FOUR brothers from Talisay City, Cebu who fought in the revolution against Spanish rule were honored by the military and government officials during the commemoration of the National Heroes’ Day on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2019.
They are the Aliño brothers—Potenciano, Felix, Hilario and Sulpicio.
Lawyer Rex Aliño Fernandez, a descendant of Potenciano, said the Aliño brothers started the uprising against Spain in Talisay, then a municipality, a day before the Battle of Tres Abril—the Pantaleon “Leon Kilat” Villegas-led revolt in Cebu City on April 3, 1898.
Villegas, Potenciano, Felix and Hilario were generals under the Katipunan.
The National Heroes’ Day, a public holiday, is held on the last Monday of every August to mark the anniversary of the Cry of Pugad Lawin, the start of the Philippine Revolution by the Katipunan and its Supremo Andrés Bonifacio in 1896.
The Aliño brothers continued fighting for independence during the Philippine-American War in 1899.
“What is the relevance of the Aliño brothers right now? We really still need heroes. Not those who are willing to die, but those who are strong and sharp enough to fight for what is right for the country,” Fernandez said.
The messages of Capt. Oscar Canlas Jr. of the Philippine Navy, Talisay City Vice Mayor Alan Bucao and City Administrator Jomar Rubio told members of the audience, most of whom were teenage students, that doing simple acts of kindness, thinking about the welfare of others and supporting the government’s good programs could be considered as heroic deeds.
Students of Talisay City College performed different dances in the Philippines, depicted the Spanish rule in a play and portrayed the Aliño brothers’s struggles. (from FMD of Superbalita Cebu/KAL)