Palaris
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Juan de la Cruz, also known as Palaris, (8 January 1733 – 26 February 1765) was a
Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
leader in the province of
Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
who led a revolt against the colonial authorities during the 18th century. The uprising is known as the
Palaris Revolt The Palaris Revolt of 1762–1765 was led by Juan de la Cruz Palaris, also known as "Pantaleón Pérez", of Binalatongan (now San Carlos City), Pangasinan.
.


Early years

De la Cruz was born to Santiago de la Cruz, a village chief, and Catalina Ugnay, both of the town of Binalatongan (now San Carlos City), Pangasinan. He had a brother (Colet) and a sister (Simeona). Being a family of a village chief (or ''cabeza de barangay'', in Spanish), the De la Cruz clan were members of Binalatongan's ''principalia'' (ruling class). Little is known of the personal circumstances of De la Cruz except that he was educated in Binalatongan and was orphaned in his teens. He then moved to
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
and worked as the coachman of the Spanish official Francisco Enríquez de Villacorta, a member of the ''Audiencia Real'', which served as the privy council of the governor-general who governed the Philippines. Palaris' revolt became known as the second wave of the Pangasinenses resistance against Spain (first wave was initiated by Andres Malong decades earlier). The lore of the Amputi Layag that came to be known across Pangasinan was revived by Palaris (Malong started the first revolt that culminated in the first Amputi Layag resistance).


Homecoming and revolt

After the British Invasion of the Philippines during the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
, the Spanish colonial government, including Villacorta, had relocated to
Bacolor Bacolor, officially the Municipality of Bacolor ( pam, Balen ning Bakúlud; tgl, Bayan ng Bacolor), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 48,066 people. Bacolor ...
in the province of
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...
, which was then adjacent to Pangasinan. It was at this time that the principalia of Binalatongan protested the abuses committed by the provincial governor. The town leaders demanded that the governor be removed and that the colonial government stop collecting taxes since the islands were already under the British. But Governor-General
Simon de Anda Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genu ...
dismissed the demands and the revolt broke out in November 1762. The name of de la Cruz, who began to be known as Palaris, emerged as one of the leaders of the revolt, along with his brother Colet, Andrés López, and Juan de Vera Oncantin.


Free Pangasinan

By December, all Spanish officials, except the
Dominican friar The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
s who were in charge of the Catholic mission, had left Pangasinan. The Spanish colonial government had to deal with the British invaders and the simultaneous Silang Revolt, led by
Diego Silang Diego Silang y Andaya (; December 16, 1730 – May 28, 1763) was a Filipino revolutionary leader who allied with British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the northern Philippines and establish an independent Ilocano state. His revolt was f ...
, in the neighboring province of Ilocos in the north. (The present-day province of
La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union ( ilo, Probinsia ti La Union; Kankanaey'': Probinsyan di La Union;'' Ibaloi'': Probinsya ne La Union;'' pag, Luyag/Probinsia na La Union; Tagalog'': Lalawigan ng La Union),'' is a province in th ...
was still part of Pangasinan and Ilocos.) At the battle of Agno, he faced on March 1, 1763 the Spanish forces under the command of Alfonso de Arayat, who led a composite troop of Spanish soldiers and Indios loyal to Spain. Arayat withdrew after losing much of his Indio loyalists. Pangasinenses took over all official functions and controlled the province up to the Agno River, the natural boundary between Pangasinan and neighboring Pampanga in the south. (The present-day province of Tarlac was still part of Pampanga.) At the height of the uprising, Palaris commanded 10,000 men. He was also in communication with Silang, with whom he was coordinating a bigger offensive against the Spanish.


Defeats

However, the Seven Years' War ended on February 10, 1763 with the signing of the
Treaty of Paris (1763) The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Kingdom of France, France and Spanish Empire, Spain, with Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal in agree ...
in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Also, Silang was assassinated on May 28, 1763 by an Indio under the employ of the friars. The Spanish were then able to focus on the uprising and mustered forces to surround Palaris. The Spanish friars, who were allowed to stay in the province, also started a campaign to persuade Pangasinan residents of the futility of the Palaris Revolt. By September 1763, news of the peace treaty reached Pangasinan and army of Palaris' men surrendered and returned to normal life amid the Spanish offensive. Palaris tried to fend off the offensive at the village of Mabalitec near the
Agno River The Agno River, or Pangasinan River, is a river in the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. Traversing the provinces of Baguio and Pangasinan, it is one of the largest river systems in the country, with a drainage area of . The river originate ...
between Binalatongan and
Bayambang Bayambang, officially the Municipality of Bayambang ( pag, Baley na Bayambang; ilo, Ili ti Bayambang; tgl, Bayan ng Bayambang), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census it has a popul ...
in December 1763. To prevent the Spanish from seeking lodging in his hometown, he ordered his men to raze Binalatongan. But the Spanish won the Battle of Mabalitec, demoralizing Palaris' forces. The town of Binalatongan was rebuilt in another site between December 1763 to June 1764 and renamed San Carlos (now
San Carlos City, Pangasinan San Carlos, officially the City of San Carlos ( pag, Siyudad na San Carlos; ilo, Siudad ti San Carlos; fil, Lungsod ng San Carlos), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...
), in honor of the reigning King Carlos III of Spain. Palaris' forces made a last stand at the town of San Jacinto,
Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
, but they were defeated. Palaris' advisers, Andrés López and Juan de Vera Oncantin, were captured. They would later be hanged.


Downfall

By March 1764, most of the province had already fallen, leaving Palaris no escape route except through Lingayen Gulf and the South China Sea in the west. He chose to stay in Pangasinan and hid among his supporters. But his presence terrified his protectors and his own sister Simeona, who was apparently threatened by the Spanish clergy, betrayed him to Agustín Matias, the ''gobernadorcillo'' (mayor) of the razed Binalatongan. Palaris was arrested on Jan. 16, 1765 and brought to the provincial capital of Lingayen for trial. While in detention, he confessed being the principal leader of the revolt. He was convicted and hanged on Feb. 26, 1765. He was 32 years old.


References

* National Historical Institute, ''Filipinos in History'' Volume 4 (Manila: National Historical Institute, 1995) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palaris People from San Carlos, Pangasinan Paramilitary Filipinos 1733 births 1765 deaths