26 Aug UASHS Remembers a Kapampangan Hero
The Grade 11 St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo class paid tribute to Tiburcio Hilario in celebration of the hero’s 163rd birth anniversary through an exhibition of his significant achievements and important events in his life.
It was spearheaded by political science students under Mr. Cris Balingit who are enrolled in Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS) and General Academic (GA) strands in the UA Senior High School.
Tiburcio Hilario was born on August 11, 1853 in San Juan, San Fernando, Pampanga. He was imprisoned by the Spaniards and exiled in Siasi, Jolo because of his association with Dr. Jose Rizal.
He was elected military governor of Pampanga by the town presidents “at a time when Filipinos were hardly given the opportunity to have a voice in the government”. He stood out as the brain of the revolutionary movement in Pampanga. “He implanted the seeds of liberalism in Pampanga preserving, even in times of war, the human rights of the Filipino people.“ He is also known in history as the one who delivered the “emprestitos” or war loan amounting to one million silver pesos to General Antonio Luna to convince the Americans that the Filipinos are determined to achieve their independence.
In 1903, he became very ill due to scarlet fever and died on February 18, 1903. His funeral was a fitting tribute to a man whose life was spent to service during the most trying times in Philippine history. The people who brought his remains to its final resting place were composed of the most privileged in Pampanga and the poor, but mostly of the latter, whom he had helped while serving the country.
The exhibit hoped to imbibe in the students of senior high school the value of love of country and dedicated concern for the common masses, also known today as those in the periphery.
*with report from UASHS