Antonio Luna
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-->Antonio Luna y Novicio (29 October1866 - 5 June 1899) was a Philippine pharmacist and general who fought in the Philippine-American War. He founded the Philippines' first Military Academy.
Education
He entered the Ateneo de Manila where he began to take interest in literature and chemistry. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1881. At the University of Santo Tomas, he won first prize for his composition “Dos Cuerpos Fundamentales de Quimica,” on the occasion of the elevation of Fr. Ceferino Gonzales to the Cardinalate. At the invitation of his brother, Juan, he left for Europe. He got a Licentiate in Pharmacy at the University of Barcelona. The Central University of Madrid conferred him his Doctor of Pharmacy in 1890.Tour Of Europe
In Spain, he wrote El Hematozoario Paludismo, acclaimed by leading bacteriologist in Europe as thorough and exhaustive scientific work. Using the pen name Taga Ilog, he published in the La Solidaridad “Impresiones” a satirical observation of Spanish customs and idiosyncracies. After completing his studies, he toured Europe and came in contact with prominent bacteriologists.Reform propagandist
In Spain, he contributed to the La Solidaridad periodical, published by the reformist movement of the elite Filipino students in Spain. He wrote a piece titled Impressions which dealt with Spanish customs and idiosyncrasies under the pen-name "Taga-ilog". He was active as researcher in the scientific community in Spain, and wrote a scientific treatise on malaria titled El Hematozoario del Paludismo (Malaria), which was favorably received in the scientific community. He then went to Belgium and France, and worked as assistant to Dr. Latteaux and Dr. Laffen. In recognition of his ability, he was appointed commissioner by the Spanish government to study tropical and communicable diseases.In 1894, he went back to the Philippines and worked in the civil service as a chemist. Like José Rizal and other leaders, he was in favor of reforms rather than independence as goal to be attained. Because of his participation in the reform movement, he was charged with illegal association and was deported to Spain in 1897, where he was imprisoned at the Carcel Modelo in Madrid. On his release, he went to Belgium and studied military tactics and strategy under General Gerard Leman. He returned to the Philippines in 1898.
Philippine-American War and death
At the outbreak of the Philippine-American War, he was appointed by General Emilio Aguinaldo as Chief of War Operations on September 26 1898 and assigned the rank of brigadier general. He saw the need for a military school, so that he established a military academy at Malolos and recruited former officers of the 1896 revolution for training. He proved to be a strict disciplinarian and thereby alienated many in the ranks of the soldiers. He fought gallantly at battles in Bulacan, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija against the better equipped U.S. forces. In the battle at Caloocan, the Kawit Battalion from Cavite refused to attack when given the order. Because of this, he disarmed them and relieved them of duties.
On June 2 1899, he received a telegram from Aguinaldo, ordering him to proceed to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija for a conference the next day. When he arrived at the Cabanatuan Catholic Church convent on June 5, the designated venue, Aguinaldo was not there. As he was about to depart, he was treacherously shot, then stabbed to death by Aguinaldo's men at the stairs of the convent. He was hurriedly buried in the churchyard, after which Aguinaldo relieved Luna's officers and men from the field.
The demise of General Luna, the most brilliant and capable of the Filipino generals, was a decisive factor in the fight against the American forces. Subsequently, Aguinaldo suffered successive, disastrous losses in the field, retreating towards northern Luzon. In less than two years, Aguinaldo was captured in Isabela by American forces led by Gen. Funston, and later made to pledge allegiance to the United States.
References
- De Guzman, Maria Odulio .(1967). The Filipino Heroes | National Bookstore Printing Press
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