FRANCISCO BARGAZA (1873- )
WHEN the Philippine Revolution broke out in August 1896, Placido Campos was the captain municipal of Dasmariñas, Cavite, and Francisco Barzaga the municipal secretary. Together they liberated the town from Spanish control beginning September 3, four days after the capture of the tribunal of Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit) by Emilio Aguinaldo and his Voluntaros.
Dasmariñas, however, was recaptured by the Spaniards in March 1897, as a result of the counter-offensive launched by General Jose La Chambre. When Aguinaldo returned from Hongkong in May 1898, Dasmariñas regained her freedom. Campos and Barzaga were appointed by Aguinaldo as comandante and capitan, respectively, of the town. But in January 1899, after the proclamation of the First Philippine Republic, Aguinaldo appointed Kapitan Kiko, the popular name of Barzaga, justice of the peace of Dasmariñas.
At the inception of the American regime Dasmariñas was placed under military rule. About mid-February 1900 under order No. 43 issued by the Military Administration, the residents of Dasmariñas were directed to hold an election of their municipal officials, and Barzaga was elected president. The vice-president and seven councilors were also elected.
But on October1, 1901, after the Military Government in the Philippines was replaced by a Civil Government under Governor William Howard Taft, another election was held and Placido Campos was elected municipal president in the first meeting of municipal officials under Campos, his long-time comrade-in-arms, Francisco Barzaga, was designated municipal treasurer of Dasmariñas.
From 1906 to 1907 Barzaga served as councilor of Dasmariñas, but in the general election of 1922, he was again elected president of the municipality.
The son of Hermogenes Barzaga and Manuela Eñano, Francisco Barzaga was born in Dasmariñas on April 2, 1873. He first studied in the public school of the town, and then transferred to the old municipality of Cavite where he finished his segunda ansenanza. Due to lack of means he was not able to pursue higher education in Manila.
Before entering public service, Barzaga had been a clerk in the Cavite arsenal. He then served as clerk in the Court of First Instance of Cavite. He was the municipal secretary during the term of Gregorio Bautista, capitan municipal of Dasmariñas, shortly before the outbreak of the Revolution.
Barzaga was married to the former Bernarda Mangubat on January 14, 1895. The date and place of his death are unknown.
(Source: (1) Talambuhay ni Francisco Barzaga, a mimeographed autobiography; and (2) “Francisco Barzaga”, a thumbnail biography written by Medina M. Barzaga.)