The Siege of Baler

In June 1898 during the Philippine revolution, about 50 Spanish green conscripts under the command of Enrique de las Morenas were sent to the town of Baler, some 200km north-east of Manila.A "rebel" Katipunan group under command of Teodorico Novicio Luna was known to be operating on the area of Baler.

Portrait of Novicio Luna at the Museo de Baler.

Shortly after their arrival in town and fearing a rebel attack, las Morenas ordered its troops to garrison in the church. The rebel attack occurred just a few days later, starting a siege of the church that lasted for 337 days. 

Apart from the regular Filipino attacks, the Spaniards soon began to suffer from malnutrition and beriberi, causing several deaths including Las Morenas. Saturnino Martín Cerezo became then the Spanish commander.

Portrait of Saturnino Martín Cerezo, Museo de Baler.

On December 1898, following the defeat on the battle of Cuba, Spain sold the Philippines to the US for 20 Million dollars. During the following months, several attempts were made by the Filipino side to end the siege. Both Filipino and Spanish commanders were sent to Baler to ask Cerezo to surrender, but he did not believe that Spain had lost the Philippines. He refused to accept that the once glorious empire he defended had sold the Philippines and its pride for just 20 millions dollars.

And so the siege lasted for 337 days until the 2nd of June 1899, when Cerezo read a small news on a newspaper brought to him by the Filipinos, a story he thought impossible to be made up: one of its close friends in the army, was relocated to his hometown. It was impossible for the Filipinos to have known this and therefore the newspaper was original. Cerezo now knew that the war was over.

Katipunan rebel attacking a Spaniard soldier, Museo de Baler.

Just 30 of the 50 plus spaniards survived the siege. They came to be known as "Los últimos de Filipinas" (The last Spaniards in the Philippines). Upon their arrival on Spain, they were received as heroes and Cerezo was given the highest military honors, but the fact is that his stubbornness caused the death of more than 20 men and 337 days of suffering for many more. 

The president of the Fist Philippnie Republic, General Emilio Aguinaldo, issued a decree whereupon the Spanish soldiers were to be considered "not as prissioners of war but as firends", and were to be allowed to leave the islands safely.

Photography of the Spanish survivors of the siege (Museo de Baler).

Signatures of the survivors (Museo de Baler).

General Emilio Aguinaldo's decree (Museo de Baler).

Spaniards' path from Manila to Baler, and from Baler to Manila (Museo de Baler).

List of siege survivors (Museo de Baler).

The Church where the siege took place was destroyed during the Japanese occupation, but a new church stands now on the very same location. The Museo de Baler has a great collection of articles and images covering this small part of history.

Church of Baler.

Commemorative marker at Baler Church.

Museo de Baler (Baler Museum).

References:

- Museo de Baler

- El Sitio de Baler: Notas y Recuerdos by Saturnino Martín Cerezo.

- Wikipedia