The Day Negros Bluffed Its Way To Freedom

Today, Negrenses celebrate the 110th anniversary of Al Cinco de Noviembre to commemorate the Negrenses’ uprising against the colonizers on November 5, 1898. The uprising led to the surrender of the Spanish troops in the province and the establishment of the short-lived Cantonal Government of Negros reuniting Negros Occidental and Oriental.

Led by Gen. Juan Araneta from Bago and Gen. Aniceto Lacson from Silay, the rebels marched mostly sugarcane workers, marched towards Bacolod armed only with farm implements. The revolutionaries augmented their lightly-armed men with fake arms consisting of rifles carved out of palm fronds and cannons of rolled bamboo mats painted black. Seeing the troops, the Spanish Governor Isidro de Castro surrendered.

The revolutionaries were gallant enough to let the Spanish save face by letting them sign a capitulation that Spanish forces surrendered only after a breath-taking hand-to-hand combat, that, they “fought valiantly and killed many”.

Cinco de Noviembre played a significant role in the history of Negros since it was the day that hacienderos and sugarcane workers fought together in battle. Its commemoration is not only to honor Generals Lacson and Araneta but also the countless sugar workers who remain nameless but are heroes just the same. Through the celebration of Al Cinco de Noviembre, may the ideals of those heroes remain steadfast in the hearts of the Negrenses.

Photo Credit: Negros Occidental Website