Juan Ginete and the constables of Tuburan
Patriots who fought against the Spaniards for the liberation of our country were supported by Filipino mountain warriors. After the Spaniards left after the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, the Americans became the new colonizers.
Despite the surrender of many Filipino insurgents, there are those who chose to continue to defy foreign domination. Such was the group called the "Pulahanes," they were called so as they wore bands of red kundiman cloth.
In Cebu, the group was active and gave problems to the American soldiers. The American authorities in Cebu tried its best to pacify the insurgents, they even branded the group as brigands, meaning robbers or thieves.
In Tuburan, a resident by the name of Juan Ginete was charged on May 21, 1903 before the Justice of the Peace by the Provincial Fiscal for the crime of brigandage. The co-accused of Ginete were Honorio Cordero, Pedro Dabon, Ramon Rondina, Isidro Ceno, Miguel Rosalina, Francisco Baja, Nicolas Baja. The crime was that the group allegedly stole carabaos.
But when the initial hearing was conducted, the case against all the accused except Juan Ginete was dismissed. During the trial, witnesses such as Natalio Pisalver, a Constabulary Officer and Lieutenant Mateo Luga that on May 4, 1902, they witnessed that Juan Ginete was selling pieces of paper, with crosses painted on it. These items were sold at 50 centavos, Mexican currency a piece.
The witnesses also testified that the "Pulahanes" attacked the town of Tuburan, they found a dead person on the road, with him were cloths and papers, with pencils, others with blue ink and red ink, the same items that Juan Ginete sold to the residents of Tuburan.
They said that Juan Ginete when selling the items told residents who do not buy or possess the items of the "Pulahanes" will be attacked and those who have will be spared.
At that time it was believed that the members of the "Pulahanes" were "kublan" or invulnerable. The causes of their invulnerability were the items they wore. These were the talismans or anting-anting prepared by Pantaleon Villegas more known as Leon Kilat. The designs, rituals and preparations of these talismans were handed down by members of the KKK after the death of Leon Kilat.
The trial court in Cebu convicted Juan Ginete for the crime of brigandage, he was condemned to be imprisoned for 20 years and hard labor.
Juan Ginete assisted by lawyer Gregorio Pineda appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court., Justice Torres who wrote the decision of the Supreme Court dated April 11, 1904 that it was wrong for the lower court to convict Juan Ginete just because of the testimonies of the witnesses that the accused were selling items allegedly prepared by the "Pulahanes." With the decision, Juan Ginete gained his freedom.
The "Pulahanes" were all over Cebu and held camps in the mountains with the American Constabulary Soldiers having a hard time defeating them, though the insurgents were mostly armed only with bolos. It was Don Sergio Osmeña, who facilitated the surrender of many of the leaders of "Pulahanes."
- Latest
