Unang Sigaw ng Nueva Ecija (The First Cry of Nueva Ecija)

The tyrannical and oppressive reign of the Crown of Spain had undoubtedly caused bitter tears and bloodshed to the Filipino people. The long history of Spanish rule was indeed marked by abuse and discrimination of sorts that many Filipinos tried to escape such wrath. Most significant of which was the Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK). Founded by Gat. Andres Bonifacio, the Katipunan envisioned to overthrow, by use of arms, the rule of the Spaniards over Philippine soil. The high-spirited call to overcome the colonial power eventually reached Nueva Ecija. And the Novo Ecijanos bravely heeded to the cause. For two nights initial recruitment for the Katipunan took place in Gapan and Mambangnan, San Leonardo. The first was held at the residence of the then Teniente Mayor of Gapan Pantaleon Valmonte; while, the second occurred at the house of Crispulo Sandico. It was truly not difficult for the people of Nueva Ecija to act subversively against the oppressors and to sympathize with the noble calling of the secret organization. Among the first Novo Ecijanos to join the Katipunan were Mamerto Natividad, Marcos Ventuz, Epifanio Ramos, Domingo Cecilio, and Mariano Llanera who in the middle part of the Katipunan struggle would serve as general of the revolutionary government.
However, the secret organization was unmasked prematurely because of the irresponsibility of Teodoro Patinio who confessed the existence of the Katipunan to his sister and a nun. The two women urged Patinio to disclose the same to a priest. Sure enough he did it. Father Mariano Gil of Tondo upon knowing the impending threat to the frailocracy and the government immediately reported what he learned to the Spanish high authorities. And acting on the information, the governor general ordered the civil guards to search premises and arrest suspected members of the Katipunan. By ill-fate the ledger that contained all the names of Katipuneros fell in the hands of the government.
Gat. Andres Bonifacio and his men, though still unprepared, on August 26, 1896 declared war against Spanish rule. The First Cry of Pugadlawin was the beginning of the open hostilities between the colonizers and the Katipunan freedom fighters. And on August 29, 1896, the Bonifacio-led Katipunan seized the Spanish arsenal at San Juan del Monte. Many more battles took place.
Hoping to contain the insurrection, Governor-General Blanco in turn placed the country under Martial Law. The arrest of suspected members of the revolution further increased in number. Bloodshed became inevitable.
The atrocities spread fast. The inherent violence of military rule was never made exclusive in the capital for it likewise reached nearby provinces. In Nueva Ecija, the same fate occurred to Katipuneros. On August 31, upon the order of Colonel Val, Captain Machorro, the head of the civil guards in the capital of the province, forcibly arrested and detained Mamerto Natividad and Marcos Ventuz. The following day, September 1, Captain Machorro proceeded to Gapan also to arrest Teniente Mayor Valmonte. Being close friends, Valmonte was able to convince the civil guard captain that he would voluntarily go with him the next day. Because of this, Valmonte was able to tell Llanera of the impending plans of the civil guards. And on that very day, realizing the urgency of the situation, they conceived a plan which later on would be laid down in the pages of history as one of the significant events in the revolutionary period.
On the night of the same day, assisted by able men, Marcelo Payumo, Samuel dela Merced, Alipio Tecson, Juan Horquiza, Andres Romero and Rogino Ortiz Luis, Llanera scouted in search of men who were then members and non-members of the Katipunan. Making the most of what they have, the Llanera group planned to seize the provincial capitol and free their arrested comrades with the employment of a diversionary tactic---
The Katipuneros acted as they planned. They disguised their true intent by employing the Musikong Bumbong of Cabiao and informed the communities that they would be heading towards the Capitol not for some other reasons but to pray for the release of their fellow comrades.
September 2, 1896, Tuesday, around 11 am in Cabiao, the Katipuneros were lined-up and ready to face whatever might be the consequences of their acts. Llanera mounted on his horse and the Musikong Bumbong played eagerly as their hearts longed for the reckoning hour. From Sityo Pulo, the band played on. As it passed the old church, its bell tolled--- a sure message that the reign of greed would have to face the wrath of the oppressed Novo Ecijanos.
The Katipuneros then reached San Isidro. Surprised as he was, Governor Val ordered his men to inquire of what the commotion was about. Doubting as to Llanera’s true intent, he instructed Captain Machorro to prepare the guards for an armed confrontation.
Three in the afternoon, Llanera and his men approached the Capitol. Captain Machorro, Sgt. Moreno,and six civil guards warned the incoming Katipuneros to stop. Realizing the true resolve of the Katipuneros, the civil guards fired at them…. Violence ensued… The Llanera-led group attacked at the enemy, face-to-face; while the Valmonte-led Katipuneros fought from the rear.
For three days, the battle that would later on be dubbed as the First Cry of Nueva Ecija claimed many lives from both ranks. And out of Providence and sheer determination, the Novo Ecijanos gradually crushed the enemy defenses. The Spanish fortress, the symbol of its enthronement for hundreds of years, was decisively demolished by the brave heart and insurmountable courage of the Novo Ecijanos. For the first time, the oppressed was feared by no less than the oppressor….
Such was the reason why we are here this very day; to commemorate the show of courage and bravery of our ancestors and to remind us that despite the seemingly unsinkable odds, the spirit of the TRUE NOVO ECIJANOS PREVAILED. The Novo Ecijano, needless to emphasize, has a unique legacy on its own. Look yonder and behold the flag….indeed I fervently pray that such ray that stands for our Blood’s bravery shall not be lost in all of us and that every ounce of blood that Llanera, Valmonte and the rest of the Katipuneros sacrificed would not be put in vain. Such is my prayer. Such is what I also ask from you….

The Man Named Oskar Schindler

Would you be willing to give up money, fame and influence to be able to save others? This was a question Oskar Schindler answered with a resounding “yes” during one of the darkest chapters of our history.
Oskar Schindler was a son of Hans Schindler and Franziska Luser. He was born on April 28, 1908 in Svitavy or German Zwiattau in Moravia, Czech Republic. Given the wit on business venture, he worked after class as commercial salesman. Later on, he married Emilie Pelzl on March 6, 1928. It was a childless marriage.
Sometime in 1930’s, he began to have several jobs. In 1935, he became a member of separatist block of the Sudeten German Party. In Abwehr, he began his work as a military intelligence agent for the Germans. Also, he joined Nazi Party in 1939. Nazi documents pointed out that Oskar continued working for the Abwehr which led to German attack launched against Poland.
One of the great men during the Holocaust was Oskar Schindler. He saved almost 1, 200 Jews during this tragic event in world history. He made the Jews work in his enamelware and ammunitions factories located in what is now Poland and Czech Republic. This he did to save their lives.
Because of his exceptional deeds during the war, he was recognized through the book entitled “Schindler’s Ark” in which he was the subject. Later in 1993, a film was made based on this book, “Schindler’s List”.

Holocaust: The Rise of Hitler Adolf Hitler, a German politician, established a dictatorship, which was commonly characterized as fascist or totalitarian government. He made himself powerful through public exposure and persuasive speeches. He pursued aggressive policy after taking control of the Lebensraum. Hitler caused the triumphant military conquest of Poland in 1939.
During this period, Schindler gained business advantage from the German Invasion of Poland. Through influence, he managed to own an industrial factory in Krakow from Nathan Wurzel who was a Jewish industrialist then.
Oskar changed the name of the factory to Deutsche Emaillewaren-Fabrik, or DEF as advised by Wurzel. This factory manufactured enamelware. His laborers were reached more or less a thousand Jews. The Jewish Itzhak Stern, who was Oskar’s accountant, helped him to get hold of his Jewish slave laborers.
As a businessman who acted favorably for money, he hid wealthy Jewish investors for a consideration during the crisis. Later, however, he started protecting his workers from brink of death. Shortly after 1939, Hitler and his forces began murdering people whom he believed to be as inferior to the Aryan race. Thousands of Poles were killed. City ghettoes were built for Jewish Poles. Thousands of them were likewise killed and starved to death. And thousands of innocent people followed the same fate.
In the late July 1941, Hitler decided to extend the systematic killing of Jews to all German-occupied Europe. It was observed by the Nazis, however, that killing people became traumatic to the German police officers and soldiers. Thus, the Nazi- Germans built death camps in Poland where Jews and other prisoners from all over Europe were brought in. From there, transported prisoners were killed easily in less stressful manner. Through the large gas chamber built in the camps, the slaughter of the prisoners was effortless and impersonal for they were killed by the poison gas. This mass killing of Jews and prisoners was known as the Holocaust. Approximately one-third of the 18 million Jews were killed without mercy during the Holocaust.

Schindler’s Concern When Schindler witnessed the 1942 raid in the Krakow ghetto, he felt an inner drive to do what he must do. As soldiers shipped inhabitants to the concentration camps at Plaszow, he made his best effort to protect his workers. This he did even it meant putting danger into his own life.
As reported, Schindler began to transport young Jews out of the Nazi-established ghetto at his expense. He brought the youngsters to Polish nuns and were claimed to be Christian orphans so that they might be spared from the clutches of the Nazi forces. He likewise made arrangement with Amon Goth, military head of Plaszow, to cause the transferring 700 Jews to a nearby factory compound which spared them from the ravages of the German police. In all of these efforts, he had to bribe officials to insure impunity and success.
Furthermore, Oskar every effort to convince SS-officials to permit him to transfer his industry’s 1, 100 workers, later on referred as Schindler Jews, to Brnenec (German: Brünnlitz), Czechoslovakia to save them from mass extermination.
In Brnenec, he obtained another factory. There, he tried producing ammunitions but was unsuccessful. This, however, did not actually matter as the effort was mere front to his primary intention.

After the War: The Fall of Hitler A series of losses to the Allies and failure to defeat the Soviets had left Hitler’s armies severely weakened. Hitler made more defenses against Americans as he launched his last reserves west into the Ardennes country of Belgium and Luxembourg in the Battle of the Bulge 9 December 1944 to January 1945. Until he realized that neither of his hopes would work, he appointed Karl Donitz, the head of the navy and a devoted Nazi, as his successor. Then Hitler finally committed suicide with his wife, Eva Braun in Berlin on April 30, 1945.
After the fall of Hitler and majority of the Nazi forces, Schindler freed his workers.
While at the mercy of bankruptcy, he did not accept any assistance from the Jewish organizations. He went to Argentina sometime in 1948. In 1958, Oskar returned to Germany and tried to establish businesses but all proved as great failures. Schindler moved to live with his friends in Hildesheim, Germany in 1971. Due to heart ailment, he was brought to the Sankt Bernward Hospital in Hildesheim on September 12, 1974. He died on October 9 at the age of 66. He was buried at the Catholic cemetery, Mount Zion, Jerusalem.

His Legacy
Schindler was the only former member of the Nazi Party who was recognized for his great deeds of risking his life to save Jews during darkest days of Nazi rule. In honor of him, he was recognized as the Righteous among Nations.
Poldek Pfefferberg, a Holocaust survivor, retold Schindler’s story in the form of novel, Schindler’s Ark which was later renamed as Schindler’s List, written by Thomas Keneally. Steven Spielberg came out with the movie, Schindler’s List in 1993. The film won the Best Picture in the Academy Awards. The film gave prominence to Schindler who was generally perceived as a good man. The film depicted Schindler as a man who was amoral, at times opportunistic, but at best with a heart for Jews.
During the autumn of 1999, a suitcase belonging to Schindler was found by his friends. It contained thousands of photographs and documents including his farewell speech when the Schindler’s Jews were set free and the now famous Schindler’s List. This was reported in Sttuttgarter Zeitung newspaper. These documents were placed at Israel’s Holocaust Museum of Yad Vashem.
Oskar Schindler is perhaps one of the best examples of lives changed by the harshness and mercilessness of war. His life exemplifies that in times of darkness mankind can rely on the heart of kind men and women who are willing sacrifice everything for the good of all.

Study Guide1. Who is Oskar Schindler? Discuss the impact of his decision which relates to risking his life to save the Jews.
2. Make a timeline of the significant events during this period in Schindler’s life.
3. What could have led Oskar to do what he did?
4. Did he ask for anything in exchange of what he did for the Jews?
5. Would you consider him a good role model? Why?
6. If you were Oskar would you do the same thing? Why?
7. Relate Oskar’s life to a saying or proverb you know and make a brief discussion about how they are related.