Agustín Sumuroy
Agustín Sumuroy | |
|---|---|
| Died | 2 July 1650 |
| Other name | Juan Sumuroy |
| Occupations |
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Agustín Sumuroy (better known as Juan Sumuroy) was a Filipino hero and Waray leader of the Sumuroy Revolt, a rebellion of native Filipinos against colonial Spanish forces that occurred in eastern Visayas in 1649–1650.[1] He is referred to by many as the Waray hero of the Palapag rebellion during the Spanish time around 1649 to 1650.[2]
There were several personalities in the said uprising: Don Juan Ponce, the leader of the group; Don Pedro Caamug, the second leader; Agustín Sumuroy. The name Juan Ponce Sumuroy is sometimes given to Agustín usually as the result of confusion between Juan Ponce and Agustín Sumuroy.
Sumuroy Revolt (1649–1650)
In 1649, Governor-General Diego Fajardo ordered men to be sent to the Cavite shipyards. This caused resentment and, eventually, under the leadership of Sumuroy, the people of Palapag rose in arms. The curate of the town was killed on 1 June of the same year and hostilities ensued the next day after the house and furniture of the Palapag Church were destroyed. On the 3rd, Sumuroy announced that he was the one who killed the friars and destroyed the church in Palapag completely. The towns of Palapag and Catubig began to revolt and renounced Christianity. The towns of Pambujan, Bayugo, Catarman, Bonan followed the rebels.[3]
Within the month of June, the revolt then spread to Albay and Camarines followed the rebels. Masbate also revolted and they killed the friar of Masbate, Father Alférez Torres. In Caraga, the town of Tinao/Linao (inner Agusan) revolted, where they killed the Augustinian friar there. The town of Iligan also revolted, followed by the Manobos of Cagayan de Oro. Those from Cebu attempted to revolt, but this attempt was quickly extinguished by the authorities. In Leyte, the town of Bacor (Bacol) was the first to revolt and left their town to join the people of Palapag. Bohol remained loyal to the Spaniards. Afterwards, the people of Paranas also rebelled.[3]
In October, the Spaniards returned again to Palapag. The people of Palapag positioned themselves on the lone hill called “Palapag Mesa” or “Bubuyaon.” On the 11th, the rebel Pedro Caamug came down from their hill fort and his soldiers killed Vicente Damián in Palapag.[3]
Afterwards, the Commander of the Galleys, Andrés López de Asaldigui, sailed with Spanish and Kapampangan forces from Manila to Catbalogan in Samar. After arriving in Catbalogan, he sent thirteen ships to Panay and Iloilo to gather food and other necessities for this campaign. The Zamboanga Navy sent four karakoa and 400 Lutaos. Soldiers were also sent from Sialo, Caraga, and other towns. All these soldiers joined forces in Catbalogan and were divided into three divisions. Two were under Sandoval and de León, and one was under de Rojas. Sandoval would head to Catubig and Palapag, de León would head to the towns of Tubig, Sulat, Borongan, Guigan, etc. De Rojas would head to Catarman and Bobor (Bobon).[3]
The next year, on 7 January 1650, the people of Camiguin were next to revolt, as well as the Subanons in Siocon when they killed the friar Father Juan del Campo.[3]
In May, the Spanish offensive to take down Sumuroy began. In Paranas, Captain de León won at the Battle of the Nasan River against the Warays who attempted to ambush them. Captain Sandoval won in another engagement in Catubig. Their victories continued after these events. They persisted in surrounding the fort in Palapag to force them to surrender by starving them, but the Lutao military official Don Francisco Macombo was very eager because he told de Rojas that they were not 'here to cut down trees but to fight the bandits of Palapag'.[3] By this point in time, there was a story that when a Spanish commander offered a large sum of money to the rebels for Sumuroy's head, they only returned with a pig's instead.
In response to Macombo's grievance, de Rojas sent two divisions to besiege and destroy the fort of Palapag while the third division was assigned to guard their camp. The revolt ended on 2 July 1650 when government forces successfully staged an assault on the rebels' fort. In the ensuing battle, Sumuroy's mother perished and, after a while, the rebels themselves individually surrendered. The rebels then killed Sumuroy and brought his head to the governor-general.[4]
Legacy
Sumuroy is commemorated in the scientific name of species of gecko, Cyrtodactylus sumuroi, which is endemic to Samar.[5]
In 2008, the National Historical Commission installed a historical marker in the town of Palapag, Northern Samar for Agustín Sumuroy.[6]
Palapag observes Sumuroy Day annually on 1 June to commemorate Agustín Sumuroy's heroism during the 1649 uprising against Spanish rule.[7]
References
- ↑ "Commentary: Remembering the seldom-remembered heroes". Philippines Information Agency. 28 August 2007.
- ↑ "Sumuroy Killed Father Barberan: Start of Palapag Rebellion". The Kahimyang Project. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Robertson (1873–1939), Emma Helen Blair (d 1911) James Alexander. "The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898: explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century, Volume XXXVIII, 1674–1683". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Halili, M.C. (2010). Philippine History. Rex Book Store, Inc.
- ↑ Species Cyrtodactylus sumuroi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ National Historical Commission. "Agustin Sumuroy | Registry". National Historical Commission. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
- ↑ Palapag LGU (June 1, 2026). "Palapag commemorates heroism with wreath-laying for Sumuroy Day 2026". Municipality of Palapag - LGU. Retrieved 2026-07-22.