My Favorite National Hero

My favorite national hero is General Gregorio Del Pilar. I want to ask you a question; do you have a favorite national hero? Why is he or she your favorite hero? If you ask me the same questions I will say that he is my favorite because he is brave and he sacrificed his life for all the Filipinos. Why do I say such a thing? You will know why when you will finish reading my blog. Now I will tell you the life story of my favorite national hero General Gregorio Del Pilar.
Gregorio Del Pilar was born on November 16, 1875 in Bulacan. Marcel0o H. Del Pilar is his uncle.
Gregorio Del Pilar learned his first letters from Pedro Serrano Laktaw, a leading mason who wrote an extensive Tagalog-Spanish dictionary decade later.
Gregorio enrolled in the Ateneo Municipal in Manila. He graduated with a bachillerato at the outset of the revolution in 1896. He was an average student. He became an ardent student nationalist through his association with Deodato Arellano. Arellano was the first president of the secret revolutionary society the Katipunan. In Manila, the young Gregorio distributed pamphlets about the nationalist movement which his uncle Marcelo had written in Madrid.
Gregorio became an active rebel army when the revolution broke out. He displayed courage sacrifices in the battles he fought with the Spanish troops. Emilio Aguinaldo was so impressed with Gregorio’s military skills and had so much confidence in him that he made Gregorio a general.
Gregorio Del Pilar’s greatest achievement was the defense of Tirad Pass. The Tirad Pass was 1300 meters high. Clouds cover it’s peak during rainy seasons. But when the weather is clear it demands good view for miles around.
When General Emilio Aguinaldo fled from the American army Del Pilar and his men stood guard at the Pass. Del Pilar thought that an ensuing battle would necessarily delay the Americans from pursuing Aguinaldo.
Del Pilar and his sixty men built trenches on both shoulders of Tirad Pass. This would enable them to see the movement of the enemy from below.
On December 2, 1899 the American army reached Tirad Pass. The trail to the Pass was very narrow. So the American soldiers had to come up in single file. Del Pilar’s men kept up a continuous and accurate fire at the enemy. They also threw stones on the soldier’s heads.
Eventually the Americans found a secret trail to the top. Using it to advantage they surprised Del Pilar and his men. So, from the top of a nearby ridge, the Americans’ powerful rifles picked out one by one fifty-two of the sixty rebels.
The last to fall was Del Pilar. He had already been wounded on the shoulder and was ascending the summit of Tirad on his horse when a sharpshooter’s bullet hit him in the face. He covered his face with his hands and blood gushed forth. Then he fell backward, died. He died fighting for his beloved country. And that is why he is my favorite national hero.
My favorite national hero is General Gregorio Del Pilar. I want to ask you a question; do you have a favorite national hero? Why is he or she your favorite hero? If you ask me the same questions I will say that he is my favorite because he is brave and he sacrificed his life for all the Filipinos. Why do I say such a thing? You will know why when you will finish reading my blog. Now I will tell you the life story of my favorite national hero General Gregorio Del Pilar.
Gregorio Del Pilar was born on November 16, 1875 in Bulacan. Marcel0o H. Del Pilar is his uncle.
Gregorio Del Pilar learned his first letters from Pedro Serrano Laktaw, a leading mason who wrote an extensive Tagalog-Spanish dictionary decade later.
Gregorio enrolled in the Ateneo Municipal in Manila. He graduated with a bachillerato at the outset of the revolution in 1896. He was an average student. He became an ardent student nationalist through his association with Deodato Arellano. Arellano was the first president of the secret revolutionary society the Katipunan. In Manila, the young Gregorio distributed pamphlets about the nationalist movement which his uncle Marcelo had written in Madrid.
Gregorio became an active rebel army when the revolution broke out. He displayed courage sacrifices in the battles he fought with the Spanish troops. Emilio Aguinaldo was so impressed with Gregorio’s military skills and had so much confidence in him that he made Gregorio a general.
Gregorio Del Pilar’s greatest achievement was the defense of Tirad Pass. The Tirad Pass was 1300 meters high. Clouds cover it’s peak during rainy seasons. But when the weather is clear it demands good view for miles around.
When General Emilio Aguinaldo fled from the American army Del Pilar and his men stood guard at the Pass. Del Pilar thought that an ensuing battle would necessarily delay the Americans from pursuing Aguinaldo.
Del Pilar and his sixty men built trenches on both shoulders of Tirad Pass. This would enable them to see the movement of the enemy from below.
On December 2, 1899 the American army reached Tirad Pass. The trail to the Pass was very narrow. So the American soldiers had to come up in single file. Del Pilar’s men kept up a continuous and accurate fire at the enemy. They also threw stones on the soldier’s heads.
Eventually the Americans found a secret trail to the top. Using it to advantage they surprised Del Pilar and his men. So, from the top of a nearby ridge, the Americans’ powerful rifles picked out one by one fifty-two of the sixty rebels.
The last to fall was Del Pilar. He had already been wounded on the shoulder and was ascending the summit of Tirad on his horse when a sharpshooter’s bullet hit him in the face. He covered his face with his hands and blood gushed forth. Then he fell backward, died. He died fighting for his beloved country. And that is why he is my favorite national hero.