12/06/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐ซ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐
While Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine Independence in Kawit on June 12, 1898, Pedro Kipte and the Pulahanes fought to end nearly three centuries of Spanish rule in Masbateโan inspiring chapter of local history that deserves to be remembered.
Today, we commemorate the day of the declaration of Philippine Independence from Spain in 1898 by former President Emilio Aguinaldo.
Do you know who our hero here in Masbate wasโwho led and liberated Masbate from Spanish colonial rule?
Halina't Alamin!
Following the relative control of the Spanish government over the Moro pirate raids in the 1870s, another group emerged in Masbate that threatened Spanish authority in the region.
These were the Pulahanes, a millenarian group that rose in rebellion in the province of Samar against the Spanish colonial government and eventually spread to the provinces of Leyte and Cebu.
They were called Pulahanes because they wore or used the color red as a symbol of their armed resistance against Spanish colonial rule.
They arrived in Masbate in 1887 and settled in the barrio of Tanque in the town of Cataingan, which is now part of the municipality of Pio V. Corpuz. Later, they established a camp in the barrio of Malobago in the town of Cataingan.
They were led by Pedro Kipte, who is recognized as a hero of Masbate. He led the movement and successfully ended nearly 300 years of Spanish colonial rule in Masbate.
Pedro Kipte was said to be from Cebu and was believed to possess powers from his anting-anting (amulet or talisman).
From the time the Pulahanes arrived in Masbate in 1887, for almost a decade, there were no recorded attacks or clashes between them and the Spanish government forces in Masbate.
It is believed that Pedro Kipte was gathering enough forces to challenge the Spaniards and launch an attack on their headquarters in Masbate. The long distance and lack of roads connecting Masbate and Cataingan also contributed to the delay.
However, the Spanish government was aware of their presence and continued to monitor their activities and the strength of their forces.
When the Philippine Revolution broke out and the Filipino armed struggle gained momentum in August 1896, the entire Masbate province remained peaceful, and its people stayed loyal to the Spanish.
Eventually, however, the views of some residents in Masbate toward the revolution changedโespecially among the common people, who sympathized with the revolution and joined forces with the Pulahanes.
Most of those who remained loyal to Spain were the elites and educated groups in Masbate.
In June 1898, Governor Cuvero, the commandant of the Masbate and Ticao district, sent the tercio policia (police force) to the barrio of Malobago in Cataingan to suppress Pedro Kipteโs forces after realizing that they had grown into a larger and more powerful threat to Spanish authority.
However, they failed in their mission because they were ambushed by Kipteโs forces in Sitio Gahit, in the barrio of Malobago, in the town of Cataingan.
Kipteโs forces annihilated the troops sent by Governor Cuvero, dismembering their bodies. Others fled in fear.
The victory of Kipte and the Pulahanes in Malobago against the Spanish government forces brought them fame and attracted thousands of followers to their revolutionary cause.
This victory also prompted Kipte to decide to attack Masbate, the capital of the province.
Kipte requested the elites and town leaders of Masbate to join and support them in overthrowing Governor Cuvero's government, but the elites refused and remained loyal to the Spanish colonial authorities.
Fearing a Pulahanes assault on their towns, the elites fled and went to Masbate's capital, where they believed they would be safer due to the stronger presence of Spanish forces.
From Cataingan, Kipte and his forces marched toward the capital of Masbate, recruiting young men along the way to join their army.
Upon reaching the town of Mobo, the former capital of Masbate, they decided to stay and wait until their forces were replenished with new recruits and additional weapons for the siege.
Governor Cuvero used this time to strengthen his troops, but they were at a disadvantage due to the small size of their forces compared to Kipteโs army.
On August 19, 1898, Kipte and his forces launched an attack on Masbate. Due to a shortage of guns, they used bolos as alternative weapons and killed their enemies.
The Spaniards, priests, and elites took shelter in the church, which was heavily guarded by government forces. Government soldiers and volunteers defended the capital and did everything they could to prevent Kipteโs forces from overtaking it.
Governor Cuvero saw that his forces could not withstand Kipteโs army, and due to a lack of food supplies, he decided to leave the capital. He requested a ship from Governor-General de los Rios to transport them and the loyal Masbateรฑos out of Masbate.
As Kipteโs forces took over the church, the government troops, priests, and elites withdrew to the Spanish fort near the old pier of Masbate.
Just as the Pulahanes were surrounding the fort and preparing to attack, the ship Uranus, sent by Governor-General de los Rios, unexpectedly arrived.
Governor Cuvero and around a thousand othersโincluding government officials, priests, soldiers, and elitesโimmediately boarded the ship and sailed to Capiz.
Kipteโs forces occupied the fort and burned the Casa Real, the center of power of Spanish rule in Masbate.
That same month and year, Don Antonio Camacho, the infantry captain and commander of the Burias district, left Burias with his troops after realizing that no reinforcements would arrive and his forces could not withstand the rebel attacks there.
The successful leadership of Pedro Kipteโs rebellion led to the withdrawal and surrender of the Spaniards in Masbate, marking the end of nearly 300 years of Spanish colonization in the islands of Masbate, Ticao, and Burias.
If you were living during that time, would you have been willing to risk your life and fight for freedom against the colonizers?
Happy Philippine Independence Day!
Please like and follow Masbate History and share our post so you and everyone else will learn more about the history of our beloved province, Masbate.
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