Santiago Virata Álvarez (; born Santiago Álvarez y Virata; July 25, 1872 – October 30, 1930) was a revolutionary general and a founder and honorary president of the first directorate of the short-lived earlier ''Partido Nacionalista'' which existed from 1901 to 1907. Also known as ''Kidlat ng Apoy'' (''En'': Lightning of Fire; Fiery Lightning) because of his inflamed bravery and dedication as commander of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southw ...

's famous battles (particularly that in Dalahican), he was celebrated in present-day Cavite City as the Hero of the

Battle of Dalahican A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...

Early life

A native of Imus,

, Santiago was the only child of revolutionary general

Mariano Alvarez Mariano is a masculine name from the Romance languages, corresponding to the feminine Mariana. It is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variant of the Roman Marianus which derived from Marius, and Marius derived from the Roman god Mars (see als ...

(1818–1924) and Nicolasa Virata. After his birth, his family immediately moved to Noveleta,

where he acquired his early education at age seven under Sr. Antonio Dacon. He was later transferred to another private school located in the present

Cavite City Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( fil, Lungsod ng Kabite, Spanish and cbk, Ciudad de Cavite), is a 4th class component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people. The city was the ...

where he was taught by Don Ignacio Vilocillo. Since his parents wanted him to become a teacher, he was sent to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

and enrolled at a school situated along Camba street in Tondo, Manila and was headed by Don Macario Hernández. However, his academic endeavors were interrupted by the revolution in 1896. After the revolution, he enrolled at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

but later transferred to the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran, (transl: College of San Juan de Letran) also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers i ...

where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts. He then took up law at the Liceo de Manila.

Personal life

Santiago married Maria Paz Granados of Tanza, Cavite with whom he had ten children - Marta, Magdalena, Gabriel, Pacita, Numeriano, Egmidio, Rosendo, Virginia, Amalia, and Fidel.

Philippine Revolution

Prior to the outbreak of the revolution, Santiago was already a delegado general of the provincial council of the Katipunan in Cavite. He became captain general and later, commander-in-chief, of the Magdiwang forces and valiantly fought the Spaniards from 1896 to 1897. With his father, Mariano Álvarez, and cousin, General Pascual Álvarez, they liberated Noveleta from the Spaniards on August 31, 1896. A notable combatant, Santiago displayed heroism and bravery in various battles within Noveleta, specifically in the towns of Naic, Maragondon, Magallanes, Tanza, Alfonso, Silang, Imus, and Francisco de Malabon. From November 9 to 11, 1896, Alvarez won a decisive victory against General Ramon Blanco at the 36-hour Battle of Dalahican, one of the bloodiest battles at the advent of the Philippine Revolution. Although marginalized within the ranks of the revolution with the ascendancy of a rival faction, Alvarez continued to support the cause of the revolution - a true testament to the character of this Caviteño.

American occupation

During the establishment of the American civil government in the Philippines in 1901, Alvarez assisted in the organization of the Partido Nacionalista (1901–1907), wherein he later became president of its directorate. In 1902, Gov.

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

assigned him as presiding officer of the Junta Magna de la Comisión de la Paz (Great Council of the Peace Commission) which was formed to accelerate the rehabilitation of the country from the destruction caused by the war. Álvarez joined in the founding of the

Philippine Independent Church , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...

where he also served as its leader. He organized the Makabuhay Association in 1912 which aimed for mutual assistance and co-fraternity.

Death

On October 30, 1930, at age 58, he died of paralysis in San Pablo City and was buried at the Noveleta Public Cemetery.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Mario Capalad in the 2012 film, '' El Presidente''. * Portrayed by Allen Edzfar in the 2013 TV series, '' Katipunan''.

Written works

*''The Katipunan and the Revolution: Memoirs of a General '' *''Recalling the Revolution: Memoirs of a Filipino General''

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Santiago 1872 births 1930 deaths People from Imus People of the Philippine Revolution Filipino generals Former Roman Catholics Members of the Philippine Independent Church Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni