By Zyle Kageyama.
As Filipinos, we have an extensive knowledge of our history, which includes our myriad of national heroes. The names Dr. Jose Rizal, Andre Bonifacio, Antonio Luna, Apolinario Mabini, Juan Luna and others come to mind, we might have seen them in movies like Heneral Luna, that was released in 2015 or the movie GOYO, that highlights the hero, Gregorio Del Pilar but for this article, I’ll be focusing on the so-called “others.” They are the heroes that helped us regain our freedom, but were not well known.
Ang Ina ng Biak-Na-Bato and the Mother of Mercy, also known as Trinidad Tecson, was the first Filipino that joined the Sandungan– a sacred blood compact. He was born in San Miguel, Bulacan, one of sixteen children of Rafael Tecson and Monica Perez. During the Philippine-American war, she fought alongside the Katipuneros. She even organized a group of women who helped the Filipino soldiers during the war, and she served in the Malolos Republic as the Commissary of War. After the war, her second husband died and she continued in business in Nueva Ecija, concentrating on selling meat in the towns of San Antonio and Talavera.
The first vice president of the Philippines, Mariano Trias. He was the fifth of the nine children of Don Balbino Trías, a Cabeza de Barangay and Justice of the Peace during the Spanish regime who, after his term of office, became a landowner-farmer. He is the first to lead the uprising in Cavite, and other attacks against the Spaniards in Laguna. He also joined the Katipunan and was an active propagandist in Silang and Kawit.
Gliceria Marella De Villavicencio, also known as Aliang Eriang, had many contributions to the Philippine revolution; she gave her own wealth, time, knowledge and effort to help the Revolutionaries. She was born on 13 May 1852, in Taal Batangas. One of these is the first group of revolutionary warships that carried food, supplies, and ammunition, as well as transported Filipino soldiers to Visayas.
Panday Pira was a native of the Luzon Province, who came to Manila when he was only 20 years old. His name literally translates as “Blacksmith Pira”, panday being the Tagalog word for “blacksmith”. He met a Portuguese blacksmith who trained him to make different types of weapons including cannons, which he was able to make in this meeting. They were said to be used by Rajah Sulayman to defend Manila against the Spaniards, but unfortunately at that time, the Filipino warriors lost both the war and the cannons.
These are only some examples of Filipino Heroes who are sell-short. They helped us achieve our freedom during the times that our freedom was taken from us. This shows that we should always wear our heart on our chest, having our nationalism as a Filipino and remembering how people in our past fought for their life for what we are today. Although these are heroes that are underrated, we still find ways to celebrate them as they contributed to the freedom we have today as a Filipino. Remembering them is a sign that we acknowledge their contribution to how we are today.
Kageyama “Zyle” Tobio is a feature writer for LAGABLAB. He can be contacted at @nagalpas on Twitter.
