Chapter Twelve: Battles of Batangas - Part 1
On April 1, 1897 Rizal apnd the rest of the provisionary government left Imus for Maragondon, in the wake of Jose de Lachambre's advance towards the town. But it took the Spanish several days of engagements with the rearguard elements of General Edilberto Evangelista before they finally entered Imus on April 9. Four days later, Cavite Nuevo fell to the Spanish troops.
Despite the recent successes, Governor-General Camilo de Polavieja is called back to Madrid. Historians believed that the reason for this is the Spanish government is quite disturbed by his policies in the Philippines which may further complicate the detoriating situation on the islands. Lachambre was recalled to Manila to act as interim Governor, leaving General Basilio Agustin to continue the suppression of the insurgency.
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On April 17, as the revolutionaries settled in Maragondon, Andres Bonifacio gathered all the commanders of Katipunan in the first ever war council. As they discuss about the current situation of the war, most generals voiced their concern about the prevailing uncoordinated offensives as the main reason of their recent defeats. They urged Bonifacio to link up the territories held by them in order to stabilize to war front. Bonifacio then remembered Baldomero Aguinaldo's suggestion: an attack on Batangas. The commanders agreed to the said proposal.
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From left to right: Juan Cailles, Miguel Malvar & Vito Belarmino
Miguel Malvar received a letter from Maragondon. He's been ordered to head to the hills of Tagaytay to lead an army to fight in his home province, much to his joy. Baldomero was left to take charge of the rebel camp in Indang.
After a day of travel, Malvar reached Tagaytay where he met his co-commanders Juan Cailles and Vito Belarmino. As all available men and supplies started to pour in, the three generals began to devise the strategy to liberate Batangas. On April 17, the 30,000-strong rebel force invaded Talisay, where they quickly overran the surprised Spanish force. On the 20th, Cailles and Malvar split their forces, with the former driving westwards capturing Nasugbu on the April 22. On the other hand Malvar's forces were slowed down by stiff Spanish resistance, but nonetheless Calaca fell to the Filipinos on the 23rd.
On the next day, Malvar pushed further east, but encountered strong opposition at Taal. It took a combined effort from Malvar and Cailles (who recently captured all of western Batangas) to finally broke through Taal on the 26th, with the Spanish pushed back to San Nicolas. Cailles, correctly predicting a breakout, immediately atacked Sta. Teresita, completely isolating the beleaguered Spaniards. Seeing his position as untenable, Major Eduardo Fernandez[1] finally surrendered on April 28.
Continuing the offensive, Malvar began a daring campaign to reach Rosario, cutting off Lipa from the rest of Batangas. In the north, Belarmino crossed Tanauan, engaging a 10,000 strong Spanish contingent. It began as a fierce battle lasting for four days. But uprisings in the nearby towns hampered the Spaniards, causing the battle to end in favor of the revolutionaries. The Battle of Tanauan opened the way to Sto. Tomas, Malvar's hometown, taking the town without much resistance. At the start May, Malvar, with reinforcements from Cailles' forces, fought their way through San Jose and Ibaan. They successfully reached Rosario on May 4, completely cutting off Lipa from Batangan. The 3 general's expected Lipa to surrender. But to their dismay, the Spanish force there won't be giving up their hold on the municipio yet. This set the stage for the Siege of Lipa.
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[1] fictional name