"Macario Sakay a Mislabeled Hero"

Macario Sakay was born on calle Tabora, San Nicolas, Manila, out of wedlock in 1870, the date and month unknown. He adopted the family name "Sakay" from his mother, his father left when Sakay was still an infant.

Sakay was with Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto when they fled Caloocan to evade capture, but he was in the victorious battle of Montalban, battle of Nanka River and the retreat to Balara. After the tragic murder of Bonifacio in Cavite, he was with the new Supremo Emilio Jacinto in Laguna to continue the struggle of the Katipunan, they never recognize the ilustrado revolutionary government established by Aquinaldo's elitist coup in the snap election during the Tejeros Convention. After the early death of Gat Emilio Jacinto, it was Macario Sakay who continued the Katipunan revolt of the masses.

After grabbing the victory from the Filipinos against Spain by the Americans at the Mock Battle of Manila, at 11:30 am on Agosto 13, 1898, they continued the illegal possession of the whole archipelago. During the administration of Governor-General Luke E. Wright, he passed a law known as "Ley de Bandolerismo" to force all the rebels and bandits to surrender immediately at their given deadline or be labeled and considered as a bandit. Freedom fighter Sakay was strongly against the American Governor-General's law. Filipino patriots badly equipped guerrillas were constantly on the move and captured by the Gringo army with help of the Philippine Constabulary which comprised of native soldiers under American officers. Disgraceful to reveal, former Filipino revolutionists; Gen. Licerio Geronimo, Gen. Pio del Pilar, Gen. Juan Cailles, Col. Agapito Bonzon, Maj. Lazaro Macapagal aided Americans to hunt their former comrades-in-arms.

Sakay was successful with his guerrilla warfare and established the "Tagalog Republic" basing it from Supremo Bonifacio's "Haring Banyang Katagalugan." Sakay, his officers and men refused to have their hair cut as a symbol of protest and counter-culture, it was also to measure the length of time they stayed in the mountains in their struggle for freedom. Sakay, a big problem to the Americans in establishing their pacification program and their benevolent assimilation campaign in the country, in 1905 Governor-General Henry Clay Ide authorized Dominador Gomez a Filipino labor leader, to negotiate with Sakay. Gomez met with Sakay at his camp and persuade him that the establishment of a national assembly was being held up by Sakay's resistance and that its establishment would be a big step toward Filipino independence. Sakay agreed to end his resistance on conditions that a general amnesty be granted his men, that they be permitted to carry firearms, that he and his officers be permitted to leave the country. Gomez guaranteed Sakay that his conditions the would be acceptable to the Americans and Sakay's emissary, General Leon Villafuerte, obtained agreement to them from the American Governor-General. Sakay and Villafuerte went to Manila where they were welcomed and invited to receptions and banquets. One invitation came from the Constabulary Chief Col. Harry Bandholtz was a colonial trap, Sakay and his officers were disarmed and arrested while the party was in progress Sakay was accused of "Bandolerismo under the Brigandage Act of Nov. 12, 1902, which interpreted all acts of armed resistance to American rule as banditry" and the colonial Supreme Court of the Philippines supported the decision.

At 8:30 in the morning of September 13, 1907, General Macario Sakay and Lucio de Vega were taken out of their "bartolina" and led to the death platform inside the Bilibid Prison compound. At 9:00 am, the decision finding him guilty was read to him, General Sakay shook his head to show his protest. Lucio de Vega and General Sakay took confession against his will before Fr. G. Foradada a Jesuit priest.

General Sakay and de Vega were attended by the following priest; G. Foradada, Macario Hernandez, Marcos Dombrosky, Leoncio del Rosario and a doctor, on the death platform. Reaching the gallows, General Sakay shouted at the top of his voice...

"Death comes to all of us sooner or later, so that I will face the Lord Almighty calmly. But I want to tell you that we are not bandits and robbers, as the Americans have accused us, but members of the revolutionary forces that defended our mother country, Filipinas! Farewell! Long, live the republic and may our independence be born in the future! Farewell! Long Live Filipinas!"

...the American executioner immediately covered General Sakay's face with a black cloth, which the general offered his head to be placed on the rope gallantly.
- ka tony
the 12 of Sept. '08