Monument of Leon Kilat

Argao | Badian | Balamban | Boljoon | Carcar

Cave | Churches | College | Convent | Rotunda

Who could ever imagine that a simple boy, once an acolyte in church, would turn out to become a legendary hero. Who could have thought that an innocent lad who didn't even finish elementary would rise up as a man of distinguished valor to fight for Filipino freedom.

Born in Bacong, Negros Oriental on the 27th of July 1873, "Leon Kilat," the nom de guerre (war alias name) of Pantaleon Villegas de Solde was the military leader in the onset of hostilities in April 1898.

In 1895, he left Bacong for the port town of Cebu and worked for MacLeod & Co. as an abaca press laborer. The story goes that Leon also worked as an erand boy for Botica Antigua, a German-owned pharmacy, a delivery man, at the same time, a baker for Pascuala Cala's bakeshop and a jockey-horse trainer for Federico Laing.

Sometime in the middle of 1896, he joined a circus troupe, which was then on its way to Manila. While in Manila, Leon was brought into Emilio Aguinaldo's revolutionary society, the Katipunan. In late 1897 or early 1898, he was sent to Cebu to help lead the rebel movement. It was here where Leon and his men planned a revolt against the Spaniards on the Easter Sunday of 1898. The Spaniards however, learned about the scheduled uprising. As Leon was informed about the Spanish discovery of the intended insurrection, he became determined to fight the Spaniards on that day of the discovery. Thus, he said: "In that case, we rise in arms today."

For that reason, on April 3, 1898, the afternoon of Palm Sunday, General Leon Kilat staged a bloody "hand-to-hand" combat right at the now Leon Kilat and Tres de Abril Streets in Cebu City. As the Spaniards obtained reinforcements, Leon Kilat and his men went to Carcar to seek help from the people. Leon Kilat tried to regroup his men to confront the progressing Spaniards. However, in the early hours of Good Friday, April 8, Leon Kilat was perfidiously murdered - allegedly upon orders of prominent mestizos of Carcar. The assassination of Leon Kilat was said to have happened, through the "intercession of Don Florencio Noel" in the Sato residence. On that day of Leon Kilat's death, the Spaniards gained control of Carcar.

Leon Kilat was one of the greatest Filipino revolutionaries in the rebellion against Spain. He was reputed as a tagolilong (one who has an amulet to appear and disappear when one so desires). It was commonly believed that Leon Kilat could also swallow knives, bend bladed weapons and fly on a magic handkerchief.

Now, at the "patio" of St. Catherine's Church, Leon Kilat's monument stands elegantly as a symbol of Carcaranon gratitude. The monument shows the general with a sword in hand, riding his legendary horse "Puti." Constructed under the administration of former mayor Galileo "Liling" G. Varga, it was built to honor Leon Kilat who died in the town. It is a constant reminder to Carcaranons and Cebuanos of Leon Kilat's remarkable heroism.

The Legend of Leon Kilat.

Years after their deeds, heroes turn into monuments and myths. In the collective imagination, their acts of valor and sacrifice are transformed into the works of men and women possessing wondrous talents, mystical powers, and magical amulets. They themselves become larger than life, even larger than the movie screen.

Pantaleon Villegas was just an ordinary man from a town called Bacong in Negros Oriental. He once worked in Cebu for a German pharmacy owner and had experience as a jock in horse racing. The Cebuanos whom he met described him as convincing in his speech, well manned, respectful, approachable, sociable and talkative.

Pantaleon was also quite an acrobat. In his anti-Spanish revolutionary activities, the skill came in handy. With the circus as front, he and his companions were able to meet without being held suspect by the Spanish authorities.

He seemed ordinary enough except that his sister, Silvestra Villegas-Tindoc, swore that he could swallow the blade of a long dagger up to its handle and fold the dagger with one hand while turning a gold coin into powder in another fist.

An unnamed person also attested to having seen Pantaleon Villegas ride Alladin-like on a handkerchief on his way to Cebu. Even the men who fought under him in the 1898 Revolution claimed that his numerous amulets rendered him invulnerable to bullets.

Pantaleon's death was no less bizarre. Like the Biblical Christ, he also died on a Good Friday.

The tide of war turned against Cebuano insurrectos on the Maundy Thursday of 1898. In the afternoon of that day, Pantaleon Villegas and other Katipuneros marched weary and wounded to the southern Cebu town of Carcar. They arrived in Carcar in the evening.

Pantaleon was billeted in the house of First Capitan Municipal Timoteo Barcenilla. A banquet was held to celebrate the revolutionary leader's arrival.

Unknown to Pantaleon, a group of the town's elite wanted him dead. They feared, among others, bombing from the Spanish gunboat Paragua.

It was a certain Apolinario Alcuitas, said to be Pantaleon's right-hand man, who did the honors of stabbing him at dawn. Bullets, it was said, could not hurt Pantaleon, only by a dagger's cold steel. And Alcuitas was careful to remove the casulla-like anting-anting from the sleeping revolutionary leader before forcing the dagger into his chest.

So it came to pass that the revolution in Cebu temporarily lost a leader and the man from Bacong, Negros Oriental became Leon Kilat, Cebu's Lightning General.