15 Famous Filipinos Every Foreign Resident Really Should Know About

The Philippines, like every other country in the world, has had its’ share of heroes, notorious figures, and villains who changed history and determined the future course their country would take. The Philippines has a rich history, shaped by colonialism, revolution, dictatorship, and bravery that is completely unique and fascinating. Because it is a duty of foreigners to try and learn as much about the place in which they live (and it IS a duty), I have chosen the following 15 people that I feel are the most heroic, or notorious, in Philippine history who have shaped the country into what it is today. I am limiting this list to people who were born here, despite the obvious influences people like Magellan, Teddy Roosevelt, and Douglas MacArthur had on the country. I wanted to focus on heroes and those who have behaved heroically. There have been many people throughout Philippine history to whom the average Filipino can point to, with pride, and say “He was my fellow countryman”, and why just choosing 15 was tough. That is why, for instance, people like Ferdinand Marcos are not on the list, despite his very mixed legacy and obvious drastic changes he brought to the country. I also believe that history needs several generations to sort itself out, hence me not including Ninoy Aquino. I have listed them in order of birthdate, not debateable significance. Your list may be different, and I encourage all foreigners to read and learn as much about the country as possible. These are just my choices, and my opinions… nothing more.

1. Lapu Lapu: Quite simply, the first true Filipino hero. He was the tribal King of Mactan Island. When Magellan and his band of Europeans tried to convert Lapu Lapu to Christianity, and then tried to show muscle, Lapu Lapu essentially killed Magellan and much of his crew during the Battle of Mactan. What is fascinating is that Lapu Lapu was successful, and was remembered. Many other battles with the Spanish never were recorded throughout the new world, and native peoples were normally not the victors.

2. Diego Silang: Conspired with the British to overthrow Spanish rule and establish and independent Ilocano nation. Fed up with taxation and abuses by the friars, Silang helped the British capture Manila during the Seven Years War. Needless to say, the British were not particularly amenable to simply handing over the Philippines to Silang and his band of Ilocano followers. He then took up arms against the British. He was murdered by a traitor from within his ranks, egged on by the Church after peace between Britain and Spain was declared. Needless to say, though he was an opportunist in trying to benefit from a European war, his bravery in fighting his oppressors makes him a true hero.

3. Josefa Gabriela Silang: This was one tough woman, who should serve as an inspiration to every Filipina. She was Diego Silang’s wife. After his murder, rather than simply pining away and mourning, led the uprising against the Spanish, attacking Vigan with her followers. Unfortunately, she was captured and publicly hanged along with over 100 of her troops.

4. Francisco Dagohoy: Led the longest rebellion against Spanish rule, lasting over 80 years, most of the 18th century. A fierce fighter, incensed and the abuses perpetuated by the Spanish friars, Dagohoy established his own free state in Bohol, eventually having over 20,000 followers. The Spanish never did truly crush his rebellion, but, more properly, the rebellion eventually ran out of steam, with a final battle in 1829. This rebellion outlasted over 20 Spanish Governors!

5. Melchora Aquino “Tandang Sora”: An exceedingly brave woman, she was already 84 years old when the Philippine Revolution broke out, giving aid and comfort to wounded revolutionaries. Katipunan members held their meetings at her house, and she refused to give the Spanish information about Bonifacio’s whereabouts. She was arrested and exiled, returning to the Philippines, after the Americans took control, dying peacefully at age 107.

6. Father Jose Burgos, Father Jacinto Zamora, and Father Mariano Gomez: These three priests led what is known as the Cavite Mutiny, and early protest against Spanish rule and the refusal of the Church to employ more native Filipino priests. These three individuals wrote numerous pamphlets and articles heavily criticizing the Church and Spanish government, arguing for liberalization and academic freedom. This was viewed as sedition, and the priests were arrested, tried for mutiny, and executed by garrotting.

7. Dr. Jose Rizal: Perhaps the most significant individual in Philippine history, his two books, “Noli me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo” inspired the revolution against Spain and helped overthrow more than three centuries of Spanish colonial rule. Ghandiesque in his way of thinking, he always advocated overthrow of the Spanish by peaceful means. He believed that education was the means that Filipinos could unite against the Spanish. Unfortunately, the Spanish viewed him as a threat, despite his peace advocacy, charging him with Sedition and making him a martyr for the cause. It is interesting to note that, because he was killed by the Spanish, unlike my next listing, his death is always referred to as martyrdom, rather than an execution.

8. Andres Bonifacio: The father of the Philippine Revolution and founder of the Katipunan resistance, Andres Bonifacio began the fight to overthrow Spanish rule after the death of Jose Rizal. Some consider him to be the first President of the Philippines, though that is often debated. Bonifacio was caught up in a struggle for power against Emilio Aguinaldo, who was leading a different revolutionary army. When Bonifacio attempted to control Aguinaldo, he was arrested and executed.

9. Emilio Aguinaldo: Generally regarded as the first President of the Philippines, Aguinaldo was the General who led the insurgency that overthrew the Spanish. At the end of the Spanish-American war, when the US gained sovereignty over the Philippines, Aguinaldo then led the fight against American rule. Finally defeated, Aguinaldo stayed in the background of Philippine politics. When the Japanese occupied the country during WWII, Aguinaldo made appeals for the US forces to surrender, fearing the utter destruction of the country. He was accused of collaboration, but given amnesty by Manuel Quezon. He later served on the Council of State and was active in politics until he died at the ripe old age of 94.

10. General Gregorio del Pilar: “The Boy General”, Gregorio del Pilar achieved fame for bravely delaying American troops so that Aguinaldo’s forces could regroup and avoid capture. Shot in the neck and killed during the Battle of Tirad Pass, US forces were so moved by his bravery that they awarded him a burial with full military honors.

11. General Mateo Noriel Luga: Was appointed by Aguinaldo to fight the Americans in Cebu, achieving significant successes and never truly being defeated during hostilities, even nearly capturing an American general. Afterwards, he was appointed to the constabulary in Cebu and became well regarded as the one individual who helped bring peace in the Visayas.

12. Manuel Quezon: The First President of the Philippine Commonwealth, and Second President of the Philippine Republic, Manuel Quezon led the Philippine government in exile during WWII. Quezon constantly badgered the US administration to grant independence, from the end of the Philippine American War all the way through the Commonwealth period. After the war, he became the first president after the Philippines was granted independence at the conclusion of the war. It is also under his influence that Filipino became the national language.

13. Jose Abad Santos: Chief Justice of the Commonwealth Supreme Court, Jose Abad Santos was given the choice to leave to the States with Manuel Quezon. He chose to stay, and he was arrested by the Japanese after the invasion. After refusing to collaborate with the occupation, he was executed after being given the opportunity to speak with his son. His words, very moving, were: “Do not cry, Pepito, show to these people that you are brave. It is an honor to die for one’s country. Not everybody has that chance.”

14. Ramon Magsaysay: President of the Philippines during the 1950’s, a staunch anti-communist during the Cold War, and true “outsider” to politics as usual, Magsaysay was one of the first politicians to become a true advocate for the poor, taking on political forces to push land reform and eliminate government waste. He was killed in a plane crash before his term ended, and before he could complete his reform program.

15. Jesus Villamor: Fighter pilot during the war, Villamor was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross twice for bravery in attacking the Japanese during the invasion. When his squadron was destroyed, he then helped coordinate and organize guerilla and resistance groups against the Japanese occupation.

General Mateo Noriel Luga

General Mateo Noriel Luga is an Ibanag revolutionary, was named one of the 100 prominent natives of Cebu. He was not a Cebuano but anIbanag from Isabela province who came to Cebu to help the Cebuanos in their struggle against Spain and the United States.

Biography

General Mateo Luga was a native of Tumauini, Isabela province. He responded to the call-to-arms against the Spaniards towards the end of the 19th century. He left home in 1896, joined the Katipuneros in Bulacan, Manila, Laguna, and Cavite, and he fought the Spanish forces in Balinta, Antipolo, Montalban, San Pedro de Makate, Palipanan, Monting Lupa, Kalo-okan, and other areas until early 1899. During this period, Mateo Luga gained the necessary skills and experience to lead men in combat.

Between the summer of 1898 and mid-1899, the province of Cebu witnessed a so-called "war within a war." At the time, the armed insurrection against Spain was at its peak. In December 1898, the Spanish Governor Adolfo Montero abandoned the province of Cebu and sought refuge in Zamboanga. As a consequence, Juan Faller Climaco and Arcadio Maxilom established a revolutionary government in Cebu. Climaco had served as a Capitan Municipal of Toledo, and Maxilom was a member of the Katipunan. The two Cebuanos were appointed chief of staff and councilor of peace and internal order, respectively. With the unexpected arrival of the American occupation forces in Cebu, armed hostilities broke out between the American occupying forces and the fledgling Cebuano revolutionary force in February 1899.

In April 1899, General Emilio Aguinaldo and Secretary of War General Antonio Luna handpicked Mateo Luga as the Katipunan's personal adviser to the Cebu revolutionary government. With his two bodyguards, Manalo Luga and another Luga cousin, Mateo proceeded to Cebu disguised as a sailor on board the cargo ship Butuan. On the way to Cebu, the group passed through Iloilo where Mateo Luga met his future wife, Ruperta Valdez, a comely Ilongga of Spanish descent. He proceeded to Cebu where he was arrested by the local revolutionaries upon arrival, having been suspected as a Spanish spy. He was brought before General Climaco, who freed him upon ascertaining that he was indeed sent by General Aguinaldo and General Luna to Cebu, based on a letter written by the former. The Cebu revolutionary government divided Cebu into three operational sectors: the north under General Maxilom, the south under General Troadio Galicano, and the central zone under General Luga. From then on, the combat exploits of Mateo Luga in the Visayas began. He was the only non-Visayan in the Cebu revolutionary force.

The first encounter between the forces of General Luga and the Americans was in Mahayahay. Raids, assaults, ambushes, and frontal confrontations between the forces were carried out from 1899 to the latter part of 1901. General Luga's fiercest battle was at Sudlon, the Revolutionary redoubt of the Katipuneros. The confrontation lasted for nine days, until January 8, 1900. The Americans assaulted the Kota defenses of General Luga, only to turn back, leaving their dead and wounded behind. Despite the superior armaments of the Americans, it was the Katipuneros' knowledge of the terrain, their fighting acumen, and their willingness to sacrifice that gave them an edge over the Americans.

In the ensuing months, forays were made into American territory. On one occasion, General Luga and his force almost captured General Henry W. Lawton at Pardo. The Americans were having a party when General Luga conducted a raid, which surprised the Americans. General Lawton, who was present, escaped by running to the seashore, boarding a launch, and remaining on board while the raid was in progress. Other bloody battles were those in San Nicolas, Bulusan, Guadalope, Mabolo, Talamban, and the city itself. General Luga was a wanted man, and his wife and children were imprisoned by the Americans to force him to surrender. Instead of succumbing to their pressure, he slipped into the city and rescued his family.

General Mateo Luga was a worthy opponent against the Americans. Cunning and elusive, he earned such monikers as Alimokon (a species of wild dove which is difficult to capture), Agta (the black giant of Cebuano folklore); and Tagolilong (a mysterious being which can make itself invisible at will).

Tribute to the man

In Cebu was Mateo Luga, who had been a gallant insurgent leader before donning the red epaulets of the Constabulary. No member of the corps wore the uniform of the jungle police with greater distinction than this swart, fearless Filipino. Luga had fought Stacey in the middle islands, and there were other American officers to testify to the courage and cunning of this leader. He was an honorable soldier who earned the respect of the American army. They tell a tale about Luga. It happened during the days of the insurrection, when he had been one of Aguinaldo's most sturdy commanders. Filipino soldiers serving the American cause had been inflamed with the legends of the mighty Luga, and had deserted the American camp and sought service under their countrymen. Luga had heard them out and then had placed them under an armed guard. At daylight a small squad of men had appeared before the American lines. With them were the deserters and a message to the American commander from Luga. He had written, "I return to you deserters from your camp who sought service with me. I request that you do the same should any of my men weaken from their duty. It is my desire to wage honorable warfare." That then, was Luga, who in 1908 was wearing the red epaulets of the Constabulary. He had been sent to Cebu Island with instructions to keep the island clean and bandit free. And Cebu was clean, under the administration of this capable and valiant native officer. Before me lies Luga's accolade, written by an American officer who saw much service in the Philippines: "In Mateo Luga, you saw a man to remember as long as you live." ^[1]

The end of hostilities

On September 15, 1901, General Robert P. Hughes, heading two thousand troops, arrived in Cebu, and towns, villages, and crops were laid to waste. Homes and the people's means of livelihood were demolished, and little distinction was made between the combatants and the victims of the war. Bereft of the necessary support to continue hostilities, terms of peace were discussed with the Americans. One by one, the revolutionary leaders surrendered after General Maxilom laid down his arms on October 27, 1901. General Luga and his troops surrendered to Captain Frank McIntyre of the 19th U.S. Infantry on the same day.

General Luga believed that the surrender was not the end of his fighting career. He accepted the commission to become an officer of the constabulary organized by the Americans to maintain peace and order in the locality. Despite his mistrust of the Americans, he accepted the commission they offered, hoping that he could help bring peace back to the countryside. He joined the constabulary force along with a few men, including General Rafael Crame. His exploits as a peace officer reached all the way to Samar and Leyte, running after a bandit group known as the Pulahanes. He was tasked to make Cebu clean and bandit-free. The year 1908 found Luga completely in control. He had risen to the rank of captain in the constabulary, where he was known as one of the most capable and valiant officers.

Home is the soldier from the hills

In 1914, rumors were rife that the United States and Japan would be the two world powers vying to control South East Asia. Captain Luga openly expressed his disagreement with this development, having been critical to the onerous provisions of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act. The act provided for the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth, under which a ten-year transitional government supervised by the United States would be set up prior to independence, as well as the reservation of American military and naval bases in the Philippines. General Luga called the act, "a castle coated with honey". He continued: "Those naval and military reservations are the stumbling blocks to the granting of our freedom and in our policy on foreign relations. There is really nothing wrong with us if America will not go to war with other countries. But if she does, we will be the first ones to suffer for we will be made to pay dearly for the consequences." This visionary statement would be proven later during the Second World War. Although General Luga had an unblemished record of service, his opinions led him to be placed under surveillance. Eventually, his pride led him to resign from the constabulary.

Upon his resignation in 1914, he was employed by the Philippine Refining Company, an American firm that was the predecessor of UnileverPhilippines. After this, he worked for the Public Lands Commission, where he was assigned the task of giving away homesteads to deserving applicants. On his own, he was able to acquire 24 hectares in Sagay, Negros Occidental where he retired into a simple country life with his wife, Ruperta, and their children, Maria, Jose, Pilar and twins Emilio and Antonio, who were named after General Emilio Aguinaldo and General Antonio Luna.

A veteran's wish

On January 23, 1924 (the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the First Philippine Republic held at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan), General Luga was interviewed by Celestino T. Alfafara of the Cebuano periodical Bag-ong Kusog. When General Luga was asked what he wished for the Filipino people, he replied:

"We the veterans, are already old, but before we die, there is only one wish that I am asking from God. Even though we have no money to leave behind because we are poor, we do wish that before we go to our final resting ground, we can see that you who are left behind can enjoy the fruits of the freedom we have been hoping for."

When his last taps were sung

On his way back home to Negros from a visit to his hometown in Isabela, General Mateo Noriel Luga was found to be stricken with cancer. He died in Manila in 1935. His funeral was a reunion of his comrades-in-arms, including General Aguinaldo and the remaining Katipuneros.

Family Tree of Luga

Felipe Luga

13 Hundred Hotel

Pier  2, North Harbor

Manila  City, Philippines

 “… and God said unto them, Be faithful, and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it..."
Genesis 1:28

Felipe “Ipe” Luga

Brgy.  Consuelo Cantilian , Surigao Del Sur.

Philippines

In 1985, when EDSA 1 is being hold, a disarray was also happening on our place Brgy. Consuelo  Cantilan, Surigao Del Sur. Elders  were shouting, telling their unmarried  daughters  and granddaughters  to hide whenever   Felipe Luga’s Descendants pass the  mob. “Magtago na kayo sa loob ng bahay! Nandiyan na ang mga binatang apo ni Ipe! Paparating na!” (Hide yourselves inside your houses! Ipe’s young grandsons are on the way! They’re  coming!) That’s how they say it. We cannot reproach the way  they warn there children, because of an experience.

When I was a child, my father, Crispeniano “Ipin” Duero Luga told me and my siblings a story about his grandfather, Felipe “Ipe” Luga. He said that this old  folk Mestizo , perhaps a half spanish, which made him tall and handsome. Even thought he died  before my father is born, his statement about this man was testified when he saw with his two eyes the old black-and-white photo. He is also lovable and  that might be the reason of unwanted teasing phrase which I had said. The real score of this is when he fell , possibly, sixty women in love of him. My grandfather, Felajio “Layo” Luga is a son from a Mestiza which we hide in the name Aphrodite and he is one of Ipe’s   probably fourty children from different concubines. Who got child on him.

I remembered a story of a nun who fell in love of Ipe to which the reason she quited just to be with him. Another one is about two siblings from a prominent family who as well endmored of him. These harrated stories made almost all parents from our province to be worried for  their daughters. Even to our latest generation, when only his great grandsons are left, these became a traumatic problem for them to yell the brief pithy expression. I was astonished of my great grandfather. The only  thing I can say is, he is unique and thanks to him.