Diego Silang y Andaya was a revolutionary leader who conspired with
British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the northern Philippines and
establish an independent Ilocano nation. His revolt was fueled by grievances
stemming from Spanish taxation and abuses, and by his belief in
self-government, that the administration and leadership of the Roman Catholic
Church and government in the Ilocos be invested in trained Ilocano
officials.She met an Itneg woman with a name of Gabriela Carino. He married
Gabriela and raised a family in the Ilocos Province.
Early life Born in Aringay, Pangasinan, Silang's
mother was Ilocano; his father was Pangasinense. Young Diego worked as a
messenger for a local Castilian priest in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Bright,
passionate, and fluent in Spanish, he ferried correspondence from the Ilocos
to Manila; journeys that gave him his first glimpse of colonial injustice and
that planted the seed of rebellion. Revolt
Spain allied with France during the Seven Years' War, in opposition to Great
Britain. The British in response sought to diminish the Spanish Empire. The
seizure of Manila by British naval forces in October, 1762, and the
subsequent surrender of the Spanish Philippines to Britain during the
British occupation of the Philippines, inspired uprisings in the farthest north
of Ilocos Norte and Cagayan, where anti-Spanish sentiments festered. Though
Silang initially wanted to replace Spanish functionaries in the Ilocos with
native-born officials and volunteered to head Ilocano forces against the British,
desperate Spanish administrators instead transferred their powers to the Catholic
Bishop of Nueva Segovia, who rejected Silang's offer. Silang's group attacked
the city and imprisoned its priests. He then began an association with the
British who appointed him governor of the Ilocos on their behalf and promised
him military reinforcement. The British force never materialized.
Assassination Diego Silang was killed by one of his
friends, a Spanish-Ilocano mestizo named Miguel Vicos, whom church authorities
paid to assassinate Silang with the help of Pedro Becbec. He was 32 years old.
Legacy After Silang's death, his
Spanish-Ilocana mestiza wife, Josefa Gabriela, took command of the revolt and
fought courageously. The Spanish sent a strong force against her. She was forced
to retreat to Abra. Gabriela led her troops towards Vigan but was driven
back. She fled again to Abra, where she was captured. Gabriela and her men were
summarily hanged on September 20, 1763; she being hanged the last.
In popular culture Portrayed by JC Tiuseco in the 2013 TV
series, Indio. Notes
p:www.insights-philippines.de/silang.htm ^ Ongsotto; et al. Philippine History
Module-based Learning I' 2002 Ed. Rex Bookstore, Inc. p. 109. ISBN
9789712334498. ^ Lamberto Gabriel, Ang Pilipinas:
Heograpiya, Kasaysayan, at Pamahalaan. 1997 ISBN 971-621-192-9
References Zaide, Gregorio F.. Philippine History
and Government. National Bookstore Printing Press.
Rebecca Ramilo Ongsotto, Reena R. Ongsotto: Philippine History
Module-based Learning. Rex Bookstore Inc, 2. Auflage 2003, ISBN 971233449X,
p. 109 C. Duka: Struggle for Freedom. Rex
Bookstore Inc, 2008, ISBN 9789712350450, p. 103