Simeón Ola y Arboleda (September 2, 1865 – February 14, 1952) is a hero of the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

and was the last general of the Philippines to surrender to the American forces after the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

Early life

Simeón Ola was born on September 2, 1865, to Vicente Ola and Apolonia Arboleda. He enrolled in Mater Salutis College Seminary and studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, but did not graduate.

Revolutionary

He joined the local branch of the

Katipunan The Katipunan (), officially known as the (; ) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, an ...

in his hometown province of

Albay Albay (IPA: ), officially the Province of Albay (; ; Baybayin, ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, mostly on the southeastern part of the isla ...

and later became its leader. With the help of a parish priest he was able to acquire arms to support his men. He was promoted to the rank of captain after the Battle of Camalig in Albay, 1898 and to the rank of major after an ambush mission that led to the capture of three Americans. He was the leader of the subsequent attacks on Oas,

Ligao 'Ligao'', officially the City of Ligao (; ), is a component city in the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 118,096 people. Most of the city's economy came from agriculture sector. Ligao is ...

, and Jovellar. He later surrendered on the condition that his men would be granted amnesty. He was put on trial and convicted of sedition. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison. In 1904, he was given a pardon and returned to his place of birth and became the

municipal president A ''presidente municipal'' ( English: "municipal president") is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. This title was also used in the Philippines during the Spanish and American colonial periods; it is comparable to a mayor of the tow ...

Controversies

At least two potential problems surrounded Ola as the last general to surrender to the American forces. First, he had surrendered earlier on July 5, 1901, as an officer (major) of

Vito Belarmino Vito Belarmino y Loyola (June 15, 1857 – July 14, 1933) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution. During the revolution, he was codenamed "Walang Gulat" by fellow Katipuneros. He was placed by Emilio Aguinaldo in command in the ...

. Second, his role as a zone commander is not mentioned in

Miguel Malvar Miguel Malvar y Carpio (September 27, 1865 – October 13, 1911) was a Filipino general who served during the Philippine Revolution and, subsequently, during the Philippine–American War. He assumed command of the Philippine revolutionary forc ...

's statement on the condition of his command that he provided in December 1901. Nor was any documentation of his commission as general preserved.

Death

Simeon Ola died on February 14, 1952, and was interred at the Roman Catholic Cemetery of

Guinobatan Guinobatan, officially the Municipality of Guinobatan (; East Miraya Bikol: ''Banwa ning Guinobatan''; ), is a municipality in the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,786 people. The town is ...

. In 2003 his remains were transferred to the Ola Shrine.

Memorials

The

regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

command in

Legazpi City Legazpi (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially the City of Legazpi (; ), is a Component City, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a ...

, formerly known as Camp Ibalon, was renamed Camp Simeon A. Ola on June 24, 1991 in his honor. "Simeon Ola Day" on September 2 was declared a special non-working holiday under Republic Act 11136.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ola, Simeon 1865 births 1952 deaths People of the Philippine Revolution Filipino generals People from Albay Bicolano people Katipunan members Mayors of places in Albay People from the Spanish East Indies Recipients of American pardons