The Vivo Revolt in Aklan

I would like to share this article by the late Henry Funtecha on the Vivo Revolt in Aklan.


by Henry Funtecha
Source: http://www.thenewstoday.info/2007/09/14/the.vivo.revolt.in.aklan.html

Few months after the outbreak of the Katipunan Revolution in central Luzon, Andres Bonifacio directed Francisco del Castillo and Candido Iban to go to Panay to initiate the Visayan phase of the revolution through the organization of a Katipunan chapter. The two were Bisayans who were recruited to join the Katipunan by Procopio Bonifacio, the brother of the Supremo. Del Castillo was said to be from Bantayan Island in Cebu, while Iban was native of Malinao, Aklan. The two became friends for they worked together in one of the haciendas in Negros as sacadas or sugar cane cutters. They, they tried their luck in Manila as laborers and, later, sailed to Australia where they worked as pearl divers.

Upon reaching Aklan in early January 1897, Del Castillo and Iban started immediately to organize the local Katipunan. To facilitate covering the wide area, the duo divided Aklan into two districts: the towns west of Aklan River under the Iban while Del Castillo was assigned to the eastern towns. The town of Tangalan came under the jurisdiction of Iban. The two agents of the Katipunan were successful in their recruitment work. In just a matter of two and a half months, they were able to recruit a thousand members. It is said that their success could be attributed to their possession of anting-anting (Barrios et al 1997).

Meanwhile, Vivo, one of the barangays of Tangalan in Aklan, was relatively free from Spanish influences and control because of its mountainous location. It is mountainous and was a safe haven for the enemies of the Spanish government. However, the inhabitants had to pay tribute to the colonial government in Capiz (now Roxas City) since Aklan at that time was part of the province of Capiz. And, because of the difficulties that they had to go through in paying, they had to walk a very long distance and some neglected paying because they did not have enough money. Every time that the Spaniards were in Vivo, they demanded the natives to pound and cook rice for them. They also took the liberty of getting anything that took their fancy from the natives. Some Spaniards, as insensitive as they were, intentionally let their horses graze in the growing rice plants of the natives. Thus, the people of Vivo nurtured in themselves an ill-feeling and contempt against the Spaniards (Cawaling 2003).

After the end of the fighting between the Spaniards and the Filipinos in Kalibo, Aklan, where Del Castillo met his death, some Katipuneros fled to the mountains of Vivo. When the Spaniards learned about this, they immediately planned to dispatch a search team to go after them. The inhabitants of Vivo learned about this and fearing that the Spaniards will kill them, they plotted to massacre the latter. (Ibid.)

The plan of the people of Vivo was led by Valentin Candelario and it involved the holding of a feast to show to the Spaniards that the people welcomed them. Pigs and chickens were to be butchered to be served the visitors. Also, in a diplomatic way, the locals would secure the weapons of the Spaniards so that they would not be able to use them to defend themselves and to kill. Then, while the Spaniards were partaking of the sumptuous meal, a signal would be given to mark the killing of the Spaniards. (Brief History of the Heroes of Vivo 2002).

The Spanish soldiers finally arrived in Vivo on Aprol 15, 1897. One version says that there were twenty-four of them and, upon their arrival, they took a rest while they were entertained by the women. Another version put the number at forty Spaniards. At a given signal, the local warriors appeared from different directions and attacked the Spaniards with their bolos, and only one was able to survive and eventually escaped (Cawaling 2003).

A week after the massacre, forty-five Spaniards soldiers and a number of Filipino casadores went back to Vivo but the natives, assisted by the Katipuneros, fought back. Nevertheless, their weapons were no match to those of the Spaniards and they were defeated. The number of casualties on both sides was not ascertained but those who survived fled and never came back to Vivo again. On the part of the Spaniards, they also did not return to the place again until the end of the Spanish rule.