Aguinaldo to Antonio Luna? Camp's renaming proposed
Published Aug 25, 2019 01:27 pm
By Ellson Quismorio
A bill has been filed in the House of Representatives that will rename Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), to Camp General Antonio Luna.
Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel
(FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) House Bill (HB) 4047 was filed by Deputy Speaker and Surigao del Sur 2nd Rep. Johnny Pimentel on August 20, but Pimentel’s office publicized the filing only on the eve of National Heroes’ Day, today Monday. The measure seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 4434 – the 1965 law that changed the name of Camp Frank Murphy to Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo. In his bill’s explanatory note, the Deputy Speaker pointed out that Luna “has been described by historians as the most brilliant and capable of the Filipino generals during the Philippine-American War.” Luna was Chief of Staff of the Philippine Revolutionary Army for 134 days during the Philippine-American War until his brutal assassination on June 5, 1899. He was only 32 years old. “Luna deserves greater recognition for his patriotism and military prowess...Our bill seeks to honor and accord ‘The Fiery General’ the nobler distinction and prominence that he rightfully deserves,” Pimentel said. “We are counting on our bill, once enacted, to rouse all Filipinos, especially our soldiers across the three military branches – the Army, the Air Force and the Navy – to emulate and live up to Luna’s positive qualities, particularly his strong love of country and exceptional military skills,” he added. He noted that Luna is widely credited for adopting the tactics of guerrilla warfare long before China’s Mao Zedong and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap did. Pimentel cited Filipino revolutionary leader Apolinario Mabini’s estimation of Luna: "If he was sometimes hasty and even cruel in his resolution, it was because the army had been brought to a desperate situation by the demoralization of the soldiers and the lack of ammunitions: nothing but action of rash courage and extraordinary energy could hinder its dissolution." Luna was hailed even by the best American military officers during the Philippine-American War. Pimentel mentioned James Franklin Bell, a United States Army captain, who said that Luna “was the only general the Filipino army had.” Bell received the US Medal of Honor for action during the Philippine-American War. He later rose to major general and was named Chief of Staff of the US Army. Pimentel also referred to Frederick Funston, a US Army colonel, who called Luna “the ablest and most aggressive leader of the Filipino Republic.” Funston was promoted to brigadier general for engineering the capture of Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela. Like Bell, Funston also received the US Medal of Honor for seeing action in the Philippine campaign , and later rose to major general of the US Army. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, Luna, in his last will and testament dated March 31, 1899, wrote: “1. I leave whatever I have to my mother. 2. If they will kill me, wrap me in a Filipino flag with all the clothing with which I was dressed when killed, and bury me in the ground. 3. I wish to state freely that I would die willingly for my country, for our independence, without thereby looking for death.” That Luna has no major military camp named after him has become a hot topic in recent years, thanks mostly to John Arcilla's riveting portrayal of the general in the 2015 historical movie, Heneral Luna. The long-held notion that it was Aguinaldo who ordered Luna’s assassination has also remained a sore point for the latter's supporters. Pimentel made it clear his bill “in no way seeks to reduce Aguinaldo, the first President of the Philippines, and the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Revolutionary Army after Luna’s assassination.” “Aguinaldo has been fittingly honored over the years, especially with the 41.4-kilometer Emilio Aguinaldo Highway,” Pimentel said, referring to the network of primary and secondary public roads passing through the busiest cities and municipalities of Cavite, where the revolutionary hailed from. As proposed by Pimentel, the present Camp Antonio Luna in Limay, Bataan, which is home to the Office of the Director of the Government Arsenal under the Department of National Defense, shall be renamed as Camp Emilio Aguinaldo.”
Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel(FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) House Bill (HB) 4047 was filed by Deputy Speaker and Surigao del Sur 2nd Rep. Johnny Pimentel on August 20, but Pimentel’s office publicized the filing only on the eve of National Heroes’ Day, today Monday. The measure seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 4434 – the 1965 law that changed the name of Camp Frank Murphy to Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo. In his bill’s explanatory note, the Deputy Speaker pointed out that Luna “has been described by historians as the most brilliant and capable of the Filipino generals during the Philippine-American War.” Luna was Chief of Staff of the Philippine Revolutionary Army for 134 days during the Philippine-American War until his brutal assassination on June 5, 1899. He was only 32 years old. “Luna deserves greater recognition for his patriotism and military prowess...Our bill seeks to honor and accord ‘The Fiery General’ the nobler distinction and prominence that he rightfully deserves,” Pimentel said. “We are counting on our bill, once enacted, to rouse all Filipinos, especially our soldiers across the three military branches – the Army, the Air Force and the Navy – to emulate and live up to Luna’s positive qualities, particularly his strong love of country and exceptional military skills,” he added. He noted that Luna is widely credited for adopting the tactics of guerrilla warfare long before China’s Mao Zedong and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap did. Pimentel cited Filipino revolutionary leader Apolinario Mabini’s estimation of Luna: "If he was sometimes hasty and even cruel in his resolution, it was because the army had been brought to a desperate situation by the demoralization of the soldiers and the lack of ammunitions: nothing but action of rash courage and extraordinary energy could hinder its dissolution." Luna was hailed even by the best American military officers during the Philippine-American War. Pimentel mentioned James Franklin Bell, a United States Army captain, who said that Luna “was the only general the Filipino army had.” Bell received the US Medal of Honor for action during the Philippine-American War. He later rose to major general and was named Chief of Staff of the US Army. Pimentel also referred to Frederick Funston, a US Army colonel, who called Luna “the ablest and most aggressive leader of the Filipino Republic.” Funston was promoted to brigadier general for engineering the capture of Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela. Like Bell, Funston also received the US Medal of Honor for seeing action in the Philippine campaign , and later rose to major general of the US Army. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, Luna, in his last will and testament dated March 31, 1899, wrote: “1. I leave whatever I have to my mother. 2. If they will kill me, wrap me in a Filipino flag with all the clothing with which I was dressed when killed, and bury me in the ground. 3. I wish to state freely that I would die willingly for my country, for our independence, without thereby looking for death.” That Luna has no major military camp named after him has become a hot topic in recent years, thanks mostly to John Arcilla's riveting portrayal of the general in the 2015 historical movie, Heneral Luna. The long-held notion that it was Aguinaldo who ordered Luna’s assassination has also remained a sore point for the latter's supporters. Pimentel made it clear his bill “in no way seeks to reduce Aguinaldo, the first President of the Philippines, and the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Revolutionary Army after Luna’s assassination.” “Aguinaldo has been fittingly honored over the years, especially with the 41.4-kilometer Emilio Aguinaldo Highway,” Pimentel said, referring to the network of primary and secondary public roads passing through the busiest cities and municipalities of Cavite, where the revolutionary hailed from. As proposed by Pimentel, the present Camp Antonio Luna in Limay, Bataan, which is home to the Office of the Director of the Government Arsenal under the Department of National Defense, shall be renamed as Camp Emilio Aguinaldo.”