Gregorio del Pilar

Gregorio Hilario del Pilar y Sempio (; ; November 14, 1875 – December 2, 1899) was a Filipino general of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine–American War.

As one of the youngest generals in the Revolutionary Army, he was known for the successful assault on the Spanish barracks in the municipality of Paombong, his victory on the first phase Battle of Quingua and his last stand at the Battle of Tirad Pass during the Philippine–American War. Because of his youth, he became known as the "Boy General". He was also known as a ladies man and was described by National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin as the "Byron of Bulacan". His siblings were María de la Paz del Pilar (b.1865), Andrea del Pilar (b. 1866), Pablo H. del Pilar (b. 1869), Julian H. del Pilar (b. 1872), and Jacinto H. del Pilar (b. 1878). He was part of the del Pilar family (more properly Hilario del Pilar; Hilario was the original surname before the Claveria naming reforms and was contracted to "H.") of the principalia, whose members included his uncles, lawyer-turned-propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar, editor-in-chief of Diariong Tagalog and La Solidaridad, as well as the priest Toribio H. del Pilar, who was exiled in Guam for his alleged involvement in the 1872 Cavite Mutiny. The del Pilar clan was distantly related to the Gatmaitans. Although principalia, Gregorio del Pilar's branch was relatively poor. It was said that del Pilar had to hawk meat pies as a child to survive.

As a child, he completed his primary education under Maestros Monico Estrella and Romualdo Sempio before being sent to study in Manila. He eventually left Roque's unit - Roque was sold out to the Spanish by his own soldiers and executed in February 1897, and del Pilar began to make his way to Imus, Cavite reaching as far as Montalban in February. He eventually returned to Bulacan and joined Adriano Gatmaitán's army, being promoted to captain in the process.

Del Pilar celebrated his promotion to lieutenant colonel by creating a distinctive flag for himself and his battalion: a tricolor with a blue triangle at the hoist, red stripe on top and black at the bottom, taking cues from the Cuban flag. He first unfurled this flag during his participation in the Battle of Pasong Balite in Polo, Bulacan (modern-day Valenzuela, Metro Manila) in 1897.

Due to his closeness to Aguinaldo, del Pilar became one of the signatories of the provisional constitution of the Republic of Biak-na-Bato in November 1897. When negotiations with the Spanish took place in the which concluded with the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, Aguinaldo took del Pilar with him to exile in Hong Kong.

thumb|left|Statue of Gregorio del Pilar in Plaza del Pilar, Bulacan, Bulacan

After the Americans defeated the Spanish in the Battle of Manila Bay, Aguinaldo, del Pilar, and other exiled leaders returned to the Philippines. Aguinaldo named del Pilar Dictator of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija provinces, an honor Aguinaldo would not confer to anybody else.

On del Pilar's return to the Philippines, he set out to liberating his home province of Bulacan, eventually accepting Spanish surrender on June 24, 1898. Del Pilar was then called to relieve the wounded General Pantaleon García and continue operations in Caloocan, ultimately succeeded on August 13, 1898. The Revolutionary Congress was then inaugurated on September 15, 1898, and del Pilar became in charge of the military parade. He was promoted to brigadier general after this event. The Americans were, however, reinforced during the second phase of the Battle and the Filipino forces were forced to retreat. Del Pilar then participated in the Battle of Calumpit alongside General Luna. Luna, however, had left the battle to punish General Tomás Mascardo for insubordination, leaving del Pilar with the defense of the Bagbag River. On Luna's return, the Americans had already succeeded in penetrating the Filipino lines and they were forced to retreat.

Reports of del Pilar's death varied. Two newsmen, John McCutcheon and Richard Henry Little, and a local newspaper called The Manila Freedom reported accounts which captured the imaginations of American and Filipino readers. McCutcheon and Little both reported how del Pilar was the last to fall; how he continually urged his men during the battle to fight on, appealing to their sense of love for their native land; how he refused to turn away on his white horse until all the men had retreated; and his death when a sharpshooter got the better of him. The Manila Freedom wrote this of del Pilar:

In 1930, del Pilar's body was exhumed and was identified by dental records.

Personal life

Del Pilar was known for his various relationships during the war. He was reported to have courted almost half a dozen girls, including Neneng Rodrigo, the daughter of Bulacan's civil governor, who has his first love; a sister of Colonel José Leyba; a woman named Poleng; and Felicidad Aguinaldo, the sister of Emilio Aguinaldo. It has been asserted that a woman named Remedios Nable José, a daughter of Don Mariano Nable José from Dagupan, was del Pilar's last love. It was said that Nable José and del Pilar were almost married, but Nable José rejected del Pilar's advances, partly due to his reputation as a playboy. Though Nable José's claim is based solely on an interview of her, there still remained a glaring lack of third-party sources to verify her story. Some are still speculating that her sister, Dolores, was the general's actual last love as there were numbers of third-party resources name her as the one. First, John McCutcheon, the war correspondent that was with the American troops at Tirad Pass. In an article published by the Boston Evening Transcript, McCutcheon details that Gregorio del Pilar and Dolores Nable José were set to be married around mid-November 1899. However, Aguinaldo's order of a hasty retreat in early November caused the wedding to be postponed, and ultimately, to be canceled altogether. He also mentions the handkerchief found on del Pilar's body to be embroidered with Dolores' name, and that a number of the letters retrieved from his person were from her.

Memorials

thumb|[[BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)|BRP Gregorio del Pilar, a Philippine Navy warship named after Gregorio del Pilar]]

thumb|left|200px|Gregorio H. del Pilar Park ([[Malolos)]]

Fort Del Pilar, home of the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio, is named after him.
In 1944, the Japanese-sponsored Philippine republic of President Jose P. Laurel issued the Tirad Pass Medal commemorating the battle and del Pilar's sacrifice. A bust of General del Pilar occupies the center of the obverse (front) side of the medal. The Tirad Pass Medal was the only award issued to recognize service to the Laurel government during the Japanese occupation.
In 1955, the town of Concepcion, Ilocos Sur, where the Battle of Tirad Pass took place, was renamed Gregorio del Pilar in his honor.
In 2011, the newest vessel of the Philippine Navy, BRP Gregorio del Pilar, was named after him. The ship is a patrol frigate.
In 2024, Bulacan Capitol Mini-Forest Park is re-branded as Gregorio H. del Pilar Park in his honor at Bulacan Provincial Capitol compound.

In popular culture

Portrayed by José Padilla Jr. in the postwar film Hen. Gregorio del Pilar (1949), opposite Tessie Quintana.
His life was shown in the Philippine television news show Case Unclosed as its 13th episode.
Portrayed by Romnick Sarmenta in the film Tirad Pass: The Last Stand of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar (1996).
Portrayed by Dingdong Dantes in the official Lupang Hinirang music video produced by GMA Network released in 2010.
Portrayed by Felix Roco in the film El Presidente (2012).
Portrayed by Paulo Avelino in the films Heneral Luna (2015) and its sequel, Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018).
The final chapter of novel Po-on written by National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose describes del Pilar's final evening and the Battle of Tirad Pass from the point of view of Eustaquio Samson, a fictional character. Samson is an Ilocano farmer forced to flee his hometown after suffering abuse from a Spanish friar. Having been the confidante of Apolinario Mabini in Rosales town and now acting as his messenger, Samson is cold-shouldered by del Pilar when Samson tells him he lost Mabini's letter; and further suspected of being an enemy spy when Samson claims he was beaten unconscious by the Americans at Candon but somehow woke up alive and abandoned amongst the dead villagers. Samson describes del Pilar as vain, arrogant, and full of youthful folly. He nevertheless joins the Tagalog defenders of the Pass in honor of the "Honorable Cripple" and out of patriotic duty.

References

Citations

External links

General Gregorio Del Pilar - Philippine Military Academy