Geronimo M. Cristobal

(D. 1897)

One of the Thirteen Martyrs of Bagumbayan

 

 

He was an infantry corporal in the regiment known by the nickname “Burgos.” As he stood there facing the array of guns pointed menacingly at him and his companions, he must have thought it rather unreal that he should meet his fate at the hand of his former comrades-in-arms, some of whom could be his friends.

 

His name was Geronimo Medina Cristobal, one of the 13 martyrs of Bagumbayan.

 

It all started one ominous night when Spanish authorities raided the printing shop of the Diario de Manila and confiscated incriminating materials that would confirm the existence of the much whispered-about and feared secret society of determined men who were said to be plotting a bloody revolution for the independence of the Philippines. Houses and other places were also raided, and suspected members, sympathizers, and supporters of the Katipunan were arrested and thrown into prisons, where many of them were brutally tortured. Cristobal must have been named by one of those tortured as a Katipunero, thus sealing his fate.

 

Cristobal, along with 12 of his compatriots, was shot at Bagumbayan on January 11, 1897. They would be honored henceforth as the 13 martyrs of Bagumbayan.

 

 

Paula Katrina A. Vidallo

 

 

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