15 JUNE

Hen. Vito L. Belarmino

1857 - Vito Belarmino y Loyola, one of the most brilliant Filipino military leaders during the Philippine Revolution against Spain and  during the bloody and protracted  Filipino-American War (1899-1914), is born in Silang, Cavite; Belarmino would join the underground-society-turned-revolutionary-government Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan nang manga Anak nang Bayan and engage the Spaniards in various skirmishes, including the 1896 attack he and Vicente Giron  will launch against colonial Spanish guards and a convent in Silang;  later, during the Phil-Am War, Belarmino would be given command of Albay province to establish a [local[ republican government; he and controversial Gen. Jose Paua (Pawa) will put up a valiant fight to defend Legaspi,  Albay against the Bald Eagle forces led by Gen. William Kobe;  following the fall of Tabaco and Naga tragically in February 1900 to the invading imperialist United States forces, Paua--who played an important role in the power grab from, and elimination of, revolutionary President Andres Bonifacio when he carried out Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's "dead or alive" order to abduct the Supremo--will soon surrender to the enemy Americans but Gen. Belarmino will for a time persist in his patriotic duty and will defiantly organize a" guerrilla outfit [to] repeatedly [harass] American installations in the Bicol region;" due to lack of ammunition, however, Belarmino decided to surrender to the enemy U.S. forces on July 4, 1901.