The NHCP has marked in front of the municipal hall of Macabebe, Pampanga the 445th anniversary of the martyrdom of the “first native to give up his life for independence,” one identified only as the “Brave Youth of Macabebe,” as he fought the conquering Spaniards.
Prof. Robby Tantingco, Holy Angel University (HAU) vice president for external affairs and head of the university’s Center for Kapampangan Studies, said the commemoration, to be led by NHCP chair Dr. Serena Diokno, has also launched a book titled “The Nameless Hero: Revisiting the Sources on the First Filipino to Die Fighting for Freedom,” authored by Ian Christopher Alfonso and published by the center. It is the first book on the nationalist martyr.
Tantingco cited two reasons for the June 3 commemoration.
“For the first time, the Philippine Government through the NHCP officially recognizes the ‘Brave Youth of Macabebe’ as the hero of the Battle of Bangkusay and not Rajah Soliman, and first Filipino to die for freedom,” he said.
Tantingco said a Spanish chronicler described the hero as “brave youth.”
A bust on a pedestal marked “Brave Youth of Macabebe,” unveiled by the NHCP, HAU and Pampanga officials, now stands in front of the Macabebe town hall.
“He was very nimble, he could leap over windows without using the stairs, and yes, the fact that he had many wives proves his virility, not advanced age,” Tàntingco noted of the hero.
Tantingco said “it was Pedro Paterno in the 19th century who named him Tarik, without any primary source to back him up. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and one other eyewitness gave him the name Bambalito, but some believe it’s a pejorative term with obviously Spanish origin. So to skirt the debate, NHCP decided to just describe him as nameless” he explained.
