Gen. Francisco Macabulos and Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac: The Untold History

What is the untold origin of Francisco Macabulos Soliman Estate and Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac?

Francisco Macabulos (September 17, 1871-April 30, 1922) was a Filipino patriot who led Katipunan revolutionary forces during thePhilippine Revolution against Spain in 1896.

Military Governor of Tarlac Province

1898 - 1900

Mayor of La Paz, Tarlac
1901

He was born in La Paz, Tarlac to Alejandro Macabulos of Lubao, Pampanga and Gregoria Soliman. He organized the first Katipunan group there after he was inducted into the secret society by Ladislao Diwa in 1896. When the revolution broke out in 1898, he liberated Tarlac and established town councils in areas he liberted.

Macabulos refused to honor the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, which called for a truce with the Spanish colonial government, and continued operations in Central Luzon. But on January 14, 1898, he disbanded his troops and accepted amnesty after receiving P14,000 as part of Spanish reparations to Filipino revolutionaries. Macabulos distributed the money to his men.

However, he resumed operations against the Spanish and on April 17, 1898, an assembly of citizens representing the town councils Macabulos established, calling themselves representatives of Central Luzon, met and drafted a provisional constitution. They created a government that was to exist until a revolutionary government is established. Macabulos' government was headed by a general executive committee, consisting of a president, vice president, secretary of interior, secretary of war and a secretary of the treasury.

Macabulos dissolved his government after the First Philippine Republic was created by the Malolos Constitution, which he also signed. He also led his men to free nearby provinces, like Pangasinan where he led revolutionists in the Battle of Dagupan.

Santa Ignacia is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 43,560 people in 8,145 households. Area: 146.07 km2 (56.4 sq mi) or 14,600 hectares.

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Here are some of my recent findings, not as a professional historian, but as a curious individual.

These findings are based on commercial and legal documents whose original purposes were for documentation as required by law and contracts.

Yet, such documents are a very important source of history.

After all, history is sourced from documents, not the other way around.

Now, let us proceed to the untold history.

Here is what history books do not tell us. This origin is taken from a document. Remember, documents were not written for history. There were encoded and entered as transactions in the ordinary course of business on a day to day basis. Unlike history, documents do not make up angles or perspectives or interpretations.

One document, a certificate of land title, numbered OCT-01-4 which was created formally in 1764 (yes, it's that old), was preserved, and re-constituted, and re-created and re-registered whenever the land registration laws changed over the years, contains certain annotations at the back.

One such annotation is relevant to:

Francisco Macabulos Soliman Estate and Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac

This annotation was dated Feb 7, 1899 and the annotation was numbered DC-074 S-2-7-1899.

DC-074 S-2-7 1899

Entry No EDC 073-S-2-6 1898, Real Estate Mortgage amounting to U.S. dollar 20,000,000.00 secured by this Land Title OCT No. T-01-4, embracing the area of Hacienda Mabiga, Pampanga, Kuliat and Capaz, Tarlac to Banco Español-Filipino has been cancelled and this released forever of Real Estate Mortgage has been executed by the Bank in favor of the owner with the full payment of said principal loan and an interest US Dollar 2,000,000.00, the payment of which has broken as follows: General Miguel Malvar correspondingly acquired the area of Tanauan, Batangas and had paid the account of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; Don Servillano Aquino acquired the whole area of Bamban and Capaz, Tarlac and correspondingly paid the account the sum of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; General Antonio Luna acquired the whole San Miguel, Tarlac and La Paz, Tarlac and he paid the account of US Dollar 2,000,000.00, the land was given as a gift to his girlfriend, Miss Luisita Cojuangco: Don Mariano Tayag acquired the area of Kuliat and Mabiga 1,500 hectares (Pampanga) correspondingly paid the account, the sum of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; Don Francisco Macabulos acquired the area of Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac and had paid correspondingly the account, the sum of US Dollar 2,400,000.00; Don Juan Ejercito acquired absolutely the San Juan Del Monte Hacienda embracing up to Sitio Mandaluyong consisting an area of 3,154 hectares and had correspondingly paid the account of US Dollar 3,300,000.00 and DonEsteban Benitez Tallano (Tagean) maintained his rights being the owner over the unacquired Estate and had paid the balance of 6,600,000.00 U.S. Dollar. (Sgd) BENITO LEGARDA Ad Interim Land Registrar

February 7, 1899

What does the above transactional annotation document in the land title OCT-01-4 tell us?

It tells us what history books have failed to capture.

1. Francisco Macabulos had US$2.4 million.

(He was the grandfather of Ninoy Aquino, and the great grandfather of Noynoy Aquino III, the president of the Philippines from 2010-)

2.  We did not know how he obtained such amount.

This annotation is about the redemption of Hacienda Mabiga from Banco Espanol-Filipino with a principal loan amount of $20 million with interest of US$2 million per annum.

Note the names of the people involved in this annotation. General Servillano Aquino, and Francisco Macabulos, General Antonio Luna were revolutionary generals.

Where did these generals get millions of dollars?

And how come these generals were the ones who redeemed the Real Estate Mortgage of Hacienda Mabiga from Banco Espanol-Filipino (now Bank of the Philippine Islands or BPI?)

In an earlier annotation to this title, in fact the immediately preceding annotation, the Tallano mortgaged Hacienda Mabiga to Banco Espano-Filipino (now BPI). (See separate article on this annotation).

Note that Hacienda Mabiga was mortaged by Tallano family with Banco Espanol-Filipino for US$20 million and this amount was the same money used by the US government to the Spain as payment for the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898.

Also, note that this annotation was dated Feb 7, 1899. This was after the Treaty of Paris (Dec 10, 1898) for which the United States paid US$20 million to Spain.

In another annotation, you will be able to cross-corroborate that the Tallano family was the source of the US$20 million used by the Americans to pay the Spaniards!

In another notation, you will also be able to cross-correlate the money paid to the Revolutionary Leaders also came from the Tallano Family.

3.  Francisco Macabulos Soliman  purchased land from the  Esteban Benitez Tallano.

4. The total land area covered Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac.
Today Sta. Ignacia is about 14,600 hectares. Note the boundaries in 1899 does not necessarily coincide with today's boundaries. It could have been bigger before then subdivided into several towns.

5. The annotation was signed by Benito Legarda, the ad interim Land Registar.

As you have noticed, the annotations and the history accounts dovetail in agreement.

This is what the history books failed to capture, but in reality was documented not by a historian, but by an officer who was doing his work in the ordinary course of business on day to day basis.

And this is a validation, once again, of the existence, the validity, and the authenticity of Torrens Title OCT-01-4 issued in favor of

"Prince Lacan Acuña Tallano Tagean (formerly Tagean Clan), married with Princess Rowena Ma. Elizabeth Overbeck Macleod of Austria, the owner in Fee simple of certain lands, known as HACIENDA FILIPINA" (email me to get a scanned copy of the title issued by the register of deeds) Note: The early transcriptions were in Spanish but the government had its translated into English through the efforts of then Solicitor General Felix Makasiar under Pres. Diosdado Macapagal (who later become Chief Justice under Marcos). Therefore, the government itself has consistently recognized the validity and the authenticity of OCT 01-4. History from original source documents! What a refreshing perspective!

Gen. Miguel Malvar and Tanuan Batangas: The Untold History

What is the untold origin of Tanauan, Batangas and General Miguel Malvar?

Miguel Malvar y Carpio (September 27, 1865 - October 13, 1911) was a Filipino commander who served during the Philippine Revolutionand subsequently during the Philippine–American War. He assumed command of the Philippine revolutionary forces during the latter conflict following the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo in 1901. According to some historians, he may have been a president of the Philippines but is currently not recognized as such by the Philippine government.

By the mid-1890s, the Philippine Revolution had broken out, and Malvar found himself leading an army he personally put together, with the leader of the revolution, Emilio Aguinaldo. But faced with superior fire power, the Katipunan revolutionaries found themselves losing most of the battles, and were forced into Biak-na-Bato. Here they signed the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, where the Filipino leaders agreed to cease revolutionary actions, in exchange for 20 million pesos, and exile to Hong Kong in 1897.

After the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, and Admiral George Dewey requested the aid of Aguinaldo and his revolutionaries to help in the Philippine Campaign, and soon the revolution had started all over again.

With his Batangas Brigade, Malvar successfully liberated Tayabas from the Spaniards on June 15, 1898 after a two-month battle, and soon the Spaniards were defeated and cornered in Manila.

Success against the Spaniards was brief, as the Philippine–American War broke out on February 4, 1899. Malvar was soon fighting a new enemy.

Fighting the Americans, Malvar and his troops had very few instances of success, and were soon dissolved (like the rest of the Philippine Army) into guerrilla units. This change in tactics was not as successful as it had been against the Spaniards, and Aguinaldo was captured in 1901, which led to all the revolutionary forces coming under Malvar's control. With this new authority, Malvar launched an all-out offensive against American-held towns, that stood to testify that the war was far from over.

But this success was also short-lived. American general J. Franklin Bell took command of operations in Batangas and practiced scorched earth tactics that took a heavy toll on both guerrilla fighters and civilians alike. Malvar saw that continuing the war would just harm his people more, and, on April 16, 1902, he and his entire command surrendered to the Americans, ending the battle for Batangas. Malvar was one of the last Philippine generals to surrender to American forces and was respected by his captors.

After the war, he lived a quiet and comfortable life. He died in Manila on October 13, 1911.

On September 18, 2007, Rodolfo Valencia, Representative of Oriental Mindoro filed House Bill 2594, that declares Malvar as the second Philippine President, alleging that history is incorrect in making Manuel L. Quezon as the Second President of the Philippine Republic serving after Emilio Aguinaldo: “General Malvar took over the revolutionary government after General Emilio Aguinaldo, first President of the Republic, was captured on March 23, 1901, and [was] exiled in Hong Kong by the American colonial government—since he was next in command.”^[1] The bill was initially read on September 25, 2007 and referred to the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, where it remains as of November 2009.^[2]

The City of Tanauan (Filipino: Lungsod ng Tanauan) is a second class city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 142,537 inhabitants in 21,912 households. It was incorporated as a city under Republic Act No. 9005, signed on February 2, 2001 and ratified on March 10, 2001.

Revolutionary thinker and former Prime Minister Apolinario Mabini and former President José P. Laurel were born in Tanauan.

Recent events include the assassination of its former mayor, Cesar V. Platon, by NPA rebels, as he was running for the governorship of Batangas. This happened days shy of the election.

The city share its borders with Calamba City, Laguna to the north, Tagaytay City, Cavite to the northwest, Talisay, Batangas to the west,Santo Tomas, Batangas to the east, and the towns of Balete and Malvar to the south.

Some people believe that Tanauan derived its name from the Tagalog term “ tanaw ” meaning to look after through the window. This is based on a fortress which had a watchtower built by the Augustian friars and natives. The watchtower allowed them to monitor incoming “champans” or boats entering through the Pansipit river, which were either traders or pirates. From this tower, one can have a clear view (tanaw) of the lake and of the vast plains and rolling hills.

The Town of Tanauan was founded on its present location in 1754, having been transferred from the fringe of Taal Lake where it was originally situated. It is generally believed that Tanauan, together with Sala was originally founded in 1572 by the Augustinian missionaries who built mission at the shore of the Lake known as Bonbon (now Taal). The town, however, was totally destroyed during the most impressive and catastrophic historically recorded eruption of Taal Volcano in 1754. together with the Community of Sala, the residents of Tanauan were relocated to safer places. Tanauan moved to Bañadero, then to its present location. Sala, on the other hand, transferred from its original site to where it is located. Sala subsequently became the barangay of Tanauan.

Tanaueños have displayed characteristics of personal independence of personal independence and nationalism since early history. The town is called the cradle of noble heroes due to its contribution to the revolutionary movement of its sons Apolinario Mabini, the brains of Katipunan, and later by the great statesman Pres. Jose P. Laurel. Also, three Tanaueños served as governors of Batangas, namely: Jose P. Laurel V, Modesto Castillo and Nicolas Gonzales

Here are some of my recent findings, not as a professional historian, but as a curious individual.

These findings are based on commercial and legal documents whose original purposes were for documentation as required by law and contracts.

Yet, such documents are a very important source of history.

After all, history is sourced from documents, not the other way around.

Now, let us proceed to the untold history.

Here is what history books do not tell us. This origin is taken from a document. Remember, documents were not written for history. There were encoded and entered as transactions in the ordinary course of business on a day to day basis. Unlike history, documents do not make up angles or perspectives or interpretations.

One document, a certificate of land title, numbered OCT-01-4 which was created formally in 1764 (yes, it's that old), was preserved, and re-constituted, and re-created and re-registered whenever the land registration laws changed over the years, contains certain annotations at the back.

One such annotation is relevant to:

Tanuan, Batangas and Gen. Miguel Malvar.

This annotation was dated Feb 7, 1899 and the annotation was numbered DC-074 S-2-7-1899.

DC-074 S-2-7 1899

Entry No EDC 073-S-2-6 1898, Real Estate Mortgage amounting to U.S. dollar 20,000,000.00 secured by this Land Title OCT No. T-01-4, embracing the area of Hacienda Mabiga, Pampanga, Kuliat and Capaz, Tarlac to Banco Español-Filipino has been cancelled and this released forever of Real Estate Mortgage has been executed by the Bank in favor of the owner with the full payment of said principal loan and an interest US Dollar 2,000,000.00, the payment of which has broken as follows: General Miguel Malvar correspondingly acquired the area of Tanauan, Batangas and had paid the account of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; Don Servillano Aquino acquired the whole area of Bamban and Capaz, Tarlac and correspondingly paid the account the sum of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; General Antonio Luna acquired the whole San Miguel, Tarlac and La Paz, Tarlac and he paid the account of US Dollar 2,000,000.00, the land was given as a gift to his girlfriend, Miss Luisita Cojuangco: Don Mariano Tayag acquired the area of Kuliat and Mabiga 1,500 hectares (Pampanga) correspondingly paid the account, the sum of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; Don Francisco Macabulos acquired the area of Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac and had paid correspondingly the account, the sum of US Dollar 2,400,000.00; Don Juan Ejercito acquired absolutely the San Juan Del Monte Hacienda embracing up to Sitio Mandaluyong consisting an area of 3,154 hectares and had correspondingly paid the account of US Dollar 3,300,000.00 and DonEsteban Benitez Tallano (Tagean) maintained his rights being the owner over the unacquired Estate and had paid the balance of 6,600,000.00 U.S. Dollar. (Sgd) BENITO LEGARDA Ad Interim Land Registrar

February 7, 1899

What does the above transactional annotation document in the land title OCT-01-4 tell us?

It tells us what history books have failed to capture.

1. General Miguel Malvar had US$3.3 million.

2.  We did not know how he obtained such amount.

This annotation is about the redemption of Hacienda Mabiga from Banco Espanol-Filipino with a principal loan amount of $20 million with interest of US$2 million per annum.

Note the names of the people involved in this annotation. General Servillano Aquino, and Francisco Macabulos, General Antonio Luna were revolutionary generals.

Where did these generals get millions of dollars?

And how come these generals were the ones who redeemed the Real Estate Mortgage of Hacienda Mabiga from Banco Espanol-Filipino (now Bank of the Philippine Islands or BPI?)

In an earlier annotation to this title, in fact the immediately preceding annotation, the Tallano mortgaged Hacienda Mabiga to Banco Espano-Filipino (now BPI). (See separate article on this annotation).

Note that Hacienda Mabiga was mortaged by Tallano family with Banco Espanol-Filipino for US$20 million and this amount was the same money used by the US government to the Spain as payment for the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898.

Also, note that this annotation was dated Feb 7, 1899. This was after the Treaty of Paris (Dec 10, 1898) for which the United States paid US$20 million to Spain.

In another annotation, you will be able to cross-corroborate that the Tallano family was the source of the US$20 million used by the Americans to pay the Spaniards!

In another notation, you will also be able to cross-correlate the money paid to the Revolutionary Leaders also came from the Tallano Family.

3. General Miguel  purchased land from the  Esteban Benitez Tallano.

4. The total land area covered Tanauan Batangas. Today, the city of Tanauan Batangas is about 1.07 million hectares.

5. The annotation was signed by Benito Legarda, the ad interim Land Registar.

As you have noticed, the annotations and the history accounts dovetail in agreement.

This is what the history books failed to capture, but in reality was documented not by a historian, but by an officer who was doing his work in the ordinary course of business on day to day basis.

And this is a validation, once again, of the existence, the validity, and the authenticity of Torrens Title OCT-01-4 issued in favor of

"Prince Lacan Acuña Tallano Tagean (formerly Tagean Clan), married with Princess Rowena Ma. Elizabeth Overbeck Macleod of Austria, the owner in Fee simple of certain lands, known as HACIENDA FILIPINA" (email me to get a scanned copy of the title issued by the register of deeds) Note: The early transcriptions were in Spanish but the government had its translated into English through the efforts of then Solicitor General Felix Makasiar under Pres. Diosdado Macapagal (who later become Chief Justice under Marcos). Therefore, the government itself has consistently recognized the validity and the authenticity of OCT 01-4. History from original source documents! What a refreshing perspective!

Gen. Servillano Aquino (Grandfather of Ninoy Aquino) and Capas Tarlac: The Untold Origin

What is the untold origin of  Capas and Bamban Tarlac and the Servillano Aquino Estate?

Servillano Aquino was the grandfather of Ninoy Aquino, and the great grandfather of Noynoy Aquino III, the president of the Philippines (from 2010-)

Servillano Aquino y Aguilar (April 20, 1874 – February 2, 1959) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution against Spain(1896–1898), and the Philippine-American War (1898–1902). He served as a delegate to the Malolos Congress and was the grandfather of Benigno S. "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.

Servillano "Minaong" Aquino was born on April 20, 1874 to Don Braulio Aquino and Doña Petrona Hipolito Aguilar. He had his early education from a private tutor in Mexico, Pampanga. He moved to Manila, and entered the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and later, theUniversity of Santo Tomas.

During this time, he married Guadalupe Quiambao, with whom he had three children, namely Gonzalo (born 1893), future Philippine Speaker Benigno (born 1894), and Amando (born 1896). Later on, he would marry his sister-in-law, Belen Sanchez, and have a child with her, future Philippine Congressman Herminio (born 1949).

In 1896, Aquino became a mason and joined the Katipunan. He was also elected mayor of Mucia, Tarlac and, under General Francisco Makabulos, he organized the Filipino revolutionary forces against the Americans. He was promoted to major, but was defeated in the battle at Mount Sinukuan in Arayat, Pampanga. After the Pact of Biak-na-Bato was signed, Aquino was exiled to Hong Kong together with Emilio Aguinaldo and the revolutionary government. He returned to the Philippines in 1898, and joined General Antonio Luna to fight against the American forces. Together they attacked Manila but retreated to Mount Sinukuan. On September 1902, he surrendered and was jailed in Bilibid Prison, and sentenced to hang. However,United States President Theodore Roosevelt gave Aquino pardon after two years.

On February 3, 1959, at the age of 84, Aquino died of a heart attack.

The Aquinos, forebears of the late Benigno Aquino, Jr., came from lower Pampanga like most Tarlac settlers. The family of General Servillano Aquino settled in the town of Concepcion, still then a part of Pampanga. Present – day Aquinos trace their Tarlac, Tarlac connections to one of the “original” families of this capital town, the Tañedo’s General Aquino married Doña Lorensa Tañedo Quiambao and later, when he lost his wife in one of the tragic episodes of the revolution, married his wife’s widowed elder sister Doña Saturnina Tañedo-Quiambao de Estrada, grandmother of former Senator Eva Estrada-Kalaw. The latter’s bloodline is therefore not Aquino but Tañedo –Quiambao, which she shares with the late Ninoy Aquino, her second cousin.

Capas is a first class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines.^[1] According to the latest census, it has a population of 122,084 people in 18,333 households. It is a part of the Third Municipal district of Tarlac with Mayor Antonio "TJ" Capitulo Rodriguez, Jr. as its incumbent Mayor and Hon. Jeci A. Lapus as its Congressman.

Originally a part of Zambales and Pampanga, the municipality contains the Capas National Shrine an Obelisk with a central bell, which was built and is maintained by the Philippine government as a memorial to the Filipino and American soldiers who died in Camp O'Donnellat Barangay Navy. during the end of the Bataan Death March. This is an important site related to Veterans Day in the Philippines, every April 9, the anniversary of the surrender of the combined US and Philippine forces to the Japanese in 1942. Capas is Bordered by San Jose, Tarlac on the North, Tarlac City on the North-East, Concepcion, Tarlac on the East, Botolan, Zambales on the West and South West and Bamban, Tarlac on the rest of the southern parts.

The feast day of San Nicolas De Tolentino is held every 10 September; the origin of the name Capas is disputed but has two prominent sources, it is said that town was either named after the edible plant called Capas-Capas or was taken from the first three letters of the surnames Capitulo, Capunfuerza, Capunpue, Capili, Capongga, Capunpun, Capati, Capadosa, Capil and Capuno etc. then adding the letters "a" and "s" hence forming "Capas".

Bamban is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines.^[1] According to the latest census, it has a population of 61,644 people in 9,113 households.

The municipality of Bamban is the southernmost gateway of the melting pot province of Tarlac in the Central Plain of Luzon in the Philippines. The Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption and the subsequent flow of lava and mud to the lowlands of Bamban forced residents to move out or to stay at the Dapdap Resettlement Area, which is on higher grounds.

Being the southernmost town, it has a common boundary with Mabalacat, Pampanga, and in the west, with Zambales. The boundary is defined by the Parua River, which is a source of irrigation water, food, and sand and gravel for infrastructure projects. The mountainous region situated in the western part comprises almost two-thirds of the total land area, which used to be within the US Military Reservations. Nestled in this part are the BLISS projects and to the north, the MAR settlement project, which when completely developed will be a source of livelihood and food supplies for Central Luzon.

Long before settlers came, the place which was to become the town of Bamban, was a vast track of wild land extending eastward; and on the west side, composed of foothills and mountains lush with vegetation and tall trees extending deep into the Zambales ranges. The thick forest and mountains were then inhabited by the Aetas (locally known as Baluga), and the Sambals, both of whom subsisted only on fishing and native or wild animals which abounded in the place. Occasionally, daring traders from Pampanga and the Tagalog province, mostly enterprising Chinese, braved the wilderness to go northward to Capas and Tarlac.

Before the advent of the Spanish era, small settlers came, attracted by the fertile land and the glittering silver of the river that cut through the mountain to spill down the flat land, making it fertile. The settlers started small clearings in the thick growth of bamban plants which covered vast portions of the land bordering the river a small distance from the foothills.(because of these plants, the place was eventually named Bamban).

Settlers upon settlers came to carve clearings in the land, and soon a small community was formed. About 1700, Agustinian Recollects came and established the Mission de Pueblos de Bamban. But the pueblo was then a part of Pampanga. In 1837, a new boundary line was established, thereby permanently making Bamban part of the province of Tarlac.

Official recognition as a town was sanctioned by the gobernadorcillo in the town of Tarlac. Don Martin Sibal was subsequently appointed head and commissioned with the rank of "Capitan". Among the first settlers were the Sibals, Lugtu, Dayrit, Macale, Vergara, Manipon, and Dela Cruz clans. During the revolution of 1896, Bamban was one of the first towns to take up arms against the Spaniards. Northwest of the town situated among the hills are remnants of strongholds built by brave bands of Bambanenses who joined Gen. Servilliano Aquino in the uprising in Tarlac. Up to this time, a portion of the foothills in the area is called "Batiawan" or look-out point. Many a brave son died in this movement for liberation.

When the Americans came in 1900, the small pueblo gradually grew into a teeming town. The Bamban Sugar Central was established and further gave impetus to its growth. Don Pablo Lagman was the first to be appointed presidente and Don Laureano Campo as vice-presidente under the American military government. Other prominent families then took over the helm of government. During the Commonwealth era, the Sibals, the Lumboys, the Santoses, the Punsalangs, to mention a few, enjoyed political power until the outbreak of World War II.

Bamban is like the legendary phoenix, which must be resurrected from its ashes. The whole poblacion was devastated and burned during the liberation. Undaunted, the people returned from hiding and began rebuilding even while the campaign was raging deep in the mountains. Growth was fast because of proximity of Clark Air Base. But Bamban can not be the same again. The aftermath of the war was felt for a long time. Consequently, prominent families left the town for the city to establish big business and names for themselves.

This is the untold history of Capas and Bamban Tarlac and the Servillano Aquino Estate.


Here are some of my recent findings, not as a professional historian, but as a curious individual.

These findings are based on commercial and legal documents whose original purposes were for documentation as required by law and contracts.

Yet, such documents are a very important source of history.

After all, history is sourced from documents, not the other way around.

Now, let us proceed to the untold history.

Here is what history books do not tell us. This origin is taken from a document. Remember, documents were not written for history. There were encoded and entered as transactions in the ordinary course of business on a day to day basis. Unlike history, documents do not make up angles or perspectives or interpretations.

One document, a certificate of land title, numbered OCT-01-4 which was created formally in 1764 (yes, it's that old), was preserved, and re-constituted, and re-created and re-registered whenever the land registration laws changed over the years, contains certain annotations at the back.

One such annotation is relevant to:

Capas and Bamban Tarlac and the Servillano Aquino Estate.

This annotation was dated Feb 7, 1899 and the annotation was numbered DC-074 S-2-7-1899.

DC-074 S-2-7 1899

Entry No EDC 073-S-2-6 1898, Real Estate Mortgage amounting to U.S. dollar 20,000,000.00 secured by this Land Title OCT No. T-01-4, embracing the area of Hacienda Mabiga, Pampanga, Kuliat and Capaz, Tarlac to Banco Español-Filipino has been cancelled and this released forever of Real Estate Mortgage has been executed by the Bank in favor of the owner with the full payment of said principal loan and an interest US Dollar 2,000,000.00, the payment of which has broken as follows: General Miguel Malvar correspondingly acquired the area of Tanauan, Batangas and had paid the account of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; Don Servillano Aquino acquired the whole area of Bamban and Capaz, Tarlac and correspondingly paid the account the sum of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; General Antonio Luna acquired the whole San Miguel, Tarlac and La Paz, Tarlac and he paid the account of US Dollar 2,000,000.00, the land was given as a gift to his girlfriend, Miss Luisita Cojuangco: Don Mariano Tayag acquired the area of Kuliat and Mabiga 1,500 hectares (Pampanga) correspondingly paid the account, the sum of US Dollar 3,300,000.00; Don Francisco Macabulos acquired the area of Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac and had paid correspondingly the account, the sum of US Dollar 2,400,000.00; Don Juan Ejercito acquired absolutely the San Juan Del Monte Hacienda embracing up to Sitio Mandaluyong consisting an area of 3,154 hectares and had correspondingly paid the account of US Dollar 3,300,000.00 and DonEsteban Benitez Tallano (Tagean) maintained his rights being the owner over the unacquired Estate and had paid the balance of 6,600,000.00 U.S. Dollar. (Sgd) BENITO LEGARDA Ad Interim Land Registrar

February 7, 1899

What does the above transactional annotation document in the land title OCT-01-4 tell us?

It tells us what history books have failed to capture.

1. Don Servillano Aquino had US$3.3 million.

(He was the grandfather of Ninoy Aquino, and the great grandfather of Noynoy Aquino III, the president of the Philippines from 2010-)

2.  We did not know how he obtained such amount.

This annotation is about the redemption of Hacienda Mabiga from Banco Espanol-Filipino with a principal loan amount of $20 million with interest of US$2 million per annum.

Note the names of the people involved in this annotation. General Servillano Aquino, and Francisco Macabulos, General Antonio Luna were revolutionary generals.

Where did these generals get millions of dollars?

And how come these generals were the ones who redeemed the Real Estate Mortgage of Hacienda Mabiga from Banco Espanol-Filipino (now Bank of the Philippine Islands or BPI?)

In an earlier annotation to this title, in fact the immediately preceding annotation, the Tallano mortgaged Hacienda Mabiga to Banco Espano-Filipino (now BPI). (See separate article on this annotation).

Note that Hacienda Mabiga was mortaged by Tallano family with Banco Espanol-Filipino for US$20 million and this amount was the same money used by the US government to the Spain as payment for the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898.

Also, note that this annotation was dated Feb 7, 1899. This was after the Treaty of Paris (Dec 10, 1898) for which the United States paid US$20 million to Spain.

In another annotation, you will be able to cross-corroborate that the Tallano family was the source of the US$20 million used by the Americans to pay the Spaniards!

In another notation, you will also be able to cross-correlate the money paid to the Revolutionary Leaders also came from the Tallano Family.

3.  Don Servillano Aquino  purchased land from the  Esteban Benitez Tallano.

4. The total land area covered Bamban and Capaz, Tarlac.

Today, Bamban is about 25,200 hectares and Capas is about 37,600 hectares. Note the boundaries in 1899 does not necessarily coincide with today's boundaries.

5. The annotation was signed by Benito Legarda, the ad interim Land Registar.

As you have noticed, the annotations and the history accounts dovetail in agreement.

This is what the history books failed to capture, but in reality was documented not by a historian, but by an officer who was doing his work in the ordinary course of business on day to day basis.

And this is a validation, once again, of the existence, the validity, and the authenticity of Torrens Title OCT-01-4 issued in favor of

"Prince Lacan Acuña Tallano Tagean (formerly Tagean Clan), married with Princess Rowena Ma. Elizabeth Overbeck Macleod of Austria, the owner in Fee simple of certain lands, known as HACIENDA FILIPINA" (email me to get a scanned copy of the title issued by the register of deeds) Note: The early transcriptions were in Spanish but the government had its translated into English through the efforts of then Solicitor General Felix Makasiar under Pres. Diosdado Macapagal (who later become Chief Justice under Marcos). Therefore, the government itself has consistently recognized the validity and the authenticity of OCT 01-4. History from original source documents! What a refreshing perspective!