Unknown Filipino Hero: Timoteo Paez

Timoteo Paez

Filipino Revolutionary Leader and Reformist

(1861 - 1939)

Timoteo Paez is a Filipino revolutionary and patriot. He was born in Tondo, Manila. He is widely known as one of the co-founders of La Liga Filipina and Nilad Lodge alongside Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal.

Early Years

Timoteo Paez or “Teong” to his friends was born on August 22, 1861 in Tondo, Manila. Orphaned at an early age by his wealthy father, Francisco Paez, he had to take care of himself. After finishing his elementary school in Tondo Municipal School, he took clerical jobs or as messenger in offices during the day and studied at the Escuela Nautica during the night until he completed a course in accounting.

First Employment and Participation in the Reform Movement

He was employed at the shipping company of Carrinage & Co. when he became involved with the reform movement, which he served by raising funds for the support of the reformists and the La Solidaridad abroad. On July 3, 1892, he joined the La Liga Filipina and became part of its Supreme Council. Although the organization was short lived, he continued his support to the ideals for reform. He printed and distributed Bonifacio’s “True Decalogue” and the teachings of Rizal at his own expense. 

On August 19, 1896, Spanish authorities discovered the Katipunan and as a result, they arrested many suspected members including Timoteo Paez. He suffered nine months in prison until General Primo de Rivera pardoned him and placed him in exile in Hong Kong. There, he continued to update himself of developments in the Philippines and, later, became acquainted with the exiled revolutionary leaders.

The War Years

In September 1898, he returned to the Philippines and joined the revolutionary government of General Emilio Aguinaldo that have retreated to Tarlac. He was designated commissary officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and represented the province of Surigao in the Revolutionary Congress. Paez was assigned to a command field during the Philippine-American War. In April 1899, General Aguinaldo attached him to the General Headquarters Service Force as one of his security officers on their retreat to Northern Luzon. After Tirad Pass fell to the Americans, the revolutionary leaders decided to make their flight from the Americans easier by surrendering the women and other non-combatant members in their company. Colonels Paez and Sityar were tasked to accompany those who surrendered back to Manila, where he was held as prisoner-of-war.

Later Years 

When the civil government was organized, Paez was one of the first councilors of Manila. In 1903, he erected a monument of Rizal in the place where the La Liga was established and was one of those who proposed the Rizal monument in Luneta. One who strongly believed in God, he had the Ten Commandments from the Bible inscribed on a stone block.

On September 18, 1939, Timoteo Paez passed away in Tondo.

Unknown Filipino Hero: Rajah Sulayman

Rajah Sulayman

The Last King of Manila

(1558 - 1575)

Often called Sulayman III (Arabic script: سليمان, Abecedario: Solimán), Sulayman died in the 1590s while serving as the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Luzon. He was the nephew of King Ache of Luzon. In the 1570 Battle of Manila, he led the Luzonian soldiers against the Spanish.

Manila was a walled and fortified city, and it contained his palace. Sulayman was one of three kings who fought the Spanish in the battle of Manila in 1570, along with his uncle King Ache and Lakan Dula, the ruler of the nearby kingdom or principality of Tondo. Considering his youth in comparison to the other two monarchs, the Spanish characterized him as the most violent. Following Lakan Dula's passing, Sulayman's adopted son—whom he christened Agustin de Legaspi—was anointed as Tondo's sovereign monarch. He was put to death by the Spanish, along with the majority of Lakan Dula's sons and the majority of Sulayman's other adopted sons, for their roles in an assembly that sought to overthrow Spanish power in Manila. This execution strengthened the Spanish East Indies' hold over portions of Luzon.

Names

According to Spanish records, Sulayman was referred to by his subjects as Raja Mura or Raja Muda, "Young Raja," because he was the nephew and presumed heir of Raja Matanda. Due to Spanish influence, his name is sometimes frequently spelled Solimán. The Spaniards also called him "Raja Solimano el Mow".

Family History

The genealogy put up by Mariano A. Henson in 1955 and confirmed by Majul in 1973 states that Sulayman was the fourteenth Raja of Manila after Rajah Ahmad established the city as a Muslim principality in 1258 after defeating Raja Avirjirkaya, the suzerain of Majapahit.

Manila Was Conquered by the Spanish (1570–1571)

At the time of the Legazpi invasion, Rajah Sulayman and Rajah Matanda ruled over Maynila. Already, neighboring Southeast Asian kingdoms had considerable impact on Manila. The region served as a hub for trade with China, Thailand, and other countries.

After transferring from Cebu to Panay due to Portuguese claims to the archipelago, Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi ordered Martín de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo on an expedition northward to Luzon after learning of a rich kingdom there.

Goiti sent a "message of friendship" to the states bordering the Pasig River after establishing his anchorage at Cavite. Sulayman was prepared to accept the "friendship" from the Spaniards as he had been granted control over these villages by the aging Rajah Matanda. But he would not give up his throne, and he was forced to fight back against the demands of the newcomers. Goíti and his army invaded the kingdoms in June 1570 and proceeded to sack and burn the mighty city before retreating back to Panay.

The Battle of Bangkusay and Tarik Sulayman (1571)

Regarding the identity of the Macabebe chieftain who started the Bangkusay Battle in 1571, there is some dispute. Filipino history refer to that chieftain as Tarik Sulayman. Some accounts of the Battle of Bangkusay claim that Sulayman III of Manila and Tarik Sulayman of Macabebe are the same person, but others dispute this.

The Macabebe Rebel leader's name is omitted from Spanish records, but it is noted that he perished at Bangkusay, forcing the Macabebe to retire and giving the Spanish the upper hand. Conversely, Sulayman III is unmistakably documented as having taken part in the Revolt of 1574, and hence he cannot be the anonymous person who perished at Bangkusay in 1571.

The 1574 "Sulayman Revolt"

Following the death of Lopez de Legazpi in 1572, the agreements made with Sulayman and Lakan Dula were not upheld by his successor, Governor-General Guido de Lavezaris. He put both kings' properties under lockdown and put up with crimes committed by the Spanish.

In retaliation, Sulayman and Lakan Dula staged an uprising in the Navotas villages in 1574, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Chinese pirate Limahong's attacks. The Sulayman Revolt is also known as the "First Battle of Manila Bay" because it engaged naval forces. This is commonly referred to as the "Manila Revolt of 1574," while it is also occasionally called the "Sulayman Revolt" and the "Lakan Dula Revolt."

It was the duty of Friar Gerónimo Marín and Juan de Salcedo to negotiate a settlement with the kingdoms. Salcedo's peace deal was accepted by Lakan Dula and Sulayman, and the two parties established an alliance.

Life after 1574

Some American Occupation sources state that Sulayman was murdered in the 1574 insurrection; however, this seems to be another case of Sulayman being mistaken for Tarik Sulayman of Macabebe, who had already passed away in the 1571 revolt. According to an analysis of genealogical records held by the National Archives, Sulayman survived the uprising in 1574 that resulted in the death of his son Rahang Bago. He also lived long enough to adopt an unidentified sibling's children and claim them as his own grandchildren.

The narratives of the events of 1586–1588, which involved numerous members of Sulayman's family, no longer mention him.

Descendants

Genealogical research by Luciano P.R. Santiago indicates that Sulayman married a Borneo princess, his cousin, and that they had at least two biological children: a daughter who would be baptized Doña María Laran and a son known as "Rahang Bago" ("new prince"; written as "Raxa el Vago" in the Spanish texts). According to a tale claimed by the Pasay administration in the 1950s, Sulayman had two children: Dayang-dayang (Princess) Pasay, who would inherit the lands south of Manila that are now Pasay and Parañaque, and a son named Suwaboy. But in the chaos that followed Limahong, the Chinese corsair, attacking in November 1574, Rahang Bago and his cousin Lumantalan were slain by the Spanish.

Santiago's investigation revealed that Doña María Laran had two daughters: Doña Inés Dahitim, the older, who wed Don Miguel Banal of Quiapo, and Doña María Guinyamat, who wed a Don Agustín Turingan. According to Luciano P.R. Santiago's theory, Don Miguel Banal was the son of Don Juan Banal, who was charged in the 1587 Tondo Conspiracy. According to Santiago, Don Miguel Banal and Doña Inés Dahitim are credited with bearing Fray Marcelo Banal de San Agustín, the second Filipino to enter the Augustinian Order.

According to the oral tradition that the Pasay local administration cites, Dayang-dayang Pasay moved to Balite after marrying Maytubig, a local prince. According to folklore, they had a daughter named Dominga Custodio who, before her death, bequeathed all of her estates to the Augustinians.

Santiago asserts, however, that Sulayman had adopted descendants in addition to his own offspring. According to Santiago's genealogy research, Sulayman may have had a male sibling who passed away before Rahang Bago in 1574 but whose name is not mentioned in the documents. Sulayman made the decision to adopt this sibling's boys, who were named in the documents as Don Jerónimo Bassi, Don Gabriel Taumbasan, and Agustin de Legaspi. Sulayman's three adopted children took part in the Tondo Conspiracy in 1587; only Taumbasan, who was banished to Mexico for four years, escaped execution.

Others

Historiography of Meranau places him among these kings:

Sulayman Rajah

Maharaja Indarafatra

Umaka'an Rajah

Legacy

A statue of Rajah Sulayman, a hero opposing the Spanish invasion, is located in Manila's Rizal Park. One of two science high schools in Binondo, Manila, Rajah Soliman Science and Technology High School bears his name.

Gay Filipino In History: Crispulo "Pulong" Trinidad Luna

Crispulo Trinidad Luna (1903 - 1976)

Early Filipino Transvestite

Birth Name: Crispulo Trinidad Luna

Birth: June 10, 1903 in Sasmuan, Pampanga

Death: May 1976

Pulong as he is fondly called is the first prominent Filipino gay crossdresser. Although obviously, he is not the first Filipino transvestite as there are Filipino transvestite during the Spanish colonial period, he prominently sits for portraits working for Victoria Studios and his life was well documented by his relatives. His life is colorful yet meaningful and paved the way for modern day transvestite now with the popular drag race. His story was first written and told by the award-winning writer J. Neil Garcia in his book "Performing the Self: Occasional Prose" and in fact, Pulong made the cover of his acclaimed book. Almost all of the information in this article came from his book and written journal, "Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture" published by the Ateneo de Manila University publishing house.

Lolo Pulong was born Crispulo Trinidad Luna on June 10, 1903. He is the third child of four children of the couple Pedro Luna and Candelaria Trinidad both of Sasmuan, Pampanga. He grew up in Orani, Bataan where his father earned a living for his family as a fisherman. When his husband died, Candelaria moved the family to Tondo until her children are old enough to become independent and have a family of their own. 

Even as a very young boy, Pulong had been "soft" and "effeminate" - he has a light skin which makes him appear like a mestizo and his features is delicate which is no surprise for his family that he did not get married as all of his siblings did. His sister recalls that each time a well-meaning family offer to find him a wife, even at the ripe old age of 50, invariably, his response, delivered with unflappable grace, was, "Pero por Dios, babae ako!" (For heaven's sake, I'm a woman!). Pulong was never subjected to a moralizing judgment by his siblings or by anyone in their families in fact, petty jealousies erupted among them whenever Pulong chose to live with any one family for too long. 

In the late 1920s when he was at least 25 years old, Pulong had made friends with the owner of the Victoria Studios in Paco, Manila where some of these pictures of Pulong (and a picture with his live in partner Juan) were taken. This studio was located close to the home of the sibling with whom Pulong is staying at the time. 

As was the case with other photo studios and establishments of its kind, a customer wishing to be photographed by the Victoria studio could choose to avail himself or herself of any of the costumes which the studio kept in its wardrobes. Pulong had pictures of himself taken well into his twilight years. He ended up with a sizable collection of these visual self-representations which, arranged chronologically, comprises the narrative of his life. In them, we find him all dressed and made up in feminine poses and styles, reflective of the fashion of the time. 

In one photo, Pulong has transformed himself into "Madame Butterfly" complete with kimono and geisha headgear in a homage to Puccini's benighted heroine, whose opera had just opened in Manila. In another photo, Pulong is wearing a more contemporary American-style dress standing beside a seated woman in a traje de mestiza (a Spanish-inspired dress usually cut out of cloth made from pineapple fibers). 

 

Although Pulong's effeminacy shifted effortlessly from being a "simple" (speaking in a soft and sing song manner, walking demurely acting like a modest dalagang Filipina or Filipino maiden, etc.) to "moderate" (putting on a little makeup, wearing women's undergarments and accessories), to "elaborate" (going in full drag), but only occasionally and inside the privacy of this friend's studio did he let his hair down, and go the whole hog to pursue the dream of crossing over.

Soon after these pictures were taken, Pulong became involved with and eventually became a supposed to be "wife" to a certain maestro carpentero or master carpenter (equivalent to foreman in a construction site), a strapping man five years younger, whose name was Juan. They live in their own dwelling place - a "love nest" of some sorts. This was an arrangement that the families of both side of the relationship involved have no problem or issues with. Years living with Juan were the happiest years in Pulong's life. Pulong's nieces remember that their uncle Pulong occasionally told them that Juan was the first and last "love" of his life. It was while living with Juan that Pulong had sharpened his home making skills, the most noteworthy of which were cooking and sewing. Pulong kept a clean and cozy house for his partner, and later in his life, he would continue to do the same for the family of his sister Miguela, and much later on with the family of this sister's daughter, Patricia or Aling Pat. This "conjugal bliss" last only a few years. Working on a house one day during the Japanese occupation, Juan fell from the scaffolding, and from the fall suffered an internal injury which caused his death about a month later. 

After World War II following the liberation from the Japanese forces, Pulong moved into Miguela's (Gelay), house in Santa Ana district, Manila. As if providing Gelay house help and assistance managing her household was not enough, he worked as a part-time sari sari store attendant owned by Aling Sabel, a family friend and accepted to do handwash laundry services as well as perform many other housekeeping chores for friends and acquaintances who could afford to pay for his service fee. Pulong decided to stay with her sister Gelay because she suffered from the tragic fate of losing her babies to crib death one after the other. Out of a total of 14, only six of her children survived including Aling Pat. He played important role raising these children, teaching them, particularly the girls, how to be "decent", how to keep themselves clean all the time, to wash, iron, mend clothing properly. He gave them strict instructions in the matter of boyfriends, and imposed curfews whenever they went out. Of course, it was not beneath Tio Pulong to size up his nieces' prospective suitors. We can only imagine how terrorized those poor boys must have been, every time they came to the house to call. 

Ever if he devoted a good part of his life helping his sister raise her family, he usually managed to get a few moments to himself. Aling Pat recalls that after Tio Pulong had moved in with her in 1970, the old man would sometimes go out to watch movies with an effeminate friend, a bubbly, grey-haired man he called Tiago. Other than the movies, the two of them also like taking long, leisurely strolls down Hardin Botanico which later eventually be called as Mehan Gardens.

Patricia remembers that toward the end of his life, Lolo Pulong received regular visits from his friends, Josie and Tessie, a pair of garrulous gay beauticians from the neighborhood who have the tendency to be a little loud and swishy. These two were given to calling the old man, endearingly, their "Lola Pulonia." Sometimes when Lolo Pulog could no longer abide their brash  and unladylike ways, he would shush and promptly reprimand them. The three of them comprised a happy bunch, breaking out in giggles over stories of sexual escapades both remembered and imagined. During these times, Lolo Pulong's face could be seen to light up, as though in his mind he was already somewhere else, sashaying in a floral sun dress in a life he'd always wanted and once probably did get to have, dreaming he was with his beloved Juan once more, young and looking fabulous as always and free.

Crispulo Trinidad Luna who was fondly called Lolo Pulong by his loved ones and people who knew him passed away in May of 1976 due to a stroke or a ruptured aneurysm.

On the right, Pulong is wearing a more contemporary American-style dress standing beside a seated woman in a traje de mestiza (a Spanish-inspired dress usually cut out of cloth made from pineapple fibers). Lest the viewer be misled, the third figure in this photo to their left wearing a Commonwealth-period Filipiniana native dress is probably also another man.

Sources:

J. Neil Garcia - Performing the Self: Occasional Prose, Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture