Paco Román
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Francisco Román y Velasquez (October 4, 1869 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipino soldier who became a revolutionary during Philippine Revolution and
Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
. Roman had the rank of a colonel in the Philippine Revolutionary Army, and served as the close aide of General Antonio Luna. When Luna was assassinated in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Román attempted to save him but he was also shot to death by
Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...
's presidential guards.


Personal life

Francisco Román was born on October 4, 1869, in Alcala, Cagayan to Pelagia Velásquez, a
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...
and José Román a
Spanish national Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries ** Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...
. Pelagia was the sister of Hilaria Velasquez, the mother of José and Rafael Palma. Paco's father, José, was a licensee of the tobacco monopoly system then implemented in the province. The family moved to Manila where the elder Román established a factory. Francisco then studied at
Ateneo Municipal de Manila , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...
and eventually pursued studies in Hong Kong. Roman married Juliana Piqueras, whom he had two children, Juan and Carmen.


Philippine independence struggle

Francisco Román assumed his father's business after the latter died and secretly donated to the revolutionary cause. Being the son of a Spanish national, he sided with the colonial government and was believed to have volunteered in the Spanish cavalry in order to not be suspected of aiding the revolutionary forces. At the outbreak of the
Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
, Roman joined General Antonio Luna's forces and rose to the ranks to become a colonel and Luna's aide-de-camp. Román led what came to be known as the Second Battle of Caloocan where his forces were able to push the invading American forces back to Azcárraga Street in Manila.


Assassination

While setting up his mountain headquarters in Bayambang, Pangasinan, General Antonio Luna received a telegram on June 4, 1899, from
Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 peop ...
summoning him to a conference with the President
Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...
. Román, together with Captain Eduardo Rusca, Majors Manuel Bernal, José Bernal, and Simeon Villa, and 25 cavalrymen, joined Luna to Cabanatuan. The next day, en route to Cabanatuan, a broken bridge posed to delay the entire party. Luna, accompanied by only Román and Rusca, decided to proceed immediately to the parish convent which was used as Aguinaldo's office after moving the government's capital from Malolos. At around three in the afternoon, Luna, Román, and Rusca arrived at the convent of Cabanatuan, with Luna proceeding to meet Aguinaldo. Upon hearing gunshots Román proceeded to come to Luna's aid, but was assassinated himself by Aguinaldo's personal guards from
Kawit Kawit, officially the Municipality of Kawit ( tgl, Bayan ng Kawit), is a first-class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...
, Cavite. Román was buried together with Luna at the town cemetery with military honors. However, the whereabouts of his body was lost, as Luna's was later exhumed and transferred. Aguinaldo denied any knowledge in the assassination of Luna and Román, but acknowledged his failure to persecute the people behind their deaths.


In popular culture

* Portrayed by Rogelio Aldo Yadao in the film, '' El Presidente'' (2012). * Portrayed by Joem Bascon in the film, ''
Heneral Luna ''Heneral Luna'' () is a 2015 Filipino historical biopic film depicting General Antonio Luna's leadership of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine–American War. Directed by Jerrold Tarog and produced by Artikulo Uno Product ...
'' (2015).


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roman, Paco Filipino people of Spanish descent People of the Philippine Revolution People of the Philippine–American War People from Cagayan 1869 births 1899 deaths Ateneo de Manila University alumni People from the Spanish East Indies