MARIANO ALVAREZ (1831-1934)
Marino Avarez was one of the oldest leaders of the Philippine Revolution. Born on August 19,1831 (another source says March 15, 1818, which was improbable), Alvarez was 65 when the revolution broke out. He was older than General Licerio Topacio of Imus by eight years.
Alvarez was the incumbent capitan municipal of Noveleta, Cavite, when the Katipunan secret society was discovered by the Spaniards in August 1896. He had previously occupied the same position for 12 years, after which he became justice of the peace of Noveleta. Having seen the abuses and other acts of injustice committed by the Spaniards, Alvarez had been from his youth a “revolutionist” by temperament.. One story says that when a Spaniard, who had fallen from his horse, asked for some drinking water, Alvarez, had him drink polluted water from a canal. The Castilian reported the incident to the authorities, and Alvarez was imprisoned and tortured. This happened in 1871.
The following year, 1872, the Famous Cavite Mutiny took place, and Alvarez was again arrested and tortured because of his association with Fr. Jose Burgos, whose autographed picture was found in his possession. He would have been executed or banished to the Marianas had not a good friend, Lorenzo Araneta y Protacio, perhaps a high Spanish official, intercede in his behalf with the governor General.
One source says that Alvarez joined the Katipunan in April 1895. This is quite surprising because Emilio Aguinaldo, then capitan municipal of Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit), had been inducted one month earlier in mid-March of the same year, through the efforts of Alvarez a son, Santiago who was a close friend of Aguinaldo’s. It would seem that Santiago, a young man without any official responsibility, had become a Katipunero ahead of his father. Santiago belonged to the age bracket of Andres Bonifacio, the Katipunan Supremo, who was related to the Alvarez by affinity, his wife, Gregoria de Jesus, being a niece of the elder Alvarez.
Mariano Alvarez was a founder and first President of the Magdiwang Council of the Katipunan in Cavite. But when Bonifacio came to Cavite in December1896, Alvarez relinquished the presidency of the council to the Supremo, who become the “Haring Bayan” (King). Alvarez was content with being Pangalawang Haring Bayan or Vice-Rey (Vice King) of the Magdiwang Council. Another story says Bonifacio appointed Alvarez as a “ Second Supremo of the Katipunan”.
Alvarez was present during the ill-fated Tejeros Convention. He signed the acta de Tejeros and the Naik Military Agreement, both document being seditious and counter-revolutionary, doubtless at the instance of Bonifacio who was defeated by Emilio Aguinaldo at the convention.
The son of Severino Alvarez and Maria Malia of Noveleta, Alvarez obtained a teacher’s diploma from the colegio de San Jose in Manila, where he met Father Burgos. He taught for some years in a public school in Naik, Cavite, and later became its principal. In May 1863 he was married to Nicolasa Virata by whom he had an only son, Santiago.
Shocked and disillusioned by the arrest and execution of Bonifacio by the revolutionary Government headed by Emilio Aguinaldo, Alvarez decided to withdraw from further participation in the revolutionary struggle. He retired from public life at the inception of the Philippine-American War. He passed away on August 25, 1924.
(Sources: (1) “ Noveleta: Its History and People,” an 88-page brochure prepared by the rural service participants at a seminar in Noveleta, January 1-15, 1979; (2) National Historical Commission, Eminent Filipinos, 1965; (3) Sol H. Gwekoh, “ Marino Alvarez: Second Katipunan Supremo,” Hall of Fame, Manila Times, date of publication being inadvertently misplaced; (4) Emilio Aguinaldo, Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan, 1964; and (5) “Heneral Mariano Alvarez,” August 31, 1980.”)