General Antonio Luna: Death in the Afternoon

General Antonio Luna:  Death in the Afternoon

              

              The Prey.  General Antonio Luna was regarded by many as the most brilliant military officer during the Philippine-American War. Educated at the Ateneo de Manila and at a prestigious university in Spain and later trained in military tactics,  he was the commander of the Philippine Revolutionary Army.  Having a reputation as an ambitious general, the camp of then President Emilio Aguinaldo became insecure when unfounded rumors were spreading that General Luna and his men would launch a coup d etat to seize control of the revolutionary government.

General Antonio Luna was the most brilliant Filipino military officer during the Phil-Am War. (Google photo)

              The Bait.  A telegram supposedly from President Aguinaldo was received by General Luna who was at a military post in Bayambang, Pangasinan. He was instructed to attend a conference on June 5,1899 at the revolutionary government headquarters in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. Being unofficially groomed as the next Prime Minister and Secretary of War, General Antonio Luna traveled in high spirits with 25 of his trusted men. They arrived at Cabanatuan on the afternoon of June 5.  Most of his men stayed at the outskirts of the town.  Only Colonel Paco Roman and Captain Eduardo Rusca  were with him when he entered the town proper.

President Emilio Aguinaldo allegedly sent a telegram to General Luna, asking him to attend a conference to be held in Cabanatuan on June 5, 1899. (Google photo)

              The Trap.  General Luna entered the convent  while his two military escorts stayed outside.  Upon learning that President Aguinaldo was not in the convent and was actually in another town of Nueva Ecija, the fiery General, in a fit of anger, began shouting and berating some of the soldiers.  He slapped one. He then proceeded to the upper floor and met Felipe Buencamino who was the Secretary of Foreign Affairs.  At odds with each other, a shouting match ensued.  Then a shot rang out outside, drawing the General's attention. Unknowingly, he had fallen into the trap.

When General Luna arrived at the convent, President Aguinaldo was not there.  Only Felipe Buencamino, then Foreign Affairs Secretary, was present.  General Luna and Buencamino had a shouting match. (Phil-Am War photo)

               The Hitmen.  Soldiers of the Kawit battalion loyal to President Aguinaldo were reportedly tasked to carry out the secret plan. They were the same soldiers who refused to heed General Luna's order to attack during an offensive in Caloocan. They were explicitly showing acts of insubordination.  And their hatred for General Luna was known by fellow soldiers. Once, they were disarmed by the general.  If they wanted to get even, then that was the appropriate time.

Old photo of a typical battalion of Filipino revolutionary soldiers. (wiki)

            The Actual Execution.  As General Luna was going down the stairs of the convent, Colonel Pedro Janolino, head of the Cavite battalion, drew near him and suddenly began hacking him. Other soldiers drew boloes and knives and stabbed the outnumbered general in different parts of the body. Somebody shot him too.  Colonel Roman and Captain Rusca came to his rescue but the two were also fired upon, with Roman dying on the spot and Rusca seriously injured.  Though critically wounded, General Luna managed to walk several meters to the open plaza.  He was staggering and very weak.  With a drawn gun, he was holding the intestines that protruded out of his abdomen.  Just before he expired, the brave general shouted:  Cowards !!!!

Arrow points to the exact spot where General Luna was attacked by Colonel Pedro Janolino and his men.  At left is photo of  Colonel Roman. (Phil-Am War photo)

Colonel Pedro Janolino (right) who suddenly attacked General Luna with a bolo. (Google photo)

A standard bolo used by Filipino revolutionaries.  General Luna was hacked by Colonel Janolino and his men.  He was also shot.  (wikimapia)

               The Aftermath.  President Aguinaldo denied accusations that he had something to do with the General's death. General Luna was buried the next day.  All his officers and followers were relieved of their official duties to prevent a counter attack.  Most of General Luna's men were demoralized and, as a result, withdrew from the revolutionary army. The Kawit soldiers were not censured or punished and most of the pro-Aguinaldo soldiers  were appeased upon learning of the death of the General.  A threat to Aguinaldo's leadership had been eliminated. After Bonifacio, it was General Luna. The two died in the hands of their compatriots.  

                                                         

Statue of General Antonio Luna at Plaza Lucero in Cabanatuan City.  Plaza Lucero is the exact site where General Luna died. (D.P.S.A.photo)

The San Francisco Call account of General Luna's death. (Phil-Am War photo)

                                                                                                          - Konted

*all pics / specific details from google