- José Torres Bugallón
José Torres Bugallón y Gonzales (
August 28 ,1873 -February 4 ,1899 ) was a Filipino military officer who fought in thePhilippine-American War . He is known as the "Hero of the Battle of La Loma", where he was fatally wounded.Family Background
Bugallón was born on
August 28 ,1873 , in Salasa, Pangasinan. His father, José Asas Bugallón, came fromBaliuag, Bulacan , while his mother was from the Gonzales family ofPangasinan .Education
After elementary schooling in Salasa, Bugallón went to
San Isidro, Nueva Ecija , where he studied under Don Rufino Villaruz. He finished his first and second years of secondary schooling in 1882. In 1886, he enrolled at theColegio de San Juan de Letran inManila , where he completed his secondary course and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1889, with high scholastic ratings.After his graduation, Bugallón entered the Seminary of San Carlos with the intention of becoming a priest. However, he passed the validation examination give by the Spanish government in 1892, and he was sent abroad as a pensionado of the government to the Academia Militar de Toledo. As a result, Bugallon spent three years of his life studying military science and warfare.
Philippine Revolution
In 1896, Bugallón graduated from the Academia and was commissioned in the
Spanish Army with the rank ofSecond Lieutenant . He was dispatched to thePhilippines where he joined the 70th Infantry Regiment. WhenPhilippine Revolution broke out, he and his regiment were posted inCavite andBatangas . Bugallón exhibited exemplary valor at the Battle ofTalisay, Batangas , onMay 30 ,1897 ; as a result, he was awarded the Cross of María Cristina and the Cruz Roja del Merito Militar (Red Cross for Military Honor).Treaty of Paris
On
December 10 ,1898 , the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending theSpanish-American War . Bugallón was able to obtain his clearance papers at this time.During this period, relations between the
First Philippine Republic and theUnited States began to sour, especially with the American occupation of Manila. OnJanuary 23 ,1899 ,Antonio Luna was appointed as head of thePhilippine Army .Realizing possible American hostility, he began to reorganize the Filipino revolutionary forces. Luna recruited many officers and soldiers of the former Spanish colonial army, one of which was Bugallón, who apparently already held the rank of
Major . As aide-de-camp to Luna, Bugallón was responsible for the recruitment of Spanish warveterans , and he was very instrumental in reorganizing the Philippine Army, particularly as a faculty member of the Academia Militar established by Luan inMalolos, Bulacan in October 1898. As a result, Bugallon became an invaluable officer to Luna.Philippine-American War and Death
On
February 4 ,1899 , thePhilippine-American War erupted. Bugallon rejoined Luna in the field immediately.The next day,
February 5 , saw them in La Loma hill, the present day site ofLa Loma Cemetery , between Manila andCaloocan City . While holding the line, American troops under GeneralArthur MacArthur, Jr. charged and outflanked them. As a result, Bugallon and his men were exposed to enemy fire, and he sustained a bullet in his thighs.Upon learning from that Bugallón was wounded, Luna ordered: cquote|Bugallón wounded. Order forward. He must be saved at all costs. Bugallón is worth 500 Filipino soldiers. He is one of my hopes for future victory.Luna found Bugallón severely wounded and prostrate in a ditch along the road. "Don't expose yourself so much. Don't advance any farther," Bugallón said. For his bravery, Luna immediately promoted Bugallón to
Lieutenant Colonel . The wounded hero was rushed by train to the medical station in Caloocan, hoping that he could be kept alive until he can be brought to the hospital in Malolos. However, it was too late; after inquiring if the Filipino reinforcements have arrived, and expired in Luna's arms. Allegedly, Luna unashamedly wept for Bugallón.Burial and Perpetuation of Memory
Arrangements were made to bury his remains in Bigaa but it was decided later to inter the corpse at the
Malolos cemetery. There a tomb with a modest stone slab marked his final resting place.In 1921, to perpetuate his memory, Congressman
Mauro Navarro ofPangasinan sponsored a law that changed the municipality ofSalasa , the hero's birthplace, toBugallon .His remains are now buried in the
Sampaloc Church inManila .References
* [http://www.geocities.com/sinupan/BugallonT.htm "torres bugallon"]
* [http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/08/28/OPED2006082872786.html "Major Jose Torres Bugallon 133rd birth anniversary"]
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