The revolutionary colonel of the ‘Siege of Baler’
Simon Ocampo Tecson [1861-1903] was born on February 5, 1861 in San Miguel de Mayumo now called San Miguel, Bulacan to parents Tiburcio Tecson and Paula Ocampo. He was the second child among four siblings. Simon O. Tecson married Tomasa Mossesgeld Santiago.
Like thousands of other Filipinos desiring independence from Spain, Simon O. Tecson joined the Katipunan when he found himself one time in Manila. When the Revolution broke out, he joined the fighting in Bulacan. In June 1897, he was appointed Brigadier-General of Bulacan at the Mt. Puray Assembly. From Cavite, General Emilio Aguinaldo transferred the revolutionary government to Biak-na-Bato, a barrio of San Miguel de Mayumo. On November 1, 1897, Isabelo Artacho and Felix Ferrer wrote a constitution for this Biak-na-Bato Republic. Simon O. Tecson who at this time had become close to Aguinaldo, was chosen to be one of the signatories of the Constitution during the ratification of the Philippine Constitution.
Towards the end of 1897, a truce in the fighting was agreed upon by both Spaniards and Filipinos. Aguinaldo agreed to go on voluntary exile to Hong Kong together with some of his friends and allies.
However, Simon O. Tecson did not join Emilio Aguinaldo in Hong Kong. When Emilio Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines in May 1898, Simon O. Tecson offered his services to Emilio Aguinaldo’s revolutionary army. Emilio Aguinaldo gave Simon O. Tecson the rank of Colonel and appointed him second in command of the 4th zone comprising the towns of San Rafael, San Miguel and San Ildefonso, Bulacan. Maintaining the peace and order of Bulacan as well as the province of Nueva Ecija became his major task. However, Simon O. Tecson would be most remembered for the event that would be later on called ‘The Siege of Baler’ .
Baler, Aurora is a small town located on the eastern coast of Luzon, part of the jurisdiction of the District of El Principe. In June 1898, the Spanish forces holding Baler continued to resist whereas most of the other towns had already surrendered to Emilio Aguinaldo’s forces. Captain Enrique de las Morenas was in charge of the defense of Baler. For fear of attack, he ordered his men to seek refuge inside the church of Baler on June 27, 1898. Providing themselves with arms, ammunition and food, the Spaniards turned the church into a formidable fortress.
The end of ‘The Siege of Baler’ occurred on June 2, 1899. The Spaniards went outside of the church to negotiate the terms of surrender. Representing Emilio Aguinaldo and the newly established Philippine Republic was Revolutionary Colonel Simon O. Tecson who negotiated that the Spanish troops would not be treated as prisoners of war. With the terms of surrender completed, the rest of the Spanish troops marched out of the church with their weapons while Filipino troops lined up the pathway. Out of the more than 50 soldiers who sought refuge in the church of Baler before the siege, only 35 survived.
‘The Siege of Baler’ represents the culmination of the more than three hundred-year hostility between Philippines - Filipinos and Spaniards - Spain. It ended in forgiveness and reconciliation. This event is made even more memorable through the passage of Republic Act No. 9187 on February 5, 2003 calling for the celebration of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day every June 30. The historic ‘The Siege of Baler’ honors the Filipino and Spanish heroes who fought and died for their principles. List of Filipino Generals in the Philippine Revolution of 1896 and the Filipino-American War of 1899.
Simon O. Tecson fought in the Philippine-American War. He surrendered to the Americans on February 12, 1901 in San Miguel de Mayumo. He refused to take the oath of allegiance to the United States of America resulting in his deportation to Guam on June 16, 1901. When a general amnesty was offered to all Filipino insurgents on July 4, 1902, Simon O. Tecson was one of those who availed of this opportunity. On September 21, 1902, Simon O. Tecson took his oath of allegiance and was allowed to return to the Philippines.
He died on November 15, 1903 at the age of 43 in his beloved hometown of San Miguel de Mayumo. He was buried in the church of San Miguel, Bulacan.
Tecson House, the house of Simon Tecson [Simon Ocampo Tecson] is the place where the ratification of Philippine Constitution took place and was signed.
2 июл 2024
