By Rafael A. Lahoz, Jr.
From the book "GUERRA AMERICANA-FILIPINA - NORTE DE LUZON BY COL. JUAN VILLAMOR WRITTEN IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH;[Published in 1924.]
"The Armory, in which worn firearms were repaired and where horses were shod, also manufactured sidearms and shells for the Remingtons. At first Captain Vicente Pena of the artillery was in charge of the armory but afterwards when it was moved to the mountains, the master mechanics of Sto. Domingo, the Lahoz brothers, RAFAEL, JOSE, AND GAUDENCIO, took charge. If indeed, because of the lack of tools and materials, all the military needs of the brigade could not be supplied, nevertheless, owing to the natural ingenuity of the Lahoz brothers, who were well read and very highly educated, the armory was of great help in repairing worn rifles, refilling cartridges for the Remingtons and also manufacturing gunpowder for the cartridges. This armory, being the only one, was attached to the general headquarters and was exclusively supervised by the brigade commander himself."
From the book ILOCANO RESPONSES TO AMERICAN AGRESSION: 1900 - 1901 BY WILLIAM HENRY SCOTT.[Published in 1986]
Chapter 3 The Defenders pages 49-50.- "Tinio had 1090 rifles in 1899, many of them damaged or even useless, but seems to be able to preserve all of them for guerrilla warfare. American troops captured 587 of them during the first six months of operations, including 43 muzzle-loaders, and Tinio himself turned in or sold as American amnesty permitted-353 of them at the end of hostilities. Most of these were 1886 model single shot Spanish Remingtons with which the old Guardia Civil had been armed, but there were also a good number of Mauser and a few Krag repeating rifles, as well as assorted shotguns and revolvers. in addition a considerable number of American rifles, carbines and revolvers were captured-including one rare U.S. Navy issue revolver. Tinio also had about a dozen small artillery pieces ranging from homemade wire-wound cannons to two inch guns, one of which blew the head off a horse during an ambush near Narvacan in October 1900, stampeding the others with a loss to the enemy of 24 in all. A small brass howitzer with a 70 mm bore which was probably an antique, captured near Balaoan with 26 rounds of well-made case shot and cartridges, was promptly shipped to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where it is presumably still on display.
These weapons were serviced when possible and horses shod-in the brigade arsenal in Bangued, but it was taken soon as Tagadan Pass was forced. Three tons of sheet brass and two tons of lead were discovered as well as supplies of powder, and salpetre and sulphur and about 50 hastily discarded uniforms of soldiers who either took to the hills or deserted. A new arsenal was soon established at Barbar in the most remote headwaters of the Bical River above Lapog, where the Lahoz Brothers - Captain Rafael and Lieutenants Jose and Gaudencio - did yeoman service for almost a year, repairing rifles refilling cartridges, and manufacturing gunpowder and homemade hand guns with real feats of mechanical ingenuity, A charcoal burner named Flaviano Soriano later described its activities as follows:
There were twenty men who worked regularly at the arsenal, sometimes 30... The sulphur and sheet brass came in steamers from Manila, and we went to the beach and got it that is, the inhabitants of Barbar went after it with ponies. The shells were made by hand, by silversmiths and laborers. When there is a full force of thirty men we made 50 cartridges per day; with 20 men we made about 30 cartridges per day.
Expended cartridge cases were collected for reloading where-ever possible; not a single one was found by the enemy after a Filipino attack on Cabugao one midnight in July 1900. Filipino forces also seem to have had some access to American supplies: the Lapog command discovered some Krag-Jorgenson ammunition with its original crates marked "March 13, 1899", evidently direct from some U.S. base. Rifles themselves were held at such a premium that orders to turn them over to other commands when combining depleted units was the greatest test of guerrilla discipline. A surviving cumulo [bundle] of Col. Juan Gutierrez's correspondence reveals that when Lt. Apolinario Querubin was ordered to turn in his units's firearms, he was unable to hand over three claimed by Lt. Inocencio Peralta's men. Peralta himself, in an offended but proper exchange, hinted at defection rather than giving them up. Another letter indicates that Cdr. Aniceto Angeles sent Remingtons Nos. 3371 and 5433 to Gutierrez for forwarding to the arsenal for repairs on 7 December 1900-too late, unfortunately, for the arsenal was located by enemy intelligence in January and taken by such complete surprise the Lahoz brothers' clothing and personal effects were captured, along with correspondence from two Colonels Villamor and two letters in English from "Joe" to "Ned" a Manila soloon keeper."
Rafael also relates that the surprise raid on the arsenal almost resulted in their capture. The three brothers with some of their men dispersed in different directions. Later in the day the horse of Gaudencio was found without him and they thought that he must been captured or became a casualty during the shooting.
The extraordinary skills and know how of the Lahoz Brothers mentioned in history books above could have been transmitted to them only by their father, Que Quico. who must have been a very skillful artisan. One must remember that gunpowder was invented by the Chinese. This writer in his early childhood had often wondered
of Rafael's unusual skills in brazing using brass or silver; forging and tempering of tool steel to be able to make cartridges and repair broken gun parts, considering that in those days they did not have oxygen-acetylene welding sets nor a pyrometer to measure the tempering temperature of the material being worked on.
From Chapter 4 The Supporters Page 82 " Muranes of Asilang, Lapog, was sentenced to two years for sending the following warning in Ilocano to arsenal chief Capt. Rafael Lahoz:
Senor Commandant Don Rafael Lahoz: I am letting you know, senor, that the barrio lieutenants under me have not yet arrived. But the enemy passed by going upstream this afternoon, senor, and as soon as my lookouts saw them in the distance, I sent two to you there. I will be thankful if those men have already reached you. But the enemy has already gone back. That's all I can tell you senor. Please excuse my illiteracy.D.G.M.A. [Dios guarde muchos anos - God keep you many years]."
From Appendix page 229 The message of Muranes to Rafael Lahoz in Ilocano.
"Senor C.D. Rafael Lahoz: Yammok ken Senor dagiti kakabo iti baba mi ta awan laeng ti inmay ditoy. Ket dagiti busol naglabasda a nag pasurong itay malem: Senor, apaman a matannawagan dagiti bagelante [vigilante] mi. Bimmaon kami ti dua nga inmay ditan; yamanenmi unay no adda laeng dimmanon dita kadaguiti binaunmi. Ket dagiti busol Nagawiddan. Kasta ti Yammomi ken Senor. Dispensaren yo laeng toy nengnengmi. Ds ge Ms As."
-Asilang Muranes.
From Chapter 9 The Surrender page 164.
"In February 1901, occupation forces in the Ilocos received orders to cooperate with the Federalista allies, and on the 23rd Julio Agcaoili was given permission to enter all Ilocos Norte barrios "for meetings in the interest of the Federal Party." The next week, Mena Crisologo received a copy of General Wheaton's orders to General Bell "that it is desired that the formation of this party be aided by the military authorities," and on 15 March, ten of his personal representatives were given passes - Sixto Brillantes for Santa, for example. But it was Ladislao Donato of Vigan whom the Americans credited with their first real victory- the surrender of Maj. Estanislao Reyes in San Vicente on 10 March, together with the Lahoz brothers- Captain Rafael Lahoz and Lieutenants Jose and Gaudencio, Lieutenants Marcelino Oprecio and Luis Langson,four soldiers, seven ponies, three revolvers and two carbines. Two thousand bolomen and Katipuneros took the oath the same day in Paoay and 3360 in Batac; Maj. Francisco Celedonio o4?0 surrendered the next day in Bantay, and Lt. Telesforo Centeno the next. Colonel Alejandrino meanwhile appealed to the people of Santo Domingo never to give up, Colonel Gutierrez urged those of Santa Cruz to revive the Katipunan, and General Tinio personally went north of Vigan to prevent the contagion from spreading. But Libertas correctly reported that Reyes was "a man of much moral influence" among the inhabitants of the towns of this Province, with whose surrender nationalism has suffered. a rude blow.
In another seven weeks, however, Tinio and his four zone commanders surrendered with their troops after almost 20,000 men had surrendered without presenting a single rifle.
Excerpts from the book THE TINIO BRIGADE - ANTI AMERICAN RESISTANCE IN THE ILOCOS PROVINCES 1899-1901 by ORLINO A.OCHOSA [Published 1989].
Chapter 3 Army of the North, Pages 36- 37.-In December 1899, during the American pursuit of Tinio's retreating army, the armory suffered a setback not only in the capture of Pena (now a major) but also in the loss of most of the tools and materials it had. Luckily, the Tinio Brigade was never lacking in resourceful men. The Lahoz brothers- Rafael, Jose, and Gaudencio -expert mechanics from the town of Santo Domingo - revived the armoryin the mountains. Of them Juan Villamor writes with praise: "If, indeed, because of the lack of tools and materials, all the military needs of the Brigade could not be supplied, nevertheless, owing to the natural ingenuity of the Lahoz Brothers who were well-read and very highly educated, the armory was of great help in repairing worn rifles, refilling cartridges." For this modest role played by the Lahoz brothers for the Brigade, their big residential house in Santo Domingo was later burned down by the Americans. And for this barbaric act of the Americans, one of the brothers, Rafael, took to the field as captain commanding Guerrilla No. 2 of Ilocos Sur.
Chapter 6 Guerrilla Warfare page 126:- FIVE GUERRILLA UNITS were operating throughout the whole length of Ilocos Sur by February 1900. As originally organized these were Guerrilla No. 1 under Estanislao Reyes, No, 2 under Galicano Calvo, No. 3 under Jose Purruganan, No. 4 under Isabelo Abaya and No. 5 under Pioquinto Elvina.
Although these units carried the name of the province, yet there was no single provincial command for Ilocos Sur. There was no Ilocos Sur Battalion and there was no Ilocos Sur Provincial commander as such to speak off. The first three units, which operated from Vigan-Caoayan area north of the border to the border town of Sinait, were consolidated under one jefe de linea, the now Major Reyes, who had been promoted that February for his fine work as chief of Guerrilla No. 1. Captain Calvo who took over Guerrilla No. 1 at Lapog, while Captain Rafael Lahoz of Tinio's staff replaced Calvo as Chief of Guerrilla No. 2 at o4?0 Magsingal. Purugganan's Guerrilla No. 3 at Bantay was really commanded by his vice-chief, Lieutenant Luciano Quilles, as Purugganan was incapacitated by gunshot wounds and was brought to his hometown of Santa, across the river from Bantay, so he could recuperate. This unit had to co-exist in the jurisdiction of Abaya's Guerrilla No. 4, based near Narvacan, although this latter belonged to Villamor's Abra Battalion. Elvinia's Guerrilla No. 5 on the other hand, worked within the organizational framework of the La Union Battalion and thus took orders from Lieutenant-Colonel Juan M. Gutierrez.
Chapter 7, Aguinaldo at Lubuagan, Page 168:- The atmosphere was comparatively healthier in Abra and Ilocos Sur, where popular feeling towards Tagalogs were more liberal. This could be explained by the fact that the Ilocano leaders there (Reyes, Calvo, Lahoz, Abaya, and the Villamors} were bonafide officers of the Tinio Brigade and therefore sworn subordinates of their "Apo Heneral." Tinio was soon back in these areas and, apparently in a move to win the confidence of the Ilocanos there, began an inspection tour of the scattered guerrilla camps. At the same time he issued manifestos soliciting the loyalty and support of the inhabitants. He further circularized the people of Ilocos Sur to organize themselves into "sandatahanes" and to intensify punitive operations against the "Americanistas" and all persons aiding the enemy. He orders his guerrilla commanders to intercept and arrest the Tagalog officers who had deserted their commands. For the same purpose, he visited La Union again stayed there for some time.
Chapter 8 End of the Resistance Page 190:- The country between Vigan and Laoag was perennially the scene of sharp encounters. On July 8, for example, in Ilocos Sur, a wagon train of the 33rd Infantry detachment under Captain Bowler was ambushed near Lapog. In these vicinities operated the Tinio Brigade guerrillas under Captains Rafael Lahoz and Caning Calvo.
Page 197:- Steever's expedition killed and captured isolated guerrilla groups and destroyed their supplies as they have been ordered. One of their victims was a 19 year old Filipino lieutenant named Ignacio Villamor, whose manner of dying made him a legendary hero in the North. Young Villamor was killed by an American patrol whom he fought single-handed near the Quimmarayan creek in Santo Domingo, Another young officer, Lieutenant Teodoro Navarro, was killed near Magsingal. Guerrilla No. 2 of Ilocos Sur under Captain Lahoz operated in this area.
Page 218 Chapter 9:- The Many Who Lived:- Galicano Calvo the "guerrilla terror" of Lapog, was in the end a small-time failed politician of Ilocos Sur (a far cry from the other Calvo, Aquilino, the doctor, who became governor of Pangasinan and senator}. Rafael Lahoz, the "guerrilla terror" of Magsingal, married into the De los Reyes clan of Vigan and sired, among others, the renowned Dr. Antonio Lahoz.
Author's note:- A correction of fact is at this point necessary. Rafael Lahoz did not marry into the De los Reyes clan. His first wife was Maxima Ontanion y Subido, a widow of Luciano Reyes. Luciano and Maxima had two children, Domingo and Melchora. Dr. Antonio R. Lahoz the founder of the LAHOZ CLINIC AND HOSPITAL in Vigan, Ilocos Sur is the son of Jose Lahoz the second of the Lahoz brothers, and his second wife Lourdes V. Reyes, daughter of Estanislao Reyes and Esperanza Verzosa.{see pages A-13 and A-36}.
Chapter 10 Twenty-two Who Died Page 226:- IGNACIO VILLAMOR.
Killed in action, Quimmarayan creek, Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur, December 10, 1900. He was probably the greatest individual hero of the entire war in the North. He was only seventeen when he enlisted as a buck private in the crack Volunteer Battalion of Manila students in Luna's Division. He was latter transferred to the Tinio Brigade, winning a second lieutenant's commission in Guerrilla No. 2 of Ilocos Sur under Captain Lahoz, a fellow townsman from Santo Domingo. He was killed in a determined one man resistance against an American patrol during a major search and destroy campaign ordered by General Young in December 1900. Fourteen bullets peppered the youthful lieutenant's body. He died at 19.
Page 229:- In some cases where indentification by name was complete, further data can only be conjectural. for instance, was the lieutenant Teodoro Navarro reported as killed in action near Magsingal in December, 1900 really a fellow subaltern of Villaflor in Lahoz's Guerrilla No. 2 of Ilocos Sur? Were the "lieutenant Amanceo Carreon and Brigido Salomon" {Solomon?} reported killed in action near Naguilian, La Union, in May 1900 really fellow officers of Genove in Fontanilla's guerrilla band? In both cases, geography supports the query. But in such cases, even the "Insurrecto Papers" now in the National Library-whose surviving battalion rosters of the Tinio Brigade, though not complete, are usually useful in identifying or verifying names - are not much help.
Rafael relates that the fight against the Americans was much more difficult than against the Spaniards. The Americans were using better arms and were better soldiers than the Spaniards. He said that at the time of their surrender he considered their cause as hopeless and that Gaudencio was very sick with diarrhea and malaria. Rafael's house in Sto. Domingo was burned down by the Americans and although he learned about the safety of his family as they went to live with some relatives, the Villafuertes, his anxiety and worry for them was too compelling that surrender seemed to be the only solution. After the collapse of the resistance against the Americans, there was nothing left for the Lahozes to do but to pick up their lives and start anew. The war has caused them a lot of sacrifice and hardship.
Author's Note: Many of the narrations about the Lahoz Brothers during the Philippine-American War are also found in the archives of National Library.