Francisco Dagohoy is one of the familiar names in Philippine History Books.
A Boholano who holds the distinction of having led the longest revolt in the Philippines, known as, the Dagohoy Rebellion. The rebellion of roughly 85 years, from 1744 until 1829, against the Spanish colonial government took place in Bohol.
Francisco Dagohoy was born in 1724 in Cambitoon. He lived until he was 101 years old and died of r
abies probably in 1825.
Do you know how the revolt started? Dagohoy was enraged by the refusal of a Jesuit priest to give a Christian burial to his brother, the immediate cause of the revolt.
Francisco Dagohoy's real name is Francisco Sendrijas. The term "Dagohoy" came from 2 Visayan words "dagon" which means amulet and "hoyohoy" which referred to gentle wind or breeze. Since locals believed that Francisco had an amulet that let him fly and makes him appear or disappear, the phrase "Dagon sa Hoyohoy" was attributed to him. The phrase was later shortened to "Dagohoy" as what Francisco came to be known of.
"In Memory of Francisco Dagohoy, Filipino Patriot,
Who established an independent Government for the
Island of Bohol during the long and Successful Rebellion
From 1744 to 1829, On this site between
Inabangan and Talibun Province of Bohol"
These are the words inscribed on a Memorial Marker unveiled on April 11, 1955 by admirers led by then Vice President Carlos P. Garcia.
The Dagohoy Rebellion 1744-1829
In 1744 the island of Bohol became once more the arena of a serious insurrection against Spain. In that year Father Gaspar Morales, Jesuit curate of Inabangan, ordered a constable to capture a man who had abandoned his Christian religion. The brave constable pursued the fugitive, but the later resisted and killed him. His corpse was brought to town. Father Morales refused to give the constable Christian burial because he had died in a duel and this was banned by the Church.
Francisco Dagohoy, brother of the deceased, became so infuriated at the priest that he instigated the people to rise in arms. The signal of the uprising was the killing of Father Guiseppe Lamberti, Italian Jesuit curate of Jagna, on January 24, 1744. Shortly afterwards Father Morales was killed by Dagohoy. The rebellion rolled over the whole island like a tropical typhoon. Bishop Miguel Lino de Espeleta of Cebu, who exercised ecclesiastical authority over Bohol, tried vainly to mollify the rebellious Boholanos.
Dagohoy defeated the Spanish-Filipino forces sent against him. He established a free government in the mountains, and had 3,000 followers, who subsequently increased to 20,000. The patriots remained unsubdued in their mountains stronghold, and, even after Dagohoy's death, continued to defy Spanish power.
Twenty Spanish governors-general, from Gasper de la Torre (1739-45) to Juan Antonio Martinez (1822-25), tried to quell the rebellion and failed. In 1825, General Mariano Ricafort (1825-30), a kind and able administrator, became governor-general of the Philippines. Upon his order, Alcade-mayor Jose Lazaro Cairo, at the head of 2,200 Filipino-Spanish troops and several batteries, invaded Bohol on May 7, 1827. The brave Boholanos resisted fiercely. Alcade-mayor Cairo won several engagements, but failed to crush the rebellion. In April, 1828, another Spanish expedition under Captain Manuel Sanz landed in Bohol. After more than a year of hard campaign, he finally subdued the patriots. By August 31, 1829, the rebellion had ceased. Governor Ricafort, with chivalric magnanimity, pardoned 19,420 survivors and permitted them to live in new villages at the lowlands. These villages are now the towns of Batuanan, Cabulao, Catigbian, and Vilar.
Francisco "Dagohoy" Sendrijas will always live in the pages of Philippine history, not only as a good brother and a heroic man, but also as a leader of the longest Filipino revolution on record.
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photos/source/reference:
franciscodagohoythehero.blogspot.com
en.wikipedia.org
stoicpassion.com
explorebohol.com
