong in Negros Oriental. He moved to the neighboring island of Cebu and worked in a pharmacy owned by a German when he was a teenager. It was during this time that he changed his name to “Leon”.

How did he get involve in the revolution against Spain?

Leon Kilat moved to Manila and joined a circus band and it was during this time that he met a katipunero. He returned to Cebu and established a local katipunan and fought for freedom. He gained his title, “Leon Kilat” due to his unique abilities to disappear and the difficulty of Spanish authorities in catching him. He was also known to possess some amulets and talismans with urban legends saying he was seen in two different places at the same time. He was also believed to be invincible.

Leon Kilat is famous for the Tres de Abril, an event( also a street name in Cebu) still remembered in Cebu. In April 3, 1898, Cebuano katipuneros under Leon Kilat, fought the Spanish colonizers. Maybe caught offguard as it was a Palm Sunday, Spaniards retreated and found some safety within the perimeters of Fort San Pedro – also a famous landmark in Cebu.

After 3 days, Cebu was finally returned to the locals that should rule the land. The Cebuano revolutionaries also cut water and food supply to the Spaniards locked inside Fort San Pedro which also led the Spanish settlement of neighboring islands like Panay (from the Spanish words, “pan hay” or ” there is bread”) and Negros.

Like Andres Bonfacio, Leon Kilat’s demise and fall was under the hands of the locals. To be specific, he was assassination by  his right-hand. Not too unfamiliar as it plays the same tune of  Julius Caesar’s “et tu Brutus?” moment. It is said that he and his army went to the southern town of Carcar after the Tres de Abril victory and was accepted by the local officials with a banquet held in his honor. And in his bed he was stabbed to death on April 8th, 1898. Versions tell that his traitors made sure that he removed his amulets before executing the crime. His body was reportedly dragged to the town square or plaza.

Some chronicles share that Leon Kilat’s assassination is a bargain that local officials have to make. A Spanish fleet was on their way and will bomb the town of Carcar. Fearing the safety of the people and the town, town officials have to give-in to the demands of the Spanish authorities – Leon Kilat’s dead body. All these transactions were made with friars ( as usual). The town of Carcar is heritage destination with its ancestral homes.

To read more about Leon Kilat and about this assassination, here are some links to click

http://attyhbabella.blogspot.com/2012/01/assasination-of-leon-kilat-pantaleon.html

http://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2007/12/leon-kilat-philippine-revolutionary.html

 

There is statue of Leon Kilat in Carcar but also in his hometown in Bacong, Negros Oriental.

 

leon kilat

 

He is also associated with his horse, Puti ( “white”).

kilat

 

You may also like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.