Guillermo Capadocia (1909-1951) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

communist politician and labour leader. He was a prominent leader of the Communist Party in the Philippines (PKP) and different labour movements. During the last one and a half years of his life he was a regional guerrilla commander of the

Hukbalahap The Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (), better known by the acronym Hukbalahap, was a communist guerrilla movement formed by the farmers of Central Luzon. They were originally formed to fight the Japanese, but extended their fight into a rebelli ...

Early life

Capadocia was born in

Negros Oriental Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...

, the son of a poor labourer. Capadocia himself survived through various employments, such as working as a chef and waiter. He became active in

trade unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

in the 1920s. Despite lacking a formal education, Capadocia became highly literate and gained a deep knowledge of Marxist-Leninist thought.

Prominence in the PKP

When the ''Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas'' (Communist Party in the Philippines or PKP) was founded, Capadocia was included in its first Central Committee.Kerkvliet, Benedict J.
The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines
'. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 221 In the labour movement, Capadocia was a leading figure in the Katipunan ng mga Anak-Pawis sa Pilipinas (KAP). Capadocia became the general secretary of the Communist Party in 1938, in the unification process with the Socialist Party.
Rectify Errors, Rebuild the Party!
' In the same year, Capadocia became the executive secretary of the Collective Labor Movement.Kurihara, Kenneth K.
Labor in the Philippine Economy
'. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1945. pp. 74-76 On January 25, 1942, Capadocia,

Pedro Abad Santos Pedro Abad Santos y Basco (, ; 31 January 1876 – 15 January 1945) was a Filipino Marxist politician. He founded the Partido Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PSP) or Philippine Socialist Party in 1929. He ran for several local elections but never won. ...

, and

Crisanto Evangelista Crisanto Abaño Evangelista (November 1, 1888 – June 2, 1942) was a Filipino communist politician and labor leader of the first half of the 20th century. He is credited as being one of the founders of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas. Evangeli ...

were arrested by the Japanese forces.Taruc, L., 1967, He Who Rides the Tiger, London: Geoffrey Chapman Ltd. He was imprisoned at

Fort Santiago Fort Santiago ( es, Fuerte de Santiago; fil, Kutà ng Santiago), built in 1571, is a citadel built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the newly established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is lo ...

. He was released after some years. When the Congress of Labor Organizations was formed in July 1945, Capadocia was included in its leadership. Capadocia became the vice president of CLO.

Later years and death

When the ''

'' rebellion broke out in 1949, Capadocia stayed overground and continued to work as a Congress of Labor Organizations leader. However, in late 1949 he went underground to lead the ''Huks'' on the island of Panay. Capadocia and several of his fighters were killed by government forces in an attack on their hide-out in the mountains of Panay in September 1951.Kerkvliet, Benedict J.
The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines
'. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 236

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capadocia, Guillermo 1909 births 1951 deaths Politicians from Negros Oriental Filipino trade union leaders Filipino communists Communist Party of the Philippines politicians