MACABEBE, Pampanga – In commemoration of the 125th anniversary of one of the darkest events in Philippine history, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on April 27 unveiled a marker on “The Burning of Macabebe” at the San Nicolas de Tolentino parish church here.
Presiding over the unveiling ceremonies were NHCP commissioner Dr. Lino Dizon, parish priest Fr. Marcelino Mandap, US Embassy official and Joint US Military Assistance Group deputy chief Lt. Col. James Kim, Embassy of Spain first secretary Alvaro Garcia Moreno, Holy Angel University president Leopoldo Valdes, Pampanga board member Pol Balingit, and Macabebe vice mayor Vince Flores.
It was on April 27, 1899 that some 300 townsfolk were massacred inside the Macabebe church that was razed to the ground by Filipino revolutionists under Gen. Antonio Luna in retaliation for the protection extended by the town to Spanish military officers and troops, friars, and the family of the governor-general fleeing the advance of the forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.
Historians referenced to this event as the motivation for the Macabebes to volunteer their services to the Americans in the capture of Aguinaldo and helping them win the Philippine-American War which earned them, and by extension, all Kapampangans the shameful sobriquet “dugong aso.”
Putting context to the event, Center for Kapampanga Studies director Robby Tantingco noted in a commentary on his Facebook page: “With this historical marker from the Philippine national government, the truth can now be told: Macabebes did it to avenge all kinds of persecution committed against them by their fellow Filipinos, culminating in the burning of the town and the massacre of 300 townspeople inside the church. No, it wasn’t “dugong aso” after all that made them do it—it was vengeance. It was never an act of treachery, but an act of revenge.”
Tantingco said that with the presence of parties involved in the event as represented by current officials, the commemoration “is to acknowledge that the horrific event did happen and those people did die, but it will not be a time for finger-pointing or for reopening old wounds.”
“Past is past and can no longer be undone. The original cast of characters are long dead and gone. We are where we are because of all the good and bad things that happened in history. If you erase or alter anything, who knows if we would be living in the same city now or having this same job or if we would have been born at all? And so, Macabebe on Saturday will be a place of grace and absolution, not of remorse and anger,” he furthered.
Concluding: “The purpose of history is to learn its lessons—and the greatest lesson of the Burning of Macabebe is that we should never ever take revenge. Vengeance starts a cycle of more vengeful acts which will not stop until everyone and everything is destroyed by it.”
By a strange coincidence, as soon as the NHCP marker was unveiled a dog walked right in front of the assembled guests, leading Tantingco to enthuse: “As this dog leaves the scene, may the tag “dugong aso” also stop hounding Kapampangans once and for all.” Photos: FB pages of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish/Robby Tantingco
