Baler - Aurora Province

By word of mouth, I have heard about Baler. It is a place known not only for its beautiful scenery and as a surfing spot, but more than that, it has also contributed to our history.  I have mentioned Baler to Dennis when he was yet in the US and while we were planning for our trips. Actually, he was the one who researched about Baler and that was when I learned about its historical contribution about the "Siege of Baler".  I have heard about Baler, too, in a movie but never had the chance to watch the film until he came home when he was bringing with him a copy of the movie.

We planned our trip for Baler but we decided also, that on our way, we will stop by Cabanatuan City to see the exact spot where Antonio Luna was killed and to visit the POW Camp again. While on our way, I was already imagining what Baler would look like, specially when we were approaching the mountainous trail.  We have gone so far and when we stopped over at a gasoline station for a gas-up, we were told that we were on a different direction. Meaning we had to go back and find the exact route to Baler. Unfortunately, there were no visible directions or markers that could be seen along the road which could have helped us find our way.  We stopped to ask bystanders for directions. Actually,we were told that there are two routes to reach Baler. But we were advised to travel the longer route as the road condition was a lot better than the shorter route.

Scenic View on our way to Baler

Welcome Marker to Baler

We arrived in Baler late in the afternoon already. As we approached the town proper, the first that we saw was the house of the former First Lady of  the late President Manuel L. Quezon.   The house, which was converted into a museum, was already closed at that time.  The good thing was that they still allowed us to get inside when we told them that we came from a long trip just to see their place.  We were ushered in by a guy who opened the house/museum.  There was not much to see inside, actually, but there were a few framed memorabilias that we took pictures of. I was expecting to see more since it was already considered a museum.

House of the former First Lady, Dona Aurora Aragon Quezon

Historical Marker of the House 

Presidential Car

 

Inside the Museum

Framed Memorabilias

 

After our quick tour at the museum, we proceeded to the Baler Church.

Panoramic view of the Church

Church of Baler

 

Historic Marker of the Siege of Baler

Historic Marker of the Church of Baler

History says that the Baler Catholic Church is a historic church constructed from stone and brick which is found in the town of Baler in the province of Aurora. Originally constructed in 1611, the church is dedicated to San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and is known as the site of the Siege of Baler, which took place from 1898-1899 shortly following the end of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines.

On June 27, 1898, 50 Spanish soldiers and 4 officers took refuge inside the stone church, fearing that the Philippine insurgent army was too large for them to overpower. In reality, the Filipinos actually made their army seem more intimidating by burning wood to mimic the sounds of gunfire. Despite the fact that Philippine independence from Spanish domination had just been declared 15 days before they fortified themselves in the church, the Spanish contingent remained there for close to a year. Under the command of Capt. Enrique de las Morenas, the troops stayed in the church with rations that would last them for 6 months. However, the soldiers began to suffer from malnutrition within 2 months of the siege, contracting scurvy and dysentery. Morenas himself died from disease and was replaced by Lt. Saturnino Martin Cerezo, who proved to be a tough and rigid commander. Under his command, the troops continued to hold out against the Filipino troops as Cerezo refused to believe reports in the newspapers sent by the Filipinos to the garrison which cited that the Spanish government in Manila had already surrendered to America.

The Filipinos attempted to break down the morale of the troops with the use of some unorthodox methods such as holding a fiesta in front of a church. There have also been reports that women were also used to tempt the soldiers to come out but these are unconfirmed. On April 11, 1899, Lieutenant James C. Gillmore landed in Baler and attempted to rescue the Spanish soldiers against the wishes of Major Nemecio Bartolome, an officer in the Philippine army. The Philippine army captured Gillmore and his troop of 14 soldiers, marching them all the way to the Ilocos region and abandoning them there. The American party was later rescued on December 28, 1899.

The Spanish troops finally surrendered on June 2, 1899. A month before, Cerezo was already considering surrender due to the army’s extreme privation. Hewas finally convinced that the war was over by a newspaper left by Lt. Col. Cristobal Aguilar, which reported the surrender of Spain. The remaining 33 soldiers left the church in June to the sound of their trumpet of surrender and to the cries of “Amigos! Amigos!” from the Filipinos who had besieged them. The Spanish solders were officially commended by President Emilio Aguinaldo for their courage, given safe conduct passes, and permitted to go directly back to Spain. (Baler Church)

After a tour to the church and after taking some pictures, Dennis has started telling us of what he knew about the history of the church. We proceeded to the town plaza which was just adjacent to the church.

Just across the street, we have walked towards the Baler Museum and the humble nipa hut where Pres. Manuel L. Quezon was born. Again, because of time constraint, we were not able to go inside the Baler Museum because it was already late in the afternoon.  The day was not wasted though because we were able to see the places we wanted to see but there could have been a lot more. 

Birthplace of Pres. Manuel Luis Quezon

Historical Marker of the Birthplace of Pres. Quezon

 

Bronze Statue of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon

Presidential Car

We have not planned for an overnight, but before heading home, we went to the Sabang Beach where we treated ourselves to a sumptuous dinner.

 

 

 

 

It was not a futile trip though, but we still plan to go back to Baler, Aurora Province.  Aurora offers a lot of beautiful and scenic places that we still would want to see.  I, personally, would want to see more of Baler and I also would want to witness the break of dawn by the sea.