The writer was requested to write a few words about General Miguel Malvar’s life in connection with the annual celebration of Santo Tomas town fiesta held on March 7th instant. As told by General Malvar himself to the writer the story of his becoming a revolutionist happened in the following way:

One afternoon in September of 1896 while he was sitting by one of the windows of his house in his native town, he saw Captain Cavanna, an officer of the Civil Guard coming toward the house. He immediately arose and went out through the back door of the house. That night he slept in one of the barrios and started to make plans for the organization of revolutionary forces.

At that time Gen. Malvar was the actual Captain Municipal of Santo Tomas, his name was in the black list of the Spanish government as one of the non-conformist, reformers (called laborantes) or filibusters (filibustero).

Due to his activity and prestige he was able to have many followers in a short time, in the following months he soon had several guerrilla skirmishes with the Spanish troops called cazadores in the now established interprovincial Santo Tomas-Alaminos road, and captured rifles from the enemy.

In the general convention held at Cavite of the revolutionary leaders to decide who was to be the head of the government and the military chief in command of all the revolutionary forces General Malvar voted for Aguinaldo.

He joined Gen. Aguinaldo in Hongkong a few months after the latter left the Islands with his entire family and returned about the month of July of the year 1898. He was in command of the siege of the Spanish forces in Tayabas.

About the month of October of that year he established his headquarters at the convent of Lipa. The writer joined his staff at about the end of November of the same year.

His salary was fifty (₱50) pesos per month. The monthly salary fixed by Malolos Government was as follows: Division General ₱65; Brigadier General ₱50; Colonel ₱40; Lieut. Col. ₱35.00; Major ₱30; Captain ₱25; First Lt. ₱20; Second Lt. ₱15; Sergeant ₱10; Corporal ₱8; and Privates ₱6. — (Mexican pesos). The regular payment of salaries scarcely lasted one year, for when the American troops occupied the towns successively one after the other and the revolutionaries were scattered all over the remote barrios and mountains the payment became very irregular, one third or one fourth of the aforementioned salaries were paid, if at all. Officers and enlisted men were given free lodging and subsistence. The commissary was taking care of it.

Gen. Malvar’s educational attainment was only second year, secondary instruction, now equivalent to the fifth or sixth grade of our public schools, in spite of this handicap, he possessed the talent and gift of a born leader of men.

His political sense was well developed; in the baptism of one of his daughters in the year 1900, he put her the name of “Union” and made the most prominent woman of every town of Batangas her godmother.

He usually settled slight or serious controversies of his subordinates by holding secret personal separate interviews of respective parties. Commanders of guerrillas who did not want to recognize the authority or leadership of the chiefs of the respective zones or provinces were instructed to report directly to his headquarters. Colonel Luis Luna of the General Staff was against this policy, his attitude was for the punishment of the insubordinates. On various occasions he said: “I will degrade or promote any officer who knowingly consents his wife to maintain illicit relations with another man — for cases of this nature have come to his knowledge.”

In the organization of Red Cross of Batangas he himself made the trip from one town to another, his speeches were long and emphasized the same point again and again, he usually selected influential women well known in the locality to be in the committee or organization. During the short period that his headquarters was at Lipa, the convent was the center of social and military activities, his good wife called then General Paula performed her role in a satisfactory way by showing kind and lavish hospitality to all attendants and guests, private citizens, civil and military authorities. Miss Eusebia Fule, later Mrs. Potenciano Malvar was the recipient of applause and ovations for her delightful songs and nice musical pieces played at the piano. Dr. Malvar was Captain of the Medical Corps and Gen. Malvar’s private physician. Gen. Malvar was fond of dancing rigodon and virginia, polka, masurka and waltz, the well known dances at the time he never danced.

He fulfilled his promise not to surrender while he had a rifle. In the latter part of 1901, Gen. James Franklin Bell, in command of the American forces of the fourth separate brigade adopted the policy of concentration of the four provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, and Tayabas. All inhabitants living in the barrios were forced to live together in the zone of poblacion of their respective towns. People suffered from all hardships. A great part of the adult male population was forced to come out every day from the concentration town and look for the hidden granaries of palay, corn, and other food staples by giving a high percentage of the same to the individual informant. In a short time food supplies in the barrios were exhausted, one after the other guerrillas were captured or surrendered. Malvar and his whole family were sick of malaria and dysentery. Without food, pursued every day from all sides and having lost all intelligence and communication with all his scattered and few forces, Malvar's iron will had to yield to the unavoidable imposing circumstances. He sent his loyal valet named Vicente to the nearest town with a note asking for a conference with the American general in command of the campaign. Dr. Malvar, the General’s brother and myself were among the few who came to meet him in one of the barrios of Rosario. It was a pathetic and sad scene, the old General was thin, pale with his long-grown beard and mustache. He was carrying his old uniform, his revolver and his dagger.

Gen. Malvar’s surrender lacked the glamour of military courtesies rendered to other military leaders under the same circumstances, for he had no army nor forces to surrender. However, First Lieut. Harrison, in command of a few soldiers who were at that time in the barrio, had his soldiers lined up and presented arms to Gen. Malvar.

After his surrender, he became a model citizen, never aspired for any appointive or elective position, activities were concentrated in agriculture and business. He was economical but not a miser; in the years of 1903 to 1904 while he was engaged in lumber business, for economy's sake he had to walk from the corner of now T. Alonso and Ongpin streets to Sta. Ana. He had an iron adapted and fixed in the sole of his shoes to stand his long walks and his hat with a wide brim to protect him from hot sun rays.

I heard him saying: “the internal revenue tax of one per cent (collected at that time) was square and fair, for the businessman had nothing to pay if had not made any sale at all” then, almost all people were against that kind of taxation.

The writer believes that sanctified man only exists in the ideal realm. If we have to judge the virtue of a man by his behavior in accordance with the generally accepted standard of morality, Gen. Malvar was a virtuous man in his lifetime. At least, during the five years that the writer had a close and intimate relation with him.

He did not gamble, did not know any kind of card games either of skill or of chance, not attend or go to any cockpit. He did not drink, nor smoke neither fooled with any woman. In this last respect, where most men fail, In spite of the opportunities, for he being the General in Command where his word was a law, he resisted the temptation. He was a kind-hearted husband and father. His son, late Dr. Marciano was about five years of age, in those critical years of 1899-1902, was the most troublesome and naughty among his children, instead of spanking him for all his childish foolishness the General had to caress, fondle and embrace him to appease him. Gen. Malvar’s name must appear as one of the Saints in the Roman calendar. San Miguel Malvar should be the name of his native town Santo Tomas.

The places or sites where he had his Headquarters in the Malaraya Mountain should be declared National Reservation, those houses used should be reconstructed and made shrines, a national road should be open, and made to pass through those shrines.

He had that spirit of abnegation and self-sacrifice put in practice for his country, his family and his friends. How different is his generation of snobbishness, frivolity, and extravagance from the conduct of that great patriot!