FAMOUS FILIPINO MASONS: 10 OF THE THIRTEEN MARTYRS OF CAVITE

THIRTEEN MARTYRS OF CAVITE

Even before the execution of Jose Rizal on December 30, 1896 and those of the thirteen martyrs of Bagumbayan on January 11,1897, mass arrests and summary executions were already done in other parts of the country, the more notable of which are the “Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite.”  Executed on September 12, 1896,their ages range from 31 to 64 years. Ten of them were masons as follows:

1. Mariano Inocencio, aged 64 , (born November 18, 1833 in Cavite)a rich proprietor, was the oldest of the martyrs. Being a freemason, he was implicated in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 and was subsequently exiled to Ceuta in Spanish Morocco or Cartagena, Spain for 10 years. Upon his return he rebuilt a fortune from building and bridge contracting, shipbuilding, sawmilling, logging and trading. He was married to Narcisa Francisco with whom he had nine children,
2. Jose Lallana, 54, (born 1836 in Cavite) was a tailor whose shop was used by the Katipunan as a meeting place. Lallana was married to Benita Tapawan of Imus, by whom he had two children, Clara and Ramón. Ramón would later join the Philippine Revolution to avenge his father's death, but he never returned and is believed to have been killed in action. Former Corporal in the Spanish Army and a Spanish Mason,
3. Eugenio Cabesas, 41, (born 1855 in Santa Cruz, Manila) was a goldsmith who was a freemason and Katipunero. He was married to Luisa Antonio of Cavite by whom he had seven children. He owned a jewelry and watch repair shop on Calle Real (now called Trece Martires Street) in Cavite which was used by the Katipunan as a meeting place. A watchmaker and member of the Katipunan.
4. Maximo Gregorio, 40, (born November 18, 1856 in Pasay, Morong) was drafted into the Spanish colonial army while he was studying at the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán. After training in San Antonio, Cavite, he was inducted into Regiment No. 72 and dispatched to Jolo, Sulu to fight the Muslims. Upon his return from Mindanao, was appointed chief clerk of the Comisaría de Guerra in Cavite where he worked for 20 years. He became a freemason and joined the Katipunan in 1892. He organized two Katipunan branches, namely, the Balangay No. 1 named Marikit (Bright) in Barrio San Antonio, Cavite and Balangay No. 2 called Lintik (Lightning) in Barrio San Rafael, also of Cavite. Among the people he initiated into the Katipunan were the jail warden Severino Lapidario, Feliciano Cabuco, tailor José Lallana, watchmaker Eugenio Cabezas and tailor Eulogio Raymundo. He was married to Celedonia Santiago with who he had four children.a clerk of the Cavite Arsenal,
5. Hugo Perez, 40, (born 1856 in Binondo, Manila) was a physician. There is little biographical information about Perez except that he was a freemason.
6. Severino Lapidario, 38, (born January 8, 1847 in Imus, Cavite) was a corporal in the Spanish Marine Infantry who was implicated in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. He later regained the confidence of the Spanish colonial authorities who named him warden of the Cavite provincial jail in 1890. Chief Warden of the Provincial Jail and member of the Katipunan,
7. Alfonso de Ocampo, 36, (born 1860 in Cavite) was a Spanish mestizo, who had been sergeant in the Spanish colonial army before his appointment as assistant provincial jail warden. He was both a freemason and Katipunero. He was married to Ana Espíritu by whom he had two children.
8. Luis Aguado, 33, was the son of a captain in the Spanish navy. He would later become supply chief of the Spanish arsenal in Fort San Felipe in the town of Cavite (now Cavite City). He was married to Felisa Osorio, sister of Francisco Osorio and oldest daughter of Antonio Osorio, a Chinese-Filipino businessman reputed to be the richest in Cavite at that time. Aguado's widow would later marry Daniel Tria Tirona.
9. Victoriano Luciano, 32 (born March 23, 1863) was a pharmacist and freemason who was recognized for his formula of rare perfumes and lotions and was a member Colegio de Farmaceuticos de Manila. He studied at the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán and University of Santo Tomas. He owned a pharmacy, Botica Luciano, on Real Street (now Trece Martires Avenue) in Cavite whih was also a meeting place of the Katipunan.a pharmacist and poet.
10. Feliciano Cabuco, 31, (born June 9, 1865 in Caridad, Cavite Puerto) was born to a wealthy family in Cavite el Viejo (now Cavite City). He worked at the Navy Hospital in Cavite.. He was married to Marcela Bernal of Caridad by whom he had two sons.

The three non-masons:

1. Francisco Osorio, 36, a chinese mestizo and contractor.(born 1860) was the scion of a wealthy and well-connected family in Cavite. Little is known of him except that he was a pharmacist and not a freemason or a Katipunanero.
2. Antonio de San Agustin, 35, a surgeon and businessman, (born March 8, 1860 in San Roque, Cavite) was a scion of a wealthy family. He studied at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and University of Santo Tomas. He was married to Juliana Reyes. He owned the only bookstore, La Aurora, in the town which was used as a meetingplace by the Katipunan.
3. Agapito Concio, 33, a teacher, (born 1862) was a native of Binondo, Manila who migrated to Cavite and became a school teacher, musician, photographer, painter and lithographer.

When Cavite rose in arms in August 31, 1896 under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo, masons and others who stood for freedom joined the uprising, foremost among them were the thirteen martyrs of Cavite.  In dying for a noble cause, they live in the hearts  of their grateful countrymen.

To their memory, a lasting monument dedicated to their honor now stands in the public plaza at the heart of Cavite City.