Benito Natividad
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Benito Natividad y Alejandrino (January 12, 1875 – December 1, 1964) was a military leader, a governor and a judge. His parents were Gervasia Alejandrino and Mamerto Natividad, Sr. a lawyer and the First Martyr of
Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...
who was executed by the Spanish authorities on Sept. 26, 1896 in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. He fought in the
Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...
against Spain and was exiled to Hong Kong with Aguinaldo and other revolutionaries in accordance with the Treaty of Biak Na Bato. He also fought in the
Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...
and was one of the last to surrender together with Gen. Manuel Tinio, after the capture of Aguinaldo. He was wounded twice in battle.


Philippine Revolution

Together with his brother Mamerto Jr., Benito joined the
Katipunan The Katipunan (), officially known as the (; ) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, an ...
to avenge their father's death. The Spaniards retaliated by burning their house and sugar mills at Jaen, Nueva Ecija. Thereafter, Benito and five of his brothers traveled to Binakayan, Cavite, where they were the house guests of
Baldomero Aguinaldo Baldomero Aguinaldo y Baloy (February 27, 1869 – February 4, 1915) was a leader of the Philippine Revolution. He was the first cousin of Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines, as well as the grandfather of Cesar Virata, a ...
. All six brothers fought in the Philippine rebellion against the Spanish authorities. In Pintong Bato,
Imus Imus (), officially the City of Imus (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and ''de jure'' Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 cens ...
,
Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...
, Benito was first wounded in battle.


Pact Of Biak-Na-Bato

Benito Natividad was one of those who signed the Biak-na-Bato Constitution and was later exiled to
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
together with Gen.
Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...
in 1897. He returned to the Philippines to continue fighting against the Spaniards.


Philippine–American War

At the outbreak of the war with the Americans, the then Colonel Benito Natividad served as an aide to Lieutenant General
Antonio Luna Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipinos, Filipino army general and a pharmacist who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination on June 5, 1899, at the age ...
and distinguished himself for valorous conduct in the
Central Luzon Central Luzon (; ; ; ; ), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, San Fernando City serving as the re ...
campaigns. In the Battle of Bagbag during the
Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...
in 1899, he was almost killed fighting by the side of Luna, suffering a serious bullet wound in the leg. His relative and comrade in arms Hortencio Batu and a young Lieutenant
Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...
hid Natividad in a hay stack until they were able to retrieve him. Manuel L. Quezon was later promoted to captain for getting Natividad safe behind the lines. At age 24, Natividad was promoted to Brigadier General for this act, becoming one of the youngest generals to fight the Americans. The wounds were serious enough to disable Natividad for some time and it also served as a blessing in disguise because, had he been physically fit, he would have been with Luna during that fatal trip to
Cabanatuan Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan (; ; kapampangan language, Kapampangan: ''Lakanbalen/Ciudad ning Cabanatuan''), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Acco ...
. When Brigadier General Manuel Tinio was recalled by Aguinaldo and ordered to help him in the reorganization of the forces in Nueva Ecija in June 1899, Benito temporarily took over command of the Ilocos provinces. He became a cripple due to his wounds, which healed quickly but were never operated on, earning him the moniker ''El Cojo'' from Spanish and American prisoners in
Vigan Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
. In September 1899, Tinio and his army of the north were finally called to the frontline to guard the beaches of
Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan (, ; ; ), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan, Lingayen while San Carlos, Pangasi ...
and
La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union (; ; ; ; ; ), is a coastal province in the Philippines situated in the Ilocos Region on the island of Luzon. The province's capital, the San Fernando, La Union, City of San Fernando, is the most ...
but Natividad stayed behind as post commander in Vigan. He remained together with some officers and 50 riflemen who, together, with the 20 men in Bangued and a few others scattered in neighboring towns – less than a company in all — made up the only armed insurgent force that guarded the whole Ilocos region at that time. Aside from safeguarding territories, they also had to deal with the guarding of 4,000 Spanish prisoners (including one general) and 25 American prisoners of war scattered in those towns. Even if the large number of prisoners could overpower Natividad's men, they did not even think to rise against the general because they were treated very well and deemed ''El Cojo'', a man not to fool with. After Tinio reassumed command of the Ilocos provinces three months later, Natividad decided to cast his lot with the Tinio Brigade and participated actively in its operations. In spite of his wounds, he refused to give himself up to the Americans. Dragging his right leg, Benito chose to remain with the Tinio Brigade when they took to the mountains to wage
guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...
. Natividad's bravery and persistence were described by fellow guerrilla, Juan Villamor: "This Filipino military chief held tenaciously to the ideal of the Filipino war notwithstanding his helplessness as a result of his wounds, one of which compelled him to drag his right leg, making it very difficult for him to climb the mountains, preferring instead to take his luck with the Brigade in its guerrilla operation, rather than surrender himself to the enemy as others had done."


Surrender

The Americans occupied Vigan on November 27, 1900. Natividad moved out with the Spanish and American prisoners the day before and brought the news to Tinio in Abra. When offered a proposition for peace by the Americans, Natividad, together with all other guerrilla leaders present, resolved that "the final action of the Tinio Brigade should depend upon the decision of the Honorable President." It was heroic of these young men to agree upon a noble decision such as this at a time when they were not even sure if Aguinaldo was still alive and when rumors were in fact out that he had already died. The Americans, after conquering Filipino forces in Abra, launched a concerted attack on Tinio's forces in Ilocos Sur. Tinio's forces managed to thwart the Americans until April 30, 1901, before surrendering the next day to Brigadier General
J. Franklin Bell James Franklin Bell (January 9, 1856 – January 8, 1919) was an officer in the United States Army who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1906 to 1910. Bell was a Major general (United States), major general in the Regular ...
at Sinait. (Aguinaldo was captured on March 23, 1901, at his headquarters in Palanan by Brigadier General
Frederick Funston Frederick Funston (November 9, 1865 – February 19, 1917), also known as Fighting Fred Funston, was a General officer, general in the United States Army, best known for his roles in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American ...
.) Included in the surrender were Natividad, Tinio, Colonel Joaquin Alejandrino, Lieutenant Colonel J. Vicente Salazar, Captain Feliciano Ramoso and 23 other officers with 350 riflemen attached to the headquarters command of the Tinio Brigade. The May 8, 1901 issue of the newspaper ''La Fraternidad'' reads, "The first day of May is now for two reasons an important date in contemporary Philippine history -- 1898 the destruction of the Spanish squadron in Cavite; 1901, the surrender of Generals Tinio and Natividad and the complete pacification of Northern Luzon." In his book, ''The Tinio Brigade'', Orlino Ochosa writes, "And who cannot help but admire the very examples of Generals Tinio and Natividad or Colonel Alejandrino and Salazar? These non-Ilocanos never abandoned their Ilocano followers even during their most difficult and trying times; in fact, they never abandoned the cause of the ''republica''...not even after Aguinaldo's fall, until every guerrilla band and every ''Katipunan'' junta in Ilocos had been destroyed so as to render further resistance futile and senseless."


Lawyer, judge, and politician

He continued his law studies at San Juan de Letran, became a full-fledged lawyer, and rose to become a judge. He tried politics under the
Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...
and won as board member of Nueva Ecija from 1907 to 1910. He was elected governor of Nueva Ecija in 1910 and served until 1913. During his term as governor, he was responsible for the construction of the concrete provincial jail building which survived the destructive blows of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The building also housed the
Court of First Instance A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually heard by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). ...
. He also appropriated funds to fast-track the building of roads and bridges linking the remote towns and municipalities to then provincial capital Cabanatuan. He successively served as provincial fiscal in the province of
Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...
in 1913,
Tarlac Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac (; ; ; ; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. It had a population of 1,503,456 people according to ...
from 1913 to 1914,
Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...
in 1914, Rizal from 1914 to 1916,
Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
from 1916 to 1917,
Albay Albay (IPA: ), officially the Province of Albay (; ; Baybayin, ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, mostly on the southeastern part of the isla ...
from 1917 to 1924, and
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...
from 1924 to 1927.Cornejo's Commonwealth Directory of the Philippines, pp. 1966 He was promoted to judge of the Court of First Instance of Leyte on January 1, 1927. On October 3, 1938, he was appointed Judge of the Court of First Instance of Cebu, 3rd Branch. He also served as a judge in Davao. He served as the Premier Vice President of the Veterans Association of the Revolution, whose President was Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. He was appointed member of the Board on Pensions for Veterans, an agency under the Department of National Defense, on July 20, 1955 by President Ramon Magsaysay.


Marriage

In 1915, Benito Natividad got married at the age of 40 to Amalia Inocencio Jaime, granddaughter of Maximo Inocencio, who was one of the 13 Martyrs of Cavite. She was 10 years his junior. They had two daughters, Aurea and Amparo.


Death

His war-time wounds kept bothering him in old age, especially during cold months. But he lived long enough to play golf in the early 1960s and to see June 12 declared as
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
. Reflecting on the past, he mentioned to his daughters that:
''He could forgive the Spaniards but never the Americans because of their deception.''
Natividad died on December 1, 1964. His remains are interred at the San Agustin Church in Intramuros.


References

* Ilocano Responses to American Aggression 1900-1901 by William Henry Scott, pp. 44, 144, 170, 178, 200 * The Tinio Brigade by Orlino A. Ochosa, pp. 14, 15, 16, 33, 47, 67–68, 85, 92, 158, 159, 172, 198, 210, 215 * Cornejo's Commonwealth Directory of the Philippines, pp. 1966 * The Price of Freedom by Gen. Jose Alejandrino, pp. 119 * Dictionary of Philippine Biography, pp. 289–292 {{DEFAULTSORT:Natividad, Benito People of the Philippine Revolution 1875 births 1964 deaths People from Nueva Ecija 20th-century Filipino judges Governors of Nueva Ecija Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni Burials at San Agustin Church (Manila)