The Leonidas of the Philippines

Gregorio del Pilar attained immortality through his courage and patriotism. He had been called with a reason, the "Leonidas of the Philippines" for, like the Spartan king, he was a lion,defiant and unvanquished even in death.

Gregorio del Pilar was born on November 14, 1875 in Bulacan, Bulacan. He came from a family of patriots. He himself was a patriot for he secretly distributed the propaganda papers he received from his uncle Marcelo in Spain.He finished Bachelor of Arts in Ateneo de Manila. While a student, he enlisted in the secret revolutionary movement of Bonifacio, the Katipunan. He believed that life is not worth living unless it is dedicated to the defense of his country.

When the revolution broke out in 1896, Greorio joined the Katipunan as a soldier. He, his elder brother Julian, Juan Socorro, Adeodato Manahan, Isidro Wenceslao, Felix de Jesus, Juan Katindig and other friends formed a group of inseparables that stuck together through thick and thin. As a revolutionary leader, he had a deep sense of justice. He never allowed his dignity to be tarnished with corruption. He strictly prohibited banditry, stealing and disrespect of women.He gave their captives a chance to defend themselves. He was distinguished for three traits, namely: 1) his personal courage and valor, 2) his loyalty to his chief, and 3) his gallantry to women.

In the battle of Kakarong on January 1, 1897, for his bravery and calmness in the fight, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He acquired his first Mauser gun when, single-handed, he fired and killed the last soldier in the last passing carromata of the group that conducted the curate from Bulacan to Malolos. The rest of the soldiers and the curate fled. He picked up the gun of the dead man. They found in the carromata four sacks of money in silver coins . Gregorio distributed the money _ twenty-five pesos for the single and fifty pesos for every married man. The rest of the money was sent to Manila for purchase of blankets and cloaks for the soldiers. On September 3,1897, Gregorio and his men, disguised in women’s clothes, attacked Paombong, Bulacan. He delivered 23 Mausers which he captured from the Spaniards to Aguinaldo in Biak -na-bato. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

When Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines from Hongkong, he appointed Del Pilar as director of war in Bulacan and Nueva Ecija. The Bulacan leaders and patriots enlisted in the Del Pilar Battalion. He won the complete devotion to duty and the loyalty of his men to him when he reorganized his brigade. He allowed the old and married soldiers to return to their homes and be with their families and loved ones. He replaced them with younger and unmarried men. His greatest triumph was the taking of his native town on June 24, 1898, where 900 well-armed Spanish soldiers surrendered. They captured hundreds of Mauser rifles and plenty of ammunition. This victory earned for him the rank of brigadier-general.

Not long afterwards, the Filipino-American war broke out the Americans, confident of crushing the Filipino army in two weeks time, were suddenly confronted with stubborn and bitter resistance. The Filipinos fought for three, long, weary years with nothing but bolos, bamboo spears, a few captured rifles, some reloaded cartridges and a passionate love for liberty. In the battle of Sta. Rita, Del Pilar lost two of his leaders: Major Adeodato Manahan and Capt. Delfin Vililia. But in the bloody encounter in Quingua, (now Plaridel), Del Pilar and his troops repulsed the cavalry charge of Major Franklin Bell and killed Col. John Stotsenburg. On June 24 1899, Del Pilar attacked the town of Bulacan. The battle lasted for 20 days.

At Aguinaldo’s order, 24-year old General Gregorio del Pilar, with 60 picked riflemen, stood guard at Tirad Pass to intercept Major March’s battalion of the 33rd Volunteer Infantry of 300 soldiers. The handful of valiant men, with fiery courage fought fiercely to death, though they were outnumbered, until they fell one by one. Mr. Richard Henry Little, a U.S. war correspondent of the Chicago Tribune and eyewitness of the battle narrated:

“On that Saturday morning of December second, 60 men came down into the pass to resist the American soldiers. Seven were all that went back over the pass that night to tell Aguinaldo that they tried and failed. Fifty-three of them were either killed or wounded. From the side of the cliff where Del Pilar had built his last entrenchment, he was heard cheering his men in the fight, urging them to greater effort, scolding them, praising them, cursing, appealing to their love of their native land, and the next instant, threatening them to kill them himself if they did not stand firm. Not until every man around him was down did he turn his white horse and ride slowly up the winding trail, profusely bleeding on one shoulder. An Igorot guide, Januario Galut, led the American sharpshooter to a path at the other side of the pass, who shot Del Pilar from the rear, while Major March was charging in front. He was hit in the neck and from his horse, he rolled to the ground. The Boy General of the Filipinos was dead.

Major Peyton C. March got from Del Pilar’s breast pocket a little red notebook on which had been written his last words which ended on the day of his death:” I am surrounded by fearful odds that will overcome me and my gallant men, but I am well pleased with the thought that I die fighting for my beloved country.” With the diary was a letter from his fiancee. A private got the white handkerchief which the General borrowed from his fiancee’s elder sister, to wipe away the tears from his sweetheart’s face in the final hours of parting. He carried it as a keepsake to his last destination. Pvt. Sullivan got his pants, Snider got his shoes, a soldier got off his neck the golden locket containing a curl of his sweetheart’s hair, the sergeant had the spur and the lieutenant had the other spur, and the other man had the cuff buttons, and still another man had the shoulder straps. The column marched to the summit of the mountain. There had been no time to bury him They left him alone with his glory. His glory was about all they had left him. A crow sat on his feet. Another perched on his head. The fog settled down upon him.

In 1929, with several revolutionary leaders and government officials, Captain Isidro Wenceslao visited Tirad Pass to locate and recover Gen. Del Pilar’s remains. When exhumed, on the spot where he fell, Lt. Dennis P. Quinlann, ordered his remains to be buried with military honors, and marked the grave with a headstone bearing the following inscription:

GENERAL GREGORIO DEL PILAR KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF TIRAD PASS December 2, 1899 Commander of Aguinaldo’s Rearguard An Officer and a Gentleman

References; a Brief History of the Philippines by Leandro H. Fernandez In the Grade School_Leopoldo R. Serrano _ November 1965 In the Grade School _ Dan H. Dizon _April 1966 Expressweek Magazine , December 18, 1975