Hilario Abellana was born in Barrio Duljo, San Nicolas, Cebu on October 23, 1896.[2] The only son of Andres Abellana, he passed the bar exams and became a lawyer in 1920.[3]
Political career
Abellana entered local politics in 1922 where he ran for municipal president (presently, the equivalent of mayor) of Cebu under Democrata Party after Paulino Gullas, founder of Visayan Institute (now University of Visayas) declined the party's nomination. Abellana defeated the Nacionalista Party's candidate,[3] the four-term Fructuoso Ramos[4] who had been in the position for a decade.[3] He was later replaced by Alberto Mansueto.[4]
On December 9, 1940, then incumbent Governor Buenaventura Rodriguez, who was seeking for a reelection for a second term, died from a heart attack.[3] It was the day before the election and Abellana, who was the campaign manager,[3] was chosen as substitute candidate.[7] He only had hours to launch and conduct his campaign, but he still won the election by defeating Mariano Mercado.[8]
Japanese occupation
On April 10, 1942, as the Japanese forces landed in Cebu, Abellana escaped to the town of Badian and in his absence, Jose Leyson became the de facto governor of Cebu.[3] On June 12, 1942, he returned to the city and resumed his post as governor with Leyson as vice governor. He urged government officers and employees to report back to work on June 30, 1942 or they would be considered enemies of the Japanese and executed.[9] He chose to remain in office, hoping that by staying close to[10] and feigning collaboration with the Japanese forces he could provide aid to the Cebuano guerillas.[11]
Escape
In running the civilian provincial government, he maintained ties with the resistance movement, and his position proved to be untenable in the time of intimidation, fear, and executions.[9] He was gradually stripped of responsibilities and realized he was utilized by the Japanese for propaganda. Under surveillance day and night,[10] he made his escape on January 16, 1943[9] using the procession of Santo Niño, the culminating activity of the yearly Sinulog festivities which was attended by thousands of devotees and when street traffic in Cebu City was closed, as distraction.[10]
Manhunt
A manhunt was launched when he failed to report to his office the following Monday. His family fled to Bohol while he traveled to the guerilla base in Tabunan,[9] a mountainous barangay in Central Cebu.[12] When the Japanese launched an offensive on Tabunan, he escaped to Inabanga, Bohol with his family. Later, he met United States Colonel Wendell Fertig who was helping the guerilla army in Mindanao and acquired arms and ammunition. Hilario traveled back to Bohol, eventually sailed to Cordova, and was back in Tabunan base in July 1944.[9]
His political allies, relatives, and friends were captured, questioned, tortured and summarily executed. Jovito Abellana, his cousin and the only member of the family living in Cebu at that time, was arrested on July 13, 1944 and detained at the Cebu Normal School (now Cebu Normal University), the headquarters of the Japanese military police arm, Kempetai.[10]
Captivity
On September 3, 1944, he was captured by the Japanese in a hideout in Cabadiangan, Compostela.[9] He was incarcerated at the Kempetai headquarters in Cebu Normal School. Later, he was forced to make an appearance in the marketplace in Barangay Pardo under heavy guard to tell people to cooperate with the Japanese forces. Instead, he encouraged the people to continue resisting the enemies, at which point he was sent straight away to prison.[9]
While his cousin Jovito was released a day before, Hilario Abellana was executed at the University of the Philippines Cebu campus on January 15, 1945.[13][10] His body, which was reportedly buried in a waterway near University of the Philippines Junior College, was never found despite the exhaustive search of the family and the local government through Cebu Governor Fructuoso Cabahug, who sought help from the United States Army and the national government.[9] By June 20, 1948, Republic Act No. 334 was enacted offering reward to anyone who could find the final resting place of his remains.[14][15]
Historical commemoration
On June 22, 1957, Cebu City High School, formerly known as Cebu Provincial High School, was named Abellana Vocational School in his honor and then Abellana High School on June 7, 1961.[8]
Further reading
Abella, Pablo U, Hilario "Dodong" Abellana, a Hero Unknown & Unsung: A Biography, University of Michigan (2008)
Ouano-Savellon, Romola, In Death’s Shadow: Stories of Kempeitai Atrocities in Cebu, 1943–45, University of San Carlos (2017)
References
^Morales, Dr. Resil. "Today in the History of Cebu"(PDF). library.usc.edu.ph. University of San Carlos. Archived from the original(PDF) on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
^"Roster of Philippine Legislators". congress.gov.ph. House of the Representatives of the Philippines: Congressional Library Bureau. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
^ abcdefghMojares, Resil B. (2015). The war in Cebu. Bersales, Jose Eleazar R. (Jose Eleazar Reynes). Talamban, Cebu City, Philippines. ISBN9789715390705. OCLC945648989.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ abcdeBarreveld, Dirk J., 1941– (July 19, 2015). Cushing's coup : the true story of how Lt. Col. James Cushing and his Filipino guerrillas captured Japan's Plan Z. Philadelphia. ISBN9781612003085. OCLC915561223.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
