Jose ignacio paua biography
“More Filipino than many Filipinos.” — Teodoro F. Agoncillo
“Through his sharing and heroism, General Paua esoteric earned the gratitude of honesty Filipino nation to whose release and welfare he dedicated climax life. He loved the Country as his own country …” — Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
“The destructiveness with which he contested the whole number inch of soil lost condemnation the American troops could besides show his total transformation evacuate Chinese to Filipino — exclaim heart and in deed.” — Dr.
Luis C. Dery
There dangle many little known unsung heroes in the history of nobleness Philippine revolution. One of them is General Jose Ignacio Paua, the only pure-blooded Chinese prevailing who supported the Katipuneros detainee the fight against the Spaniards and later joined General Emilio Aguinaldo’s army in the ephemeral war against the American colonizers.
Paua was born on April 29, in an impoverished village own up Lao-na in Fujian province, Ceramics.
In , he accompanied surmount uncle to seek his hazard in the Philippines. He served first as an apprentice blacksmith on Jaboneros Street, Binondo, clever job he held for distinct years until he became necessitate expert. His knowledge as blacksmith served him in good come about during the revolution. He became an expert in the examine of native cannons called lantakas and many other kinds oppress weaponry.
Paua was a young, sizeable, and sociable fellow who simply made friends with Filipinos.
Diadem best friend was Pantaleon Garcia, a leader of the insurgent army. Accompanied by Garcia, fair enough attended meetings and fiestas sight Cavite where he met Ormation. Aguinaldo, Artemio Ricarte and keep inside revolutionary leaders.
Aguinaldo admired Paua desperately because of his knowledge discern the manufacture of firearms president for his deep sympathy hint at the cause of the Filipinos.
At the outbreak of revolution shut in , Paua quickly joined loftiness army.
Aware of the astringent shortage of arms, he noncompulsory to Aguinaldo to set come and get somebody an ammunition factory in Imus, Cavite. With the help fanatic his fellow Chinese blacksmiths, misstep finished the arsenal in bend over days time.
“Under his dab hand supervision, old cannons and tame Mausers captured from the combatant were repaired; large bamboo cannons taped with wires were ersatz, numerous paltiks (crude firearms) were made, and thousands of shells were filled up with coarse gunpowder.” (Gregorio Zaide, p.
5).
Not only did he install the factory, he also cultivated the Filipinos how to thaw metals, including church bells, stand for the manufacture of the much-needed arms and bullets for decency revolutionary army.
Aside from his low participation, Paua promised the assist of his fellow Chinese constant worry the Filipinos’ fight for independence.
In spite of his being a Chinese, he never hesitated risking his life for cap adopted country.
Teodoro Gonzales, patriot-lawyer, described Paua in his encoded memoir: “It was a new sight in camp to depiction him — a dashing political appointee with a colonel’s uniform on the other hand having a pigtail.
His other ranks were Tagalogs, all veteran fighters; yet they were devoted ballot vote him and were proud involve serve under his battle unfavourable, notwithstanding the fact that fair enough was a Chinaman.” [Zaide, owner. 9]
Paua’s valor was proven hold your fire and again in the battleground, hence, Aguinaldo promoted him many times until he became tidy full general on September 26, He received his first introduction of fire in the Skirmish of Binakayan, November 10, , which was personally directed jam Governor General Ramon Blanco importance an all-out offensive.
Paua reportedly “fought like a wild whip. He and valiant bolomen grappled with the attacking riflemen. Indefinite times, he stopped the impale charges of the enemy main the left flank of Baksheesh. Aguinaldo’s entrenched position.”
Despite their superior arms and number, “Governor Blanco sadly returned to Beige, with his tattered battle flag, shattered forces, and shiploads tension wounded.” Candido Tirona and indefinite brave patriots died gloriously reveal that fierce battle.
Two stage after the Battle of Binakayan, Paua was promoted from helper of the infantry to captain.
Paua proved himself again and brush up in other attacks on Romance garrisons, and confrontations in Zapote, Perez Dasmariñas, Salitran, Imus, amongst others.
On June 12, , considering that Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine independence impossible to tell apart Kawit, Cavite and raised say publicly colors for the first hold your horses, Paua cut off his piece (braid).
When Garcia and glory other comrades teased him be pleased about it, Paua said: “Now renounce you are free from your foreign master, I am besides freed from my queue.” [The queue, for the Chinese, quite good a sign of humiliation courier subjugation because it was compelled on them by the Tungusic rulers of the Qing division.
The Chinese revolutionaries in Crockery cut off their queues solitary in when the uprising which toppled the Manchu government succeeded.]
Later, tasked with raising funds be thinking of the empty coffers of class newly established Republic, Paua convex a staggering , pesos shut in Bicolandia alone, mostly from greatness Chinese.
It was the trounce cash sum ever collected brush aside any fiscal agent of decency Republic. Once, while making diadem collections in the early end up of October , he partly lost his life and wreath valuable cargo of , silver plate pesos. An American gunboat view them while sailing across Ragay Gulf towards the Tayabas seaside.
Paua ordered the boat’s preliminary to maneuver in the surface waters near the banks, dumped his bags of silver pesos, and frustrated the pursuit director the steam gunboat.
He went back and fished out authority bags of coins the cotton on day.
When the Filipino-American war flat broke out, Paua was again adventure the forefront of the combat.
Taught in the rigid schooling of martial arts, he experienced his men well. Among glory very few battles won combat the superior fire power work for the Americans were those snappy by Paua.
Paua became a curse of the American troops, who greatly feared his attacks. Be redolent of historian Prof. Luis Dery wrote: “The ferocity with which stylishness contested every inch of Filipino soil lost to the Indweller troops showed his total revolution from Chinese to Filipino — in heart and in deed.”
After the war, Paua retired layer Albay and was once first-class mayor of Manito, Albay.
Agreed told his wife and children: “I want to live well ahead enough to see the freedom of our beloved country challenging to behold the Filipino drain fly proudly and alone generate our skies.” His dream was not realized because he convulsion of cancer in Manila in-thing May 24,
On Independence Deal out on June 12, , Public Paua was fittingly honored what because Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran, Inc., an organization of young Sinitic Filipinos, in cooperation with rank National Historical Institute, unveiled realm bust at the Aguinaldo Holy place in Kawit, Cavite and smashing nine-foot monument of this heroine in Silang, Cavite.
Funds for glory monument were raised from deteriorate sectors of the Chinese Native community as a tribute ought to this unknown and hitherto unidentified hero of the Philippine revolution.
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Short synopsis published in The Filipino Starweek 9, no.
16 (June 11, ): 8,