Chapter 7: Shock and Dismay
The Americans were in shock. After weeks of military operations and surveillance, they had finally been pushed back from Olango. Olango Island had been taken from them by the rebels—the Maradona, the Magdiwang, the Katipunan and the Cavite Mutiny—in a single week of fierce fighting.
Colonel William Henry Hasell was outraged when he heard the news. "They must have been planning this for months!" he yelled at his officers.
"Sir, with all due respect, we did not expect them to be as prepared as they were" said one lieutenant timidly.
"Are you kidding me!? How could you be so goddamned incompetent!? I swear to god if I didn't know better I'd think you wanted us to lose..." Hasell said with anger in his voice. He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing "We've lost an important strategic point in Visayas and now our mission is at risk of failure." He paused for a moment before adding "This cannot stand—I want that island retaken! We need more troops here now! Send word to Manila immediately!"
The other officers saluted and quickly dispersed to carry out their orders while Hasell barged into his office building and slammed the door shut behind him. Inside, he threw a chair against the wall in frustration and muttered oaths under his breath as he paced around his office. He knew that getting more troops from Manila would take days or even weeks; time that they simply did not have if they wanted to maintain control of West Visayas region—time was quickly running out for them.
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The news of Olango Island's capture quickly spread and reached the highest echelons of American power. President William McKinley was enraged. For months, he had received reports of Filipino revolutionaries gaining momentum and progressively taking over larger areas of the Philippines.
He had sent reinforcements, but to no avail. Even his strategy of turning Filipino against Filipino with honorific rewards for informers had done little to stop the relentless spread of rebellion.
"What is happening in these islands?" he bellowed. "The Americans have been there for nearly 3 years now and yet still these revolutionaries can outmaneuver us!"
His advisors quickly reminded him that well-trained guerrilla warfare tactics could surprise even the most well-prepared army. It was simply more difficult to effectively maneuver large numbers on foreign terrain and against an enemy who knew the environment better than they did.
McKinley paced back and forth in his office, still unable to come to terms with what had just happened: the Maradona, Magdiwang, Katipunan, and Cavite Mutiny had just taken over Olango Island after a week!
He stopped pacing for a moment and looked out of his window into the sky. He thought about how long it had been since he first heard about Rico Maradona; it seemed like so long ago now when it had only been 3 years.
The victories that Rico had won during that time were nothing more than a slap in the face to America's presence in the Philippines. He thought back to when Rico began his small-scale assaults on American garrisons and outposts in Samar with only a few hundred men, when they took Balangiga, then Basey, Catbalogan and Guiuan before moving onto San Juanico port and even further successes in east Visayas… all while amassing an ever growing army of revolutionaries who followed him into battle against America's forces time after time…
He shook his head at how much power Rico Maradona held over these people; how easily they could be swayed under his command with nothing more than a few well-timed words or fiery rhetoric speeches delivered near battle sites before leading them into battle against Americans forces that were vastly outnumber by their own men – a tactic which rarely failed him yet impressive nonetheless…
McKinley felt a great sense of shame as President of such an esteemed nation: not only were these revolts taking place on America's soil but these Filipinos were doing so with weapons mainly looted from American soldiers or even from dead soldiers from both sides who perished in prior battles – Irony truly at its finest wasn't it? Yes, something must be done.
"We must make sure this does not happen again," McKinley declared firmly as he took a seat at his desk. "We need a strategy that will break these revolutionaries' spirits."
He began ruminating aloud about possible plans of attack when one of his aides stepped forward with an idea – why not take back Samar Island? After all, it was here where Rico Maradona first started gathering local troops together and launching surprise attacks on American troops and convoys; an attack on Samar would show revolutionary groups that there were real consequences for their actions – hopefully enough to dissuade them from further attempts at taking control over other islands in the Visayas region or elsewhere across the Philippines. McKinley agreed; now all they needed was suitable reinforcements from Manila...
"Very well," McKinley stated decisively as he rose from his desk chair with newfound determination in his eyes." We shall take back Samar Island... by whatever means necessary."
McKinley was well aware that any attempt to take back the island would require a greater force than what they had at the time.
He knew he would need to rally support from nearby troops stationed in Manila or bring in new troops from abroad. He quickly sent out orders to recruit more Philippine Scouts and also began to petition Washington for additional troops.
Still, there were logistical issues that McKinley needed to solve first before any of this could commence; it was imperative that he map out possible routes of advancement so his troops could avoid the revolutionaries' defenses.
Fortunately, one of his aides recommended dispatching soldiers to nearby islands such as Occidental Negros and Cebu, both of which were close enough for reinforcements and yet far enough away not to be detected by the revolutionaries once they arrived on Samar Island.
McKinley followed his aide's advice and quickly carried out the necessary preparations for a major offensive against Samar Island; now all that was left was for him to wait until his troops were all set before giving the order to launch an attack.
Though McKinley feared failure in such a bold endeavor, he knew deep down that it was time for these rebels who dared oppose America's rule over the Philippines must be stopped – no matter what it took
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General Elwell Stephen Otis and Admiral George Dewey were in heated discussion in the situation room of their headquarters upon hearing the news of Olango Island being taken by the revolutionaries.
General Otis slammed his fist on the table and yelled out "This is unacceptable! We must gather more forces and retake Olango Island as soon as possible!"
Admiral Dewey disagreed. "I understand it's an insult to our pride, but we need to take a step back and evaluate our situation before taking such a rash action."
He pointed at a map on the wall that showed all their recent losses, including Samar, Tacloban, Leyte, Masbate, Sibuyan island, Tablas island, Buhol, Siquijor, Marinduque, Cantanduanes Island, Caramoan, Lubang Island, Polilo island, Curon and culion island, Palawan and Puerto Princesa during the period of 3 years of constant fighting with the revolutionaries.
General Otis heaved a deep sigh. "It appears you are correct Admiral." He said resigning himself to reality.
Admiral Dewey continued laying out his next plan of action. "We still have forces in areas we control such as Manila, Quezon City Marikina Valenzuela Pampanga Bulacan Rizal Laguna Cavite Batangas Quezon Aurora Isabela Nueva Vizcaya Zamboanga Davao City Zamboanga City General Santos City and certain outposts throughout Mindanao along with west Visayas." He pointed at each area on the map with his finger for emphasis.
The 2 would begin discussing about their future plans, taking into account president McKinley's objective on taking Samar back.
Admiral Dewey spoke up once again, "We must also be weary of the other revolutionary groups, such as the Magdiwang, Katipunan, and Cavite Mutiny along with the smaller revolutionary groups that also have a share in these recent gains." He warned General Otis "We don't want them gaining even more ground and strengthening their own forces."
General Otis pondered over this for a few moments before speaking again "I understand your point Admiral, but we must take swift action if we are to ensure our victory." He said standing up from his chair "Let us begin our preparations for this mission then! I'm sure everything will work out as it should in the end."
Admiral Dewey nodded in agreement as he watched General Otis exit the room with determination. His plan was set in motion and they could only hope that it would prove successful and bring them back their superiority over this rebellious region.
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Meanwhile on Olango Island, Rico Maradona was celebrated as a hero among his soldiers and civilians alike. The people cheered him on with shouts of "Viva Libertad!" Everywhere he went he was surrounded by adoring citizens who were grateful for his efforts in liberating them from American rule. He had become an iconic symbol of the Filipino struggle against American imperialism in Southeast Asia.
People were ecstatic, finally there was a bit of good news amid the horrors of war. People rejoiced and cheered, soaring with a newfound sense of hope and pride in knowing that their countrymen had achieved such an impressive feat against insurmountable odds.
In the town square of Tacloban, people gathered to express their joy and admiration for the revolutionaries. The locals sang folk songs and waved flags, rejoicing in the prospect of freedom.
"The Revolutionaries!" shouted one man proudly as he waved his hat in excitement. "They've done it! They've taken Olango Island!"
His sentiments were echoed by many around him, who were equally excited about Rico Maradona's success at Olango Island and all around the Visayas region where they had gained control over provinces including Samar, Tacloban, Leyte, Masbate, Buhol, Sibuyan island, Tablas island, Buhol, Siquijor , Marinduque , Cantanduanes Island , Caramoan , Lubang Island , Polilo island , Curon and culion island , Palawan and Puerto Princesa during 3 years of constant war. Some even dared to hope that soon enough they would have freedom from American occupation altogether.
Meanwhile in Manila which remained under American control; some Filipinos looked on Rico Maradona with admiration while others refuted his tactics as too unconventional or dangerous but none could deny that he was an effective leader when it came to achieving victories.
People rejoiced all around in both rural towns and cities alike, but none more so than those who took part in it themselves – Magdiwang fighters from Cavite led by Emilio Aguinaldo or Katipunan members such as Andres Bonifacio who were part of The Cavite Mutiny of 1896 which eventually gave birth to this entire Philippine revolution against colonization by foreign powers.
Though overshadowed by Rico Maradona's impressive command of his troops, now thousands strong - these revolutionaries also held a great significance within this movement.
Townspeople barraged each other with discussions about Rico Maradona and his revolutionaries: what they had done and whether or not other rebel groups could learn from them. There were also discussions about what this meant for Filipino independence – was it close at hand? Could they finally be rid of foreign domination?
Meanwhile, local leaders commended Rico Maradona for uniting various revolutionary groups under one banner and expressed their hope that a larger-scale insurrection could be launched against American forces throughout the Visayas region.
Many were encouraged by Maradona's success in Samar and expressed their willingness to join him if he decided to move on from Olango Island towards other provinces such as Cebu or Negros.
At Balangiga fortress, where many Filipino revolutionaries gathered for safety during earlier conflicts between American soldiers, citizens gathered outside for speeches delivered by local leaders who praised Rico Maradona's leadership in liberating Olango Island from foreign control.
Applause rang through the air as speakers called on citizens all over Visayas region as cheers exuberantly filled Balangiga fortress courtyard while locals waved Philippine flags high into sky; one speaker summed up everyone's feelings with a single sentence: "mabuhay ang kalayaan!"
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