Santiago Virata Álvarez (; born Santiago Álvarez y Virata; July 25, 1872 – October 30, 1930) was a revolutionary general and a founder and honorary president of the first directorate of the short-lived earlier ''Partido Nacionalista'' which existed from 1901 to 1907. Also known as ''Kidlat ng Apoy'' (''En'': Lightning of Fire; Fiery Lightning) because of his inflamed bravery and dedication as commander of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...

's famous battles (particularly that in Dalahican), he was celebrated in present-day Cavite City as the Hero of the Battle of Dalahican.

Early life

A native of

Imus Imus (), officially the City of Imus (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and ''de jure'' Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 cens ...

, Santiago was the eldest child of revolutionary general Mariano Alvarez (1818–1924) and Nicolasa Virata. After his birth, his family immediately moved to Tierra Alta,

(present-day Noveleta) where he acquired his early education at age seven under Sr. Antonio Dacon. He was later transferred to another private school in Cavite Nuevo (present-day Cavite City) where he was taught by Don Ignacio Vilocillo. Since his parents wanted him to become a teacher, he was sent to

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and enrolled at a school situated along Camba Street in

Tondo, Manila Tondo is a district located in Manila, Philippines. It is the largest, in terms of area and population, of Manila's sixteen districts, with a census-estimated 654,220 people in 2020. It consists of two congressional districts. It is also the se ...

and was headed by Don Macario Hernández. However, his academic endeavors were interrupted by the revolution in 1896. After the revolution, he enrolled at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

but later transferred to the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (), also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. I ...

where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts. He then took up law at the Liceo de Manila.

Personal life

Santiago married Maria Paz Granados of

Tanza Tanza, officially the Municipality of Tanza (), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 312,116 people. It has a land ar ...

, Cavite with whom he had ten children - Marta, Magdalena, Gabriel, Pacita, Numeriano, Egmidio, Rosendo, Virginia, Amalia, and Fidel.

Philippine Revolution

Prior to the outbreak of the revolution, Santiago was already a delegado general of the provincial council of the Katipunan in Cavite. He became captain general and later, commander-in-chief, of the Magdiwang forces and valiantly fought the Spaniards from 1896 to 1897. With his father, Mariano Álvarez, and cousin, General

Pascual Álvarez Pascual Álvarez y de Jésus (May 17, 1861 – March 8, 1923) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and member of the Magdiwang revolutionary organization. He was a nephew of Mariano Álvarez and the second Municipal President ...

, they liberated Noveleta from the Spaniards on August 31, 1896. A notable combatant, Santiago displayed heroism and bravery in various battles within Noveleta, specifically in the towns of Naic, Maragondon, Magallanes, Tanza, Alfonso, Silang, Imus, and Francisco de Malabon. From November 9 to 11, 1896, Alvarez won a decisive victory against General Ramon Blanco at the 36-hour Battle of Dalahican, one of the bloodiest battles at the advent 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), ...

. Although marginalized within the ranks of the revolution with the ascendancy of a rival faction, Alvarez continued to support the cause of the revolution.

American occupation

During the establishment of the American civil government in the Philippines in 1901, Alvarez assisted in the organization of the Partido Nacionalista (1901–1907), wherein he later became president of its directorate. In 1902, Governor-General

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

assigned him as presiding officer of the Junta Magna de la Comisión de la Paz (Great Council of the Peace Commission) which was formed to accelerate the rehabilitation of the country from the destruction caused by the war. Álvarez joined in the founding of the

Philippine Independent Church The Philippine Independent Church (; ), officially referred to by its Philippine Spanish name (IFI) and colloquially called the Aglipayan Church, is an independent catholic Christian denomination, in the form of a nationalist church, in the ...

where he also served as one of its local leaders. He organized the Makabuhay Association in 1912 which aimed for mutual assistance and confraternity.

Death

On October 30, 1930, at age 58, he died of paralysis in San Pablo, Laguna and was buried at the Noveleta Public Cemetery.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Mario Capalad in the 2012 film, '' El Presidente''. * Portrayed by Allen Edzfar in the 2013 TV series, ''

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 ...

''.

Written works

*''The Katipunan and the Revolution: Memoirs of a General '' *''Recalling the Revolution: Memoirs of a Filipino General''

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Santiago 1872 births 1930 deaths People from Imus People of the Philippine Revolution Filipino generals Former Roman Catholics Members of the Philippine Independent Church Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni