THE STORY OF ANTONIO LUNA
The Brilliant General Who Defied Death
On a crisp October morning in 1866, in the bustling
commercial district of Binondo, Manila,
a child was born who would become one of the most brilliant and controversial
figures in Philippine history. Antonio
Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta entered the world on October 29, 1866, the youngest of seven children born to Joaquín Luna de San Pedro and Laureana Novicio y Ancheta.
The Luna family was no ordinary household. Antonio's parents
came from wealthy families of Badoc,
Ilocos Norte, and they possessed both the means and the vision to give
their children the best education possible. In 1861, when Antonio was still very young, the family moved to Manila,
where opportunities for education and advancement were greater.
Antonio's most famous sibling was his older brother Juan Luna, who would become a
world-renowned painter and win the prestigious gold medal for his masterpiece
"Spoliarium" in Madrid. This artistic excellence seemed to run in the
family - their brother Manuel was also
considered a talented painter, and according to José Rizal himself, Manuel
was perhaps even more gifted than Juan.
Growing up in such an intellectually stimulating environment, Antonio showed exceptional intelligence and curiosity from an early age. Unlike many children of wealthy families who were content with privilege, Antonio possessed an insatiable hunger for knowledge that would define his entire life.
At age six,
Antonio began his education in a private school run by an old Filipina teacher. Two years later, he transferred to the
prestigious Ateneo Municipal de Manila, the same Jesuit institution that
had educated José Rizal. The Jesuits were known for their rigorous academic
standards and emphasis on excellence, and Antonio thrived in this environment.
In 1881, at just
15 years old, Antonio obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo. His
academic record was stellar, and he showed particular brilliance in the sciences.
Even as a teenager, he won first prize
in a literary competition for his composition entitled "Dos Cuerpos
Fundamentales de la Química" (Two Fundamental Bodies of Chemistry),
demonstrating his early mastery of scientific concepts.
After graduating from the Ateneo, Antonio briefly studied
literature and chemistry at the University
of Santo Tomas. However, his true calling lay in the field of pharmacy and
medicine, and his family's wealth allowed him to pursue his dreams abroad.
Having chosen
pharmacy as his profession, Antonio enrolled at the University of Barcelona,
where he finished with the degree of Licentiate in Pharmacy. His
thirst for knowledge was far from satisfied, however. He continued his studies at the University of Madrid and obtained his
Doctor of Pharmacy in 1890.
During his time in Europe, Antonio traveled extensively and met famous scientists of his era.
He immersed himself in the latest scientific research and became particularly
interested in the study of infectious diseases, especially malaria. His
doctoral research focused on tropical diseases, making him one of the first Filipinos
to engage in serious scientific research at the international level.
But Antonio's interests weren't limited to science. Even as a young man, he was also a
accomplished writer and poet. In 1881, he published a collection of poems
entitled "Las Estrellas de Mi Cielo" (The Stars of My Sky), which he
dedicated to various college girls at La Concordia, an exclusive school for women.
While in Europe, Antonio
associated himself with Filipino patriots abroad, including the great
triumvirate of José Rizal, Graciano López Jaena, and Marcelo H. del Pilar.
These men were the leaders of the Propaganda Movement, working to reform
Spanish colonial policies in the Philippines through peaceful means.
Antonio
contributed articles to "La Solidaridad," the official newspaper of
the Propaganda Movement. His scientific background gave him
a unique perspective on the problems facing the Philippines, and he wrote
extensively about public health, education, and social reform.
When he returned to the Philippines, Antonio was employed as a chemist in the Municipal Laboratory of Manila.
Here, he applied his scientific training to solve practical problems facing
Filipino society. He also contributed to
various local and international periodicals and magazines, including "El
Siglo Médico," "La Farmacia Española," "La Ilustración
Filipina," and "La Revista Farmaceútica".
When the Katipunan
secret society was discovered in August 1896, both Juan and Antonio Luna
found themselves in serious trouble. Despite
not being members of Bonifacio's revolutionary organization, both brothers were
arrested and imprisoned in Fort Santiago for "participating" in
the revolution. Antonio's statement
concerning the revolution was actually one of the testimonies used to support
the death sentence against José Rizal.
Ironically, Antonio
initially opposed the armed revolution planned by Andrés Bonifacio, saying
"If Napoleón was a Napoleón, it was because aside from his having a heart,
he had intelligence and, above all, money". Like Rizal, Luna believed
that the Filipinos were not yet ready for armed rebellion and preferred the
path of gradual reform.
While Juan was
eventually freed, Antonio was exiled to Spain in 1897 and imprisoned in
Madrid's Cárcel Modelo. His brother Juan, who had been
personally pardoned by Queen Regent
Maria Christina of Austria, used his influence to secure Antonio's release.
Antonio's case was eventually dismissed
by the Military Supreme Court in December 1897.
Upon his release, Antonio
went to Ghent, Belgium, to study field fortifications, guerrilla warfare,
organization, and other aspects of military science under the renowned Belgian
General Gerard Leman. The same man who would later command the fortress at
Liège during World War I became Antonio's mentor in the art of war. He also studied extensively at the Ateneo de
Madrid, absorbing everything he could about military strategy and tactics.
This intensive military education would prove invaluable. When the Spanish-American War broke out and
Emilio Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines in 1898, Antonio received a letter
of recommendation to Aguinaldo and a revolver from Felipe Agoncillo. He returned to the Philippines in July 1898
with his military commission, ready to serve his country as a soldier
rather than a scientist.
On September 26,
1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo appointed Antonio as Chief of War Operations and
assigned him the rank of brigadier general. Later, Aguinaldo promoted him to succeed Artemio
Ricarte as Commanding General of the Philippine Army, making him the
highest-ranking military officer in the young republic.
Antonio immediately
saw the need for proper military training and established a military academy at
Malolos, recruiting former officers of the 1896 revolution for instruction. He
understood that enthusiasm alone could not defeat the well-trained and
well-equipped American forces.
Luna organized
professional guerrilla soldiers who became known as the "Luna
Sharpshooters" and the "Black Guard". His three-tier defense strategy, now known as
the Luna Defense Line, stretched from Caloocan to Angeles, Pampanga, and
was designed to create a series of delaying battles while the Republic
established a guerrilla base in the Mountain Province.
Antonio was known
for his explosive temper and unyielding discipline toward his troops. Many soldiers resented his strict military
standards, especially those who were used to the more relaxed approach of
other Filipino commanders. He demanded punctuality, proper military bearing,
and absolute obedience - standards that many Filipino soldiers found harsh and
foreign.
His disciplinary actions created powerful enemies. In the battle at Caloocan, when the Kawit
Battalion from Cavite refused to attack when ordered, Luna disarmed them and
relieved them of their duties. This action particularly angered the
soldiers from Aguinaldo's hometown of
Kawit, Cavite, who served as the president's personal bodyguards.
Despite the discipline problems, Antonio proved to be a brilliant military strategist. His most dramatic military action was the
counterattack on American forces from February 22-24, 1899. Even though the
Americans eventually repelled the attack, they
were so surprised by the fierce resistance that an urgent cable was sent to
General Henry Lawton in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), stating "Situation
critical in Manila. Your early arrival great importance".
The Luna Defense
Line astonished American military observers, who described it as consisting of
numerous bamboo trenches stretching from town to town. The
series of trenches allowed the Filipinos to withdraw gradually while firing
from cover at the advancing Americans. As
American troops occupied each position, they were subjected to traps including
bamboo spikes and poisonous reptiles.
In May 1899, at
the Battle of Santo Tomas, Luna almost died in combat. Mounted on his horse, he charged into the
battlefield leading his main force in a counterattack. When American forces
began firing, Luna's horse was hit and he fell to the ground. As he recovered, Luna realized he had been
shot in the stomach and attempted to kill himself with his revolver to avoid
capture.
Fortunately, Colonel
Alejandro Avecilla saw Luna fall and rode to save him. Despite being
heavily wounded himself, Avecilla
carried Luna away from the battle to safety. Luna discovered that his wound was not very deep because most of the
bullet's impact had been absorbed by a silk belt full of gold coins that his
parents had given him. For this
heroic service, Luna was awarded the Philippine Republic Medal.
By the end of May 1899, trouble was brewing. Colonel Joaquín Luna, one of Antonio's
brothers, warned him that a plot had been hatched by "old elements" -
the autonomists of the Republic who favored accepting American sovereignty -
and a clique of army officers whom Luna had disarmed, arrested, and insulted.
Luna shrugged off
all these threats, reiterating his trust for Aguinaldo, and continued building
defenses at Pangasinan where the Americans were planning a landing. His
loyalty to the Republic and to Aguinaldo personally remained unshaken, even as
enemies conspired against him.
On June 2, 1899,
Luna received two telegrams - though initially four had been
sent, he never received the last two. One
asked for help in launching a counterattack in San Fernando, Pampanga, and the
other, signed by Aguinaldo himself, ordered him to go to the new capital at
Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, to form a new cabinet.
In his
jubilation, Luna believed he might be named Premier and Secretary of War. He
immediately wrote to Arcadio Maxilom,
military commander of Cebu, urging him to stand firm in the war. Luna set off from Bayambang, traveling
first by train, then on horseback, and eventually in three carriages to Nueva
Ecija with 25 of his men.
During the
journey, two of the carriages broke down, so he proceeded with just one
carriage containing Colonel Francisco Román and Captain Eduardo Rusca, having
earlier dismissed his cavalry escort. On June 4, Luna sent a telegram to
Aguinaldo confirming his arrival.
On June 5, 1899,
Luna arrived at the Catholic Church convent in Cabanatuan, where Aguinaldo's
headquarters was located. He proceeded alone to communicate with the President, but was told by
Felipe Buencamino that Aguinaldo had left earlier for San Isidro (though
Aguinaldo had actually gone to Bamban, Tarlac).
Enraged that his
time had been wasted, Luna demanded to know why he had not been told the
meeting was canceled. As he went up the stairs, he encountered Captain Pedro Janolino,
commander of the Kawit Battalion - the same officer Luna had previously disarmed
for insubordination and whom he had once threatened with arrest for favoring
American autonomy.
What happened
next was swift and brutal. Thinking Luna would harm him, Janolino unsheathed
his bolo and hacked the general in the head. The other members of the Kawit Company
followed suit, firing and striking at the wounded general with their daggers
and bayonets.
Despite suffering
over 30 wounds from bolos, bayonets, and bullets, Luna managed to stagger out
of the building into the street. A lesser man would have died instantly from half his wounds, but Luna's
incredible constitution allowed him to curse his murderers - "Cowards!
Assassins!" - before falling lifeless on the church patio.
His aide-de-camp,
Colonel Francisco Román, rushed to his aid but was seized, disarmed, and cut to
pieces with bolos. Both men died within minutes of the attack.
From a church
window, Aguinaldo's mother, who had watched the slaughter, asked: "Nagalaw
pa ba iyan?" (Is he still alive?). The question
revealed the calculated nature of the assassination.
Despite the
brutal assassination, Luna and his aide were given proper military burial.
However, the controversial question of
who ordered Luna's killing has been debated extensively. The answer has
never been definitive.
Since Aguinaldo
was not present in Cabanatuan, he had plausible deniability.
However, many pieces of evidence suggest
that the assassination was premeditated. According to the memoir of Pantaleon Garcia, Aguinaldo gave him a
verbal order to kill Luna. The San
Francisco Call newspaper reported that "General Luna was assassinated by
order of Aguinaldo".
In a show trial
of the assassins, they fabricated a story claiming the assassination was
self-defense. However,
testimonies revealed the real motive: Aguinaldo was insecure about Luna's
growing influence and military capabilities.
Antonio Luna died at just 32 years old, at the height of his powers and influence. His
death was a decisive factor in the fight against American forces. Subsequently,
Aguinaldo suffered successive, disastrous losses in the field, retreating
toward northern Luzon. In less than two years, Aguinaldo was captured in
Isabela by American forces led by General Frederick Funston.
Governor-General
Ramon Blanco had once called Luna "the most dreadful of the Filipino
politicians, the true voice of the separatists, very superior to Rizal".
American military observers considered
him the most brilliant and capable of the Filipino generals. His untimely death deprived the Philippines
of its most competent military mind precisely when it was most needed.
Antonio Luna's story is remarkable not just for its tragic
ending, but for the extraordinary breadth of his accomplishments. He was simultaneously a scientist, writer,
poet, journalist, and military genius - a true Renaissance man who could
have excelled in any field he chose.
As a scientist, he was one of the first Filipinos to earn a
doctoral degree in Europe and
conduct serious research on tropical diseases. As a writer, he
contributed to both local and international publications. As a military strategist, he created defensive systems that amazed even his
American enemies.
His strict discipline and fiery temper, while creating enemies, also reflected his unwavering commitment to
excellence and his genuine desire to create a professional Filipino army
capable of defending the nation's independence.
Though his life was cut tragically short, Antonio Luna's legacy endures as an inspiration to all Filipinos. His story reminds us that true patriotism requires not just love of country, but also the competence, dedication, and sacrifice necessary to serve it effectively. From a brilliant student in Manila to a world-class scientist in Europe to the Philippines' most capable general, Antonio Luna proved that Filipinos could excel at the highest levels when given the opportunity and when driven by genuine love for their homeland.
His death marked not just the end of a remarkable life, but the loss of what might have been - a free Philippines defended by one of the most brilliant military minds in its history.
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