4 JANUARY

Torture of Bicol Martyrs at Franciscan Basement

1897 - Eleven Filipino martyrs from Bicol are executed by firing squad by the colonial authorities during the Spanish era on charges of rebellion and sedition exactly five days after patriot and polymath Jose P. Rizal was infamously shot at Bagumbayan, Manila; Domingo Abella, Manuel Abella, Camilo Jacob, Cornelio Mercado, Florencio Lerma, Mariano Melgarejo, Gabriel Prieto, Tomas Prieto, Macario Valentin, and priests Severino Diaz, and Inocencio Herrera,  were shot amidst the lustful cheers of the Spanish spectators more than four months after the Philippine Revolution broke out; the 11 were among the 17 or Bicolanos who were arrested and tortured before the 11 were adjudged guilty and sentenced to die by the colonial court. 


Photo credit: http://saminovic.wordpress.com/special-reports/the-bicol-martyrs-of-1896-revisited/