Heroes in Pampanga: Tarik Soliman / Bambalito
FIRST MARTYR
By
Robby Tantingco
(external link)
Page 1
;
Page 2
Then
Tarik
Soliman
“left
and
without
going
down
the
stairs,
to
show
his
bravery,
jumped
out
of
a
window
to
the
street
below,
and
went
directly
to
his
caracoa.
He
told
the
Spaniards
to
inform
(Legazpi)
that
he
would
wait
at
the
mouth
of
the
estuary,
where
he
had
earlier
entered,
for
a
battle.
After
saying
this,
he began sailing, amid hurrahs, to the place he mentioned.”
Legaspi
sent
80
Spaniards
and
an
unspecified
number
of
Visayan
warriors,
led
by
his
master-of-camp,
Martin
de
Goiti,
to
Bangkusay.
“Ahead
of
them,”
the
documents
say
“was
the
caracoa
of
the
Moor
leader
(Tarik
Soliman)”
who
“courageously
fired
some
shots
and
fought
animatedly
and
without
showing
any
weakness
or
disarray,
until
he
died
from
a
rifle
shot
by
one
of
our
soldiers.
With
his
death,
they
began
to
fade
away.
They scattered and fled.”
More
than
300
Kapampangan
warriors
died
in
the
Battle
of
Bangkusay
on
June
3,
1571.
The
Spaniards
proceeded
to
conquer
the
rest
of
the
“widely
spread
province,”
meeting resistance only in Betis, “the most fortified throughout the island of Luzon.”
The
“brave
youth
from
Macabebe,”
despite
his
heroic
sacrifice,
faded
into
obscurity.
Because
many
people
confused
him
with
Rajah
Soliman
of
Manila,
and
because
he
remained
nameless
for
a
long
time,
he
did
not
gain
the
recognition
accorded
to
another hero, Lapu-lapu.
Credit
must
be
given
where
credit
is
due:
Tarik
Soliman
was
the
first
Filipino
to
die
defending
his
country.
Rajah
Soliman,
Rajah
Matanda
and
Lakan
Dula
were
ready
to
welcome
the
Spanish
invaders;he
alone
continued
resisting
them.
Lapu-lapu
killed
Magellan
and
lived
on,
Tarik
Soliman
fell
and
died
a
martyr,
thus
passing
the
ultimate
test of patriotism.
The
Battle
of
Bangkusay
should
also
be
recognized
as
historically
significant
as
the
Battle
of
Mactan.
The
Cebuanos’
victory
may
have
delayed
the
Spanish
Conquest
by
a
few
decades,
but
it
was
the
Kapampangans’
loss
that
sealed
our
fate
in
the
next
300
years
as
a
colony.
Although
it
ended
in
defeat,
the
Battle
of
Bangkusay
showcased
the
bravery
and
sacrifices
of
Kapampangans
and
altered
forever
the
destiny
of
an
entire nation.
PampangaTalents Acknowledge the first publisher of this text. It is a part of the:
Singsing Magazine for Kapampangan Studies Vol. 6 No.1 of the Holy Angel University
Heroes in Pampanga: Tarik Soliman / Bambalito
FIRST MARTYR
By
Robby Tantingco
(external link)
Page 1
;
Page 2
Then
Tarik
Soliman
“left
and
without
going
down
the
stairs,
to
show
his
bravery,
jumped
out
of
a
window
to
the
street
below,
and
went
directly
to
his
caracoa.
He
told
the
Spaniards
to
inform
(Legazpi)
that
he
would
wait
at
the
mouth
of
the
estuary,
where
he
had
earlier
entered,
for
a
battle.
After
saying
this, he began sailing, amid hurrahs, to the place he mentioned.”
Legaspi
sent
80
Spaniards
and
an
unspecified
number
of
Visayan
warriors,
led
by
his
master-of-camp,
Martin
de
Goiti,
to
Bangkusay.
“Ahead
of
them,”
the
documents
say
“was
the
caracoa
of
the
Moor
leader
(Tarik
Soliman)”
who
“courageously
fired
some
shots
and
fought
animatedly
and
without
showing
any
weakness
or
disarray,
until
he
died
from
a
rifle
shot
by
one
of
our
soldiers.
With
his
death,
they began to fade away. They scattered and fled.”
More
than
300
Kapampangan
warriors
died
in
the
Battle
of
Bangkusay
on
June
3,
1571.
The
Spaniards
proceeded
to
conquer
the
rest
of
the
“widely
spread
province,”
meeting
resistance
only
in
Betis, “the most fortified throughout the island of Luzon.”
The
“brave
youth
from
Macabebe,”
despite
his
heroic
sacrifice,
faded
into
obscurity.
Because
many
people
confused
him
with
Rajah
Soliman
of
Manila,
and
because
he
remained
nameless
for
a
long
time,
he
did
not
gain
the
recognition
accorded
to
another
hero,
Lapu-
lapu.
Credit
must
be
given
where
credit
is
due:
Tarik
Soliman
was
the
first
Filipino
to
die
defending
his
country.
Rajah
Soliman,
Rajah
Matanda
and
Lakan
Dula
were
ready
to
welcome
the
Spanish
invaders;he
alone
continued
resisting
them.
Lapu-lapu
killed
Magellan
and
lived
on,
Tarik
Soliman
fell
and
died
a
martyr,
thus
passing
the
ultimate
test of patriotism.
The
Battle
of
Bangkusay
should
also
be
recognized
as
historically
significant
as
the
Battle
of
Mactan.
The
Cebuanos’
victory
may
have
delayed
the
Spanish
Conquest
by
a
few
decades,
but
it
was
the
Kapampangans’
loss
that
sealed
our
fate
in
the
next
300
years
as
a
colony.
Although
it
ended
in
defeat,
the
Battle
of
Bangkusay
showcased
the
bravery
and
sacrifices
of
Kapampangans
and
altered
forever the destiny of an entire nation.
PampangaTalents
Acknowledge
the
first
publisher
of
this
text.
It
is
a
part of the:
Singsing
Magazine
for
Kapampangan
Studies
Vol.
6
No.1
of
the
Holy Angel University