Teresa Magbanua Part 8 - The Tragedy

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The final triumph for Teresa Magbanua, from what I can put together, was that battle--the battle for Jaro, in March of 1899.

In some way, shape, or form, this was her last victory. Or at least, it was the last one that I could find. Are my frequent complaints about an incomplete historical record annoying yet? I imagine they are, but try experiencing it. Because that’s a whole new level of annoying. But from what I can tell, the center of everyone’s attention would shift from the area around Iloilo City as the US sought to take control of Manila and various other battles spurred various other rallying cries sent out across the islands. The story of the Philippine-American War jumps from moment of action to moment of action, as all war stories do. 

But in March of 1899, Teresa Magbanua had her victory. And while she did not retake Iloilo City proper, she had taken Jaro--a victory that mattered literally and symbolically. Who knows how much of a role she had, really, and if you want to get into the details of it all, but it was more than she did when Iloilo City fell to US Forces. Perhaps it was more than any general had. There simply had not been much of a time to react at all. There was no way to make a plan, and no tool in their arsenal that could hold up against cannon fire. Nothing she could have done would have made a difference, and there was no opportunity for her to do so. But that had changed, now. Many things had changed, and to those who stood against her and her cause, that wasn’t acceptable.

Because some advantages couldn’t be reclaimed. Just stripped away as time goes on and more opportunities presented themselves. But the desired result--for both sides--remained the same. Something had to give.

Teresa Magbanua herself likely knew her star was one the rise. She was getting more attention and esteem from other Filipino forces--bandits and fellow soldiers alike. And there were talks of giving her a title, but whether or not it ever materialized is not known. She wasn’t tracked. The record wasn’t well kept.

There were skirmishes, yes, and I can see this--not from any triumphs, either lamented or celebrated--but from a record of Filipino generals and the like who were killed. A roster of progress, it is presented as, and this list of the dead includes the… so-called firebrand Pascual Magbanua, the same brother who had just been at her side. Now just a note in the record of someone recording the story the US forces might have known, a story that omitted her entirely and only cared about him insofar as he was dead.

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From what I could piece together, Pascual Magbanua died later that year. After helping his sister retake Jaro, after helping her rise, he met his end. It’s a story that I’ve been able to assemble by gathering scraps from records across the internet. Pascual doesn’t seem to be so tied to any one place or station. A battle front in the most general terms, yes. He never left the area, but he wasn’t attached or stationed anywhere. And in many ways, he couldn’t be. They couldn’t just hold Jaro and win the day. They had to push outwards. 

So he and a group of his men were out riding by Pototan--the same area where he had reportedly been born. It was an area he knew quite well. It was a place where he maybe--on some conscious level--felt safe and lowered his guard, which is how the ambush would have happened.

They were ambushed and killed by bandits, so it is said. How many were with Pascual and how many died, no one says. No one seems to know. He died, and his death has some significance. Not just to Teresa. 

We’ve only been hearing the story from her side, what’s she’s done, and what mattered to her, in a reversal of the way the story typically gets told. But her brother was a warrior in his own right. He led guerilla-style attacks and strengthened defense lines. And he could lead these soldiers just as his sister could. There was a certain style to fighting a battle when odds were like this, when there were only so many weapons at your side, and when you had little more than ideals and dreams to push you ahead. He could work with all those things. And his enemies needed him not to. So maybe those bandits were actually assassins. That’s what some have thought. And it’s not so unfounded. After all, generals tend to have enemies.

Enemies unspecified, you’ll notice. You may want to jump to US Forces ordering an assassination. After all, there is a more obvious reason why they wanted him dead. But at the same time, another source tosses the word treacherous about. Correct me if I’m wrong, but treachery involves betrayal, does it not? That was what I was inclined to think.

There were those in the Philippines who did like life as a colony. As they had seen it, colonial rule had created opportunities for great riches for them and gave them great wealth. Some more than others. This was especially true for those who had lived in Iloilo City and had tasted that opulence for themselves, only to have to leave it behind when the city changed hands. Certainly they were upset that the social order had changed and would not want such a thing to be permanent. They would have a reason to want to go back to the old ways: the colonialist days. 

Now, they might have preferred Spain, yes. It was the master they knew, but considering that power was meeting its end, changing over to the United States might have been the best thing for them. It might have given them more of the things they wanted. More wealth and power for some. The rest did not need to be thought about. And if Pascual was getting in the way, which he clearly was then the logic of all appears. 

It would make sense to get rid of him. Maybe it would not have been explicitly fair to him, but I’m sure they weren’t too upset about that. They just wanted him gone. Some cathartic release. Some vengeance, you might say. And Pascual was there to take it on. Not the only option available, I should remind you, but he was more readily available. Another potential target would be General Delgado, but he was fighting different battles not too far away, just far enough to make the situation less than ideal.

Or maybe there was infighting. Ideals for the future of the Philippines that had not been fully decided, leading to disputes and plays for power, plays for power in a future that was not yet set in place. 

Some theories are more plausible than others, in this and in all things. But the truth is still out there, just out of my reach. Or maybe time has swallowed that up too. Sorry if I am too optimistic to think I just didn’t get it. This part of the story is just a bit sad.

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After all, Pascual was just 24 years old. The familial tie called for sadness, but his young age made his death tragic. For Teresa, there were many reasons to mourn. But then her brother Elias, who was only 19, also died under unclear circumstances soon after. And of course her heart must have been shattered with such terrible news happening twice over. The full Magbanua family line is not clear, but regardless, the loss of two so young had to have destroyed the tree. And with so many other generals dying or being captured, it could destroy the effort as well.

At the very least, it could have destroyed someone with half the strength Teresa had. No one would have blamed her for it. The pain of lost loved ones is a pain we all know, and succumbing to it--particularly in a moment like that, with stakes so high and two losses to show for all you have put in--would be understandable. She had offered more than most to the cause, and she had more than most taken away from her. Maybe it really was time to go home. She had done her part, for all it was worth, and now she had a broken heart to tend to.

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But no, those losses did not break her. For all that she had given up and for all that had been taken away from her, she still had the heart of a fighter. She had that strength and resolve that started her on this path and kept her going when Iloilo City was taken and everything seemed hopeless. This wasn’t about her, she may have told herself. This was about her nation. This was about the men who called her Nanay. This was about their freedom. This was about their independence.

And if she gave up the fight then would her brothers’ deaths be in vain? Personally, I don’t think she asked herself that. This is me talking. At what point does some loss cease being a reason to stop and circle back around to being the reason you fight? Not quite like the sunk cost fallacy. But something close, I agree. But to say it again, that is just me talking. To Teresa, things might have seemed more dry. This was not about what had been lost but about what needed to be gained. Independence, freedom, and safety were all at stake.

And so she kept going. She kept fighting even after the regional headquarters of her side fell. She just kept fighting, leading more guerilla charges against US Forces just as her brothers had done. Until she couldn’t. Until there was no fighting that could be done not because of a victory but because there was no one left on her side. She kept fighting until so many other generals prepared or agreed to give up that there was nothing she could do, on her own, to maintain the war.  

And so, Teresa Magbanua surrendered in 1900 and returned to farming. The US formally won the war in 1902, but the seeds of discontent sewn left a fighting spirit and a small flame of rebellion alive that survived for many years longer. 

It certainly remained in Teresa who would find herself one more foe to take on.

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