I saw Tirad Pass on my first visit in the summer of 2002. It reminds me of the Filipino war against the Americans and the sacrifice made by its youngest general in Philippine history – Gen. Gregorio del Pilar.

BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat
Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008

It was early morning. The sun slowly rose from the east. On one of my visits to Lamag, Quirino, Ilocos Sur I stood on top of a hill to view the beauty of nature. Natural beauties seemed to surround me: the forests, mountains; the golden rice fields; the Balas-iyan river’s flowing clear water from upstream Mountain Province; and from a distant is the historic Tirad Pass.

With its headwaters from the Mountain Province, Balas-iyan River is so clean compared to the Abra River that passes from Mankayan, Benguet where the copper-gold mines in Lepanto drain their waste.

Tirad Pass is the peak of a mountain that is so pointed that, residents claim, its name originated from the Ilocano word “tirad” or pointed. From Besao, Mountain Province, the peak of Tirad Pass is so sharply pointed, a friend told me. For a visitor like me, it is hard to distinguish if Tirad Pass is part of Gregorio del Pilar or Quirino, both towns of Ilocos Sur. In fact, I thought it is more a part of the Cordillera than the Ilocos.

As I only saw the peak of Tirad Pass, I asked residents to describe the area more. They said the area has pristine waterfalls and zigzagging trails.

Lamag elders say that the narrow trails on Tirad Pass were a result of forced labor imposed by the Spanish colonizers on natives during their gold-mining expeditions.

I saw Tirad Pass on my first visit in the summer of 2002. It reminds me of the Filipino war against the Americans and the sacrifice made by its youngest general in Philippine history – Gen. Gregorio del Pilar.

The great escape

According to historians, in late 1899, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo retreated to the Ilocos area where American troops were after him for a complete control of the country. In order to slow down the colonialist Americans in their hunt for Aguinaldo who entered the mountainous terrain, Del Pilar and his 60 men positioned themselves at Tirad Pass while Aguinaldo escaped. With the help of Filipino troops, Del Pilar set up better positions on a terrain in the pass, put up barricades of stones and dug trenches on the narrow trail going up.

Other historians say that a highlander identified as Januario Galut led the American troops in another passage. The American troops emerged near Del Pilar’s troops on Dec. 2, 1899. A battle between the two troops ensued, and after the smoke had cleared, almost all of Del Pilar’s men had been killed. He himself had been slain. The American troops, according to historians, stole Del Pilar’s personal belongings, including his hat, letters, and other things. They left del Pilar’s body from where he died for a few days before he was finally buried by local residents. He was 22.

In one academic lecture in Baguio, a historian traced how Del Pilar became involved in the war. He was actually influenced by his uncle, the great propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar. Marcelo was a brother of Gregorio’s father. He attended meetings of his uncle which exposed him to the Katipunan and the Philippine revolution. On Dec. 18, 1896, he was taken in as a Katipunero and joined ambuscades and battles, particularly in Bulacan, his native province. He was once wounded on the forehead, a historian lecturer added. His involvement led to his promotion as Katipunan lieutenant (1896), then as lieutenant-colonel, then finally to general.

In my integration and interviews with folk in Quirino, Ilocos Sur, I learned about their strong awareness of Del Pilar’s defense of Tirad Pass so that Aguinaldo could escape from American troops. Elders say the story had been passed on from generation to generation. One of our discussions was focused on the participation of Galut’s having led the Americans to Del Pilar’s stronghold.

A historical footnote

A Lamag elder clarified that during that period in their area and in the Cordillera, the Americans used divide-and-rule tactics by coercion of local leaders.

While admitting that Igorots dominate the area (Gregorio del Pilar and Quirino towns), an elder explained the possibility that Galut could have been forced to assist the Americans.

“Saan tayo koma nga usaren a manggyudwa babaen iti panang-ibaga a ni Galut ket Igorot. Masapul nga awaten sadiay a tiyempo” (We should not use the issue to divide the people by insisting that Galut was an Igorot. We should understand it during the situation that time, particularly under the context of the Americans tactics in divide-and-rule), an elder explained. He said the event should be put in its proper context (as American divide-and-rule tactic).

He also cracked a joke on the political division introduced by the Americans where Quirino and Del Pilar towns were made part of Ilocos: “In fact it is hard to claim that the guy who showed the Americans their way in Tirad Pass is an Igorot as the two towns are now part of Ilocos.”

Youth reflects on Tirad Pass

A youth from Lamag said that what matters as to the sacrifice of Del Pilar is its effect on the youth. Alfredo Silot Jr. said: “We learned from him the principle of sacrifice and defending the community from a colonial aggressor.”

Silot claimed that if the American troops were the aggressors during Del Pilar’s time, at present the aggressors on their community are mining interests – both foreign and local – who are so interested on exploiting minerals found in their community. The community of Lamag, whose people are dependent on agriculture, has howerver been opposing corporate mining interests that have been eying their community.

Lately, Lamag folk rejected a foreign firm’s request for their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for mining exploration in the area. Residents pointed out that their ancestors’ concept that “land is life” is embedded in their culture as indigenous peoples.

Lamag’s youth are proud of internalizing their ancestors’ value of their homeland. “And as we always see from the distance Tirad Pass, we are reminded of Del Pilar’s sacrifice which strengthens our resolve to defend our ancestral land and resources,” a youth pointed out. Northern Dispatch / Posted by (Bulatlat.com)

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