First published, De La Salle University, Manila, March 2, 2015.

Introduction

“To foretell the destiny of the Filipino people,” Dr. Jose Rizal wrote, “it is necessary to study their past.”  To know the future of Gubat and its inhabitants, it is necessary to study their past. To many youths today, history is a boring subject. Thus, they do not value the numerous legacies bequeath to them by their forefathers.  One by one, these legacies are destroyed and forgotten. This essay purports to bring out some of these priceless legacies, especially those that survive the onslaughts of time and man’s destructiveness.

Table of Contents

Gubat’s Archeological Records

Archeological evidence recovered in various places in Gubat documents the antiquity of the town. The Bato Caves in Bacon, Sorsogon yielded many artifacts composed of shells, stones, and pottery.  Iron and other intrusive wares are absent. They were dated to be about at least 91 B.C. Two stone bark cloth beaters and four stone axes were recovered in an inland jar-burial site in barrio Bulacao, Gubat.  The Bulacao finds is another pottery-stone tool assemblage similar to the Bato Caves artifacts.

Another archeological site is Tigkiw, an inland barrio of Gubat. The artifacts recovered in this site belonged to the same time frame as those in Bato Caves and Bulacao. The Tigkiw artifacts were dated to be between 200 B.C. – A.D. 200. Hindu images were recovered in Jupi, another inland barrio of Gubat.  These images indicate contacts between the inhabitants of Gubat and those from mainland Asia, notably India. Artifacts recovered from Ariman, a coastal barrio of Gubat document the antiquity of the town. They also reveal some aspects about their way of life – an assemblage of new and old Stone Age tools, many jar-burials, porcelainware and a fossilized smoke pipe.

What Kind of People Settled in Gubat and Neighboring Places?

Migration is one constant feature of human history. The search for a better living space preoccupies every group of people. About 3,500 B.C., Austronesian speakers began to move southward into the Philippines. These Austronesian speakers possess outrigger canoes, cultivate rice and millet, yam, taro, banana, sago, breadfruit, coconut, and cane sugar.  For family and community protection, they practiced consanguineous marriage. They had domesticated pigs, dogs, water buffaloes, chickens; practiced true weaving, used the bow and arrow, made pottery, metalworks, especially tin. Paradihon, a barangay in Gubat, is the center of pottery making in eastern Sorsogon. Marcos de Lisboa’s 1754 Diccionario de la Lengua Bicol defined the word “Paradihon” as “pottery-maker.”  Gubat is also a center of metalworks.  The town had two “Pandi” (should be pronounced “Panday”). The Pandi was a special class of artisans whose patron was the emperor of the Madjapahit Empire. Fernando Malang Balagtas’ 1589 Will documented the widespread influence of the Madjapahit Empire. Balagtas’ paternal ancestor was Emperor Anka Widjaja of the Madjapahit Empire. The Will also revealed the consanguineous marriage practiced by the Austronesian ancestors of Gubat.

The rise of the Sri-Vijayan (A.D. 900 – 1100) and Madjapahit Empires (A.D. 1100 – 1400), two thalassocratic empres (maritime empires) spread Hindu influence on Southeast Asia and the Philippines.  The town of Gubat was one of the places where Hindu influence spread.  They two Hindu images recovered in barrio Jupi, Gubat show such influence. The recovery of Hindu images in Cebu, Agusan, and elsewhere in the Philippines document the widespread influence of Hinduism. The ancestors of the Gubatnons were expert jewelry-makers. Pieces of jewelry recovered from Ariman document this. They also had some vices, they smoked.

And they were civilized – they had their own system of writing which they called BASAHAN (Baybayin to the Tagalogs) consisting of 15 consonants and 3 vowels.

The precolonial practice of the Gubatnons in burying their dead atop mountains or inside caves, as evidenced by the discovery of jar-burial sites in Tigkiw, Bulacao, Ariman and Jupi shows that the inhabitants venerated Shiva, Hindu Lord of the Mountains. They believed that the mountains are temple of the god Shiva and to be buried atop mountains or inside caves is to be with the god Shiva.

China is one major source of migrants who move to Southeast Asian and the Philippines.  As early as 200 B.C., Chinese traders-travelers already crisscrossed Southeast Asia and the Philippines. They gave the earliest name of the Philippines: “Ma-I” or “Mountain of Gold”.  About the same period when Hinduism was spreading to the Philippines, another wave of migrants came – from China.  Tang Emperor Hi Tsing (A.D. 878 – 889) ordered the massacre of some 200,000 Muslim traders in Canton.  As a consequence, large number of Muslims migrated to the Malay peninsula, Java, Borneo, Sulu and Mindanao. Between A.D. 1112 and 1235, Mohammedan principalities were founded at Atchen (Suma-drah), Dchokyarakarta (Java), Menado (Celebes), Prunny (Borneo), Dchohor (Malakka), Mag-Indana (Maguindanao), Suluk (Jolo), and Ternate. Islam was introduced to Sumatra and Sulu about A.D. 1112.

Sayeed Abubakar founded the Sulu Sultanate in A.D. 1450. His father was Jainal Abirin, direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammed and Sultan of Malakka or Johore. Abubakar married Paramisuli, daughter of Rajah Baginda. Other accounts mention that Muslims from Ma-Arya (Malaya) came to Ma-ind-uro (Mindoro) and Lu-yu-ban (Lubang Island). Earlier, in A.D. 1380 Rajah Suleimen or Avi-jir-koya founded a settlement at the mouth of the Pasig River and named it “Manila”, in honor of his favorate daughter Manila.

From Manila, kinsmen and followers of Rajah Suleiman I spread to Central, Northern, and Southern Luzon. Gat Pulintang founded the province of Batangas and named it “Kumintang”, the name of his only daughter. Sali Laya, a sister of Raha Matanda, founded the province of Tayabas and named it “Salilaya”, the first name of Tayabas province. Tarik Suliman of Macabebe, Pampanga died fighting the Spaniards under Martin de Goiti at the battle at Bangkusay in 1571. Tarik Kuduog was the ruler of Labo, Camarines Norte. “Tarik” means the “Sultan’s Viceroy.” Ibalon, in Sorsogon province, was a Muslim principality when the Spaniards arrived in 1569. Mamirlas was the last Muslim ruler of Sorsogon. The name means “beloved follower of Allah”.

The 1589 Will of Fernando Malang Balagtas showed that the precolonial ruling families of Luzon, Mindanao, Sulu, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Malacca, and the Moluccas were related by affinity and consanguinity. Raha Matanda was the grandson of the sultan of Borneo while the wife of Lakan Dula was the daughter of the sultan of Sulu.  Balagtas’ paternal ancestor was Emperor Anka Widjaja of the Madjapahit Empire. Indeed, “Isang-Dugo” is true to define the ties that once bind the rules and inhabitants of Southeast Asia.  Gubat is part of the ties.

Before 1571: Characteristics of the People Who Settled in Gubat, Sorsogon

Pedro Manook Street is the name of the main street traversing the entire length of the town proper of Gubat. Who was Pedro Manook? He was the grandson of Raha Sikatuna, the native ruler of Panglao Island, Bohol who made a blood compact with Miguel Lopez de Legaspi when the latter arrived in April 1565. The friar-chronicler Francisco Combes described Manook – “Fiero, hombre que facilmente se embravece” (one who gets easily heated like iron).  Manook exemplified the character of the Gubatnons – fierce and proud. Fray Jose Castaño’s account echoed Fray Combes’ observation. “A race of great impetuosity and valor,” wrote Fray Castaño about the people of Albay and Sorsogon, “and fond of social dealings; more intelligent and vigorous, more active, industrious and warlike; and adjusted to live clustered in compact villages.” “They were well-featured and excellent husbandmen”, noted a 1586 account, “and they roam throughout the island in order to gain their living”.  “Both men and women are well-featured”, wrote Antonio de Morga in 1609, “They have very black hair and thin beards; and are very clever at anything they undertake, keen and passionate, and of great resolution. All live from their labor and gains in the field, their fishing, and trade, going from island to island by sea, and from province to province by land”. Francisco de Ribadeneira, a friar-missionary and contemporary of Antonio de Morga lavishly praised the Bikolanos. “Of sweet, mild, and docile disposition and hold themselves with elegance and grace; their sense of obedience and discipline among the men; the modesty and honesty of the women,” wrote Fray Ribadeneira.

Gubat and the rest of Kabikolan severely suffered from the bloody military campaigns launched by the Spanish conquistadores. Propelled largely by their greediness when they saw the Bikolanos casually wearing gold ornaments and whetted by the fierce resistance the Bikolanos made, the Spaniards vanquished the Bikolanos only after overcoming considerable resistance from the latter. “The most valiant and the best armed men of all islands”, wrote Fray Martin de Rada in June 1574, “and who met heavy losses in consequence.” Gubat was one of the pre-Hispanic settlements that were destroyed by the Spaniards.

After 1571: An Era of Fear and Fire

The town was repopulated by Pedro Manook, a native Boholano ally of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. He brought with him many kinsmen, notably his sister Doña Maria Uray. Together, they helped the Spaniards conquer and Christianize Sorsogon and many other places. Doña Maria left a trail of legends and religiosity. “A very saintly woman,” wrote Fray Combes.  She resided in Mt. Malasimbo, a mountain in Magallanes, Sorsogon and “may pagka-engkantada”, said one old folk. “She was a very beautiful woman”, another lore in Bacon, Sorsogon said about her.  Indeed, Rajah Buisan, father of the much-feared Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, thrice proposed marriage to her and thrice she rejected his proposal.  Allegedly, she died in Dapitan, Mindanao. There is Maria Uray Hill in this place. There is no account how she died and where she was buried. Pedro Manook was buried in front of the main altar of the Cebu Cathedral – a place of honor for those who distinguished themselves in serving the Spanish Crown.

Repopulated, Gubat was made one of the major bases of the Spanish rule in the country. Together with Bacon, Gubat was made an alternate port for the Manila Galleon. Behia Island (old name was Bagatao) was the site of the biggest Spanish shipyard in the country. As a consequence, it drew Moro invasions.  “Daku na Kuta” and “Gubat” are two placenames in Gubat that remind the Gubatnons of the many unhappy decades that characterized the town’s involvement in the Spanish-Moro Wars, a war that began in 1521 and ended in 1898. “Gubat” means to invade. The Moros invaded the town many times, killed or captured many of its inhabitants. “Daku na Kuta” means the “Big Fort.” The inhabitants built fortified stockades to defend themselves against the Moro invaders. Gobernadorcillo Don Francisco Nicolas, descendant of the precolonial rulers of Gubat, spearheaded the building of the town’s defenses in 1782.  By 1799, Gubat was protected by nine “kuta,” stretching from the barrio of Bagacay in the north up to Macabare in the east.

The defenses of Gubat town proper centered on its church. Four stone forts (baluarte de piedra) and a watchtower (castillo) facing the sea surrounded the church. Ex- Gobernadorcillos Don Juan Alexo and Don Phelipe Prado, skilled in CALOTAN (Native Arnis) and famous for their valor led Gubat’s naval forces in 1799. The falua (armed boat) of Gubat led by ex-Gobernadorcillo Don Pedro Luis, played a prominent role in the famous 25-26 October 1818 Battle at Tabogon Bay in Camarines Sur. Together with the naval forces of Kabikolan, they inflicted a crushing defeat against a formidable Moro force led by Prince Nune, son of the Sultan of Mindanao. Moro invasions of Gubat and other coastal towns declined radically after this battle.

The decline of Moro invasions enabled the folks of Gubat to engage in many productive endeavors. The opening of the Philippines to foreign trade in 1820 and the promotion of local trade fairs or market day (sa-ud or tianggue) fueled the economic growth of many towns. Governor General Pascual Enrile’s Decree of December 12, 1831, directing all Spanish provincial governors to establish a regular weekly market day in every town in their respective jurisdiction produced many positive effects. Abaca boomed.  Gubat became a major trading center of this industry. Almacenes (collection houses where abaca was stored and processed) dotted the Pacific coastline of Gubat from Balud to Pinontingan. Some of these structures exist up to now. Batels (large sea vessels) loaded with abaca from Samar and Leyte weekly docked at Gubat. Many families in Gubat prospered. In 1852, Gubat’s population was 1,852 whole tributes (or 7,408 persons). By 1868, thirty-eight barangays compose the town’s population Prosperity enabled the people of Gubat to build a beautiful parochial house for their parish priest.

Led by Gobernadorcillo Don Vidal Ereño and principales Don Gervacio Santiago, Don Simon Fontecha, Don Servando Escurel, Don Mariano Espinosa, Don, Carmelo de Lelis, Don Andres Españo, Don Estevan Fajardo, Don Pantaleon Lelis, Don Mariano Endeno, Don Nicolas Fordilla, Don Estanislao Escasinas, Don Domingo Ereño, Don Francisco Encinas, Don Tomas Endeno, Don Abdon Españo, Don Catalino Escundo, Don Simon Espidoy, Don Cayetano Espera, Don Antono Enciso, Don Jose de Lelis and Don Jacob Embile, they petitioned the colonial authorities to permit them to undertake said project. They obliged themselves to shoulder the cost of the project amounting to 2,219 pesos and 11 centimos. The governor general approved their petition on 26 October 1859.

The Municipal Reforms of 1863 broadened native participation in colonial administration. Thirteen Electors compose the voting population during the election for the 1873-1875 term – six incumbent Cabeza de Barangay, Six ex-Gobernadorcillos, and the outgoing gobernadorcillo, namely Don Mariano Encinas, Don Tiburcio Besid, Don Baylon Rosales, Don Remigio Estavillo, Don Feliciano Escalante and Don Mariano Endeno; Cabezas Actuales Don Manuel Jubilla, Don Pedro Espeño, Don Lorenzo Pura, Don Fruto Estareja, Don Andres Pura, and Don Vicente Estipona.  Elected and subsequently appointed by the governor general for the 1873-1875 term were the following:

Gobernadorcillo – Don Tomas Endeno; Teniente Mayor – Don Mariano Endeno; Juez Mayor de Semenetera – Don Remigio Estavillo; Juez Mayor de Policia – Don Tiburcio Becid; Juez Mayor de Ganados – Don Teodoro Espedido. Subalternos del Pueblo – Lazaro Escober, Alfonso Estavillo, Paulino Escober. Jueces del Pueblo: Gregorio Sarmiento, Gil Fajardo, Paulino Punelas. Alguciles del Pueblo – Lorenzo Pura, Juan Espeña, Teodoro Estavillo, Matias Pura, Mariano Espeña, Cayetano Ergina, Silvestre Ereve, Santiago Goma. Visita de Malobago: Teniente – Celemente Esteller; Jues – Teodoro Escurel; Alguacil – Natalio Fabilano. Visita de Bagacay: Teniente – Nicolas Encina; Visita de Payawin: Teniente – Venacio Floranda; Jues – Antonio Escalon; Alguacil – Francisco Demarquez; Visita de Calao: Teniente – Nicolas Encina.

Serving the colonial forces was one of the obligations of the inhabitants of the Philippines.  Yearly, the military draft (Quinta) was enforced. Many Gubatnons served the colonial force.  One of them was Tomas Espenida. When the French-Annamese War broke out in 1862, Espenida joined the French colonial force on February 2, 1862. He served with distinction and was awarded the “Medalle de Kambodge” by the French government. He resettled at Bien-hoa, Vietnam after the war and married an Annamese woman who begot him two sons and two daughters.

The 1896 Revolution and the Philippine-American War

The outbreak of the Revolution on August 23, 1896, broke the tranquility in Gubat and the rest of Kabikolan. The worker’s uprising in the shipyard at Panlatuan, Pilar started the revolution in Sorsogon.  The Spaniards evacuated Sorsogon on Septeber 21, 1898. In early October, General Ananias Diokno occupied Sorsogon. Formal elections for local officials under the Filipino Republic were held from December 13-18, 1898. Elected local officials of Gubat were the following:

Presidente Local – Don Angel Camara; Vice Presidente – Don Florentino Escurel; Cabeza de Buenavista – Don Januario Ermogino; Cabeza de San Ignacio – Don Ramon Fernandez; Cabeza de Carriedo – Don Antonio Camara; Cabeza de Sta. Ana – Don Ciriaco Endeno; Cabeza de San Jose – Don Andres Pura; Cabeza de Malobago – Don Luis Esteller; Cabeza de Bentuco – Don Juan Bon; Cabeza de Unon – Don Potenciano Ereño; Cabeza de Payawin – Don Vidal Floranda; Cabeza de Jupi – Don Bonifacio Ardio; Cabeza de Tiris –  Don Lorenzo Estargo; Cabeza de Bagacay – Don Florencio Espedido; Cabeza de Calao – Don Florentino Fason; Delgado de Policia – Don Luis Silvestre; Delgado de Justicia – Don Rafael Hernandez; Delgado de Rentas – Don Santiago Camara.

Then the Philippines- American War broke out on February 4, 1899. American Military Governor of the Philippines, General Elwell Otis sent a a military expedition to Kabikolan under General William A. Kobbe.  General Kobbe’s forces occupied the various towns in Sorsogon, Albay and Catanduanes. He stationed Company L in the town of Gubat. Lt. Col. Amando Airan, Governor of Sorsogon and Emilio Aguinaldo’s nephew, gave up the province without a fight. Lt. Col. Emeterio Funes, native of Bulusan, took over and reorganized the Filipino forces in Sorsogon. He established his headquarters in the mountains of Jupi, Gupat. Several patriots from Gubat, led by Sgt.  Raymundo Escota formed part of Funes’ forces. In March 1900, Funes’ forces attacked. He burned a part of the town of Gubat while his other force, led by Valentin San Miguel, Governadorcillo of Rapu-Rapo Island, attacked the American force in Bacon.  Betrayed by a collaborator, San Miguel and his valiant soldiers were slaughtered by the American troops.  This defeat led Lt. Col. Funes to move his headquarters to Mt. Bulusan. Eventually, he was persuaded by his province mates to surrender. He surrendered on February 22, 1901.

Francisco de la Cruz and Antonio Colache, subordinates of Lt. Col. Funes, revived the war against the Americans in Sorsogon.  They raised some 400 men and waged guerilla warfare. A series of pitched battles ensued. In one of these encounters, De la Cruz was killed. Colache took over. With the able support from patriots in Gubat, namely Isaac Gimao, Esteban Diño, Francisco Estipona, Pablo Encinares and two women amazons Margarita Fullio and Catalina Purical, Colache waged a valiant resistance. Massive reconcentration of the inhabitants in the affected towns complemented by the relentless military campaigns by the Americans eventually forced Coleche and his followers to cease resistance. The folks of Gubat preserved the memories about Coleche’s band. The children created a game of hide-and-seek and called it “Colachehan”.

Under the Stars and Stripes

To pacify the people of Gubat and the rest of the country, the Philippine Commission passed several laws that overwhelmed the resistance of the people. The commission passed Act No. 74 on January 21, 1901. This Act provided the following: free primary education throughout the country, scholarships under the Pensionado Program for selected high school graduates to study in America, free school supplies, assignment of American teachers to man the primary schools, use of English as the medium of instruction, hiring of Filipino teachers to assist the American teachers, etc. The people of Gubat welcomed this new measure. Free education was unheard of during the Spanish era.

A Sgt. Daly was the first American teacher of Gubat. Captain Smith, Commanding Officer of the American troops in Gubat, assigned him to teach the children of Gubat. Sgt. Daly was replaced by the Tomasite teachers Mr. Clarence McDonald and Mr. Glenn W. Caulkins. They arrived in Gubat on October 4, 1901.  They took over from Sgt. Daly and started teaching on October 7. Mr. McDonald handled the girls’ school and Mr. Caulkins handled the boys – 42 in all (17 boys and 25 girls). After three years, Mr. Caulkins reported that school enrollment in Gubat rose to 500 pupils.

On December1, Mr. Caulkins appointed Pio Estabaya, a Gubatnon, to assist him to teach the children of Gubat. Calixto Pura was one of the first pupils of Mr. Caulkins. An intelligent young man, Mr. Caulkins later appointed him to teach in Irocin.

Through the initiative of Don Rafael Hernandez, the first municipal mayor of Gubat under the American administration, the people of Gubat built a bigger and stronger school building with two classrooms and a large assembly room. The building was finished and inaugurated on December 26, 1906. The people named it Monreal Building in honor of Dr. Benardino Monreal, the first Filipino civil governor of Sorsogon province. The Monreal Building is distinctive – it is the only school building in the country entirely made of corals and stones. The Gabaldon Building replaced this first school building of Gubat. Of bigger and stronger materials, this Gabaldon Building was erected in 1936 following the enactment of Act No. 1801, known as the “Gabaldon Act”, in 1935 where it appropriated P1 million for the construction of barrio school buildings throughout the country.

Road buildings complemented school buildings. The road connecting Gubat and Legazpi was improved thereby facilitating trade and travel between the town and the rest of Kabikolan. This era of peace and progress was broken when Japanese warplanes bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The Japanese occupied Gubat on December 14, 1941, only after overcoming the resistance led by Rafael Padrique, a PC Soldier. A fight between these two forces occurred in sitio Balig-ang, San Ignacio.  Padrique killed four of the invaders but also lost his life. A street in the poblacion of Gubat was named in his honor to preserve his heroic defense of his homeland.

Guerilla organizations emerged. Sorsogon Province was divided between the Salvador Escudero group and Maj. Ismael Lapuz. Escudero was the prewar governor of Sorsogon and Lapuz was the prewar provincial commander of the province. Japanese occupation of the province was ended when these guerillas, led by Manuel Olondriz and Manuel Escudero, drove away the Japanese troops in Gubat on January 10, 1945.

Peace was restored. On July 4, 1946, America restored Philippine Independence. Presidential elections were held, and Manuel A. Roxas was elected President of the Philippines. Education progressed. The Gubat National High School was established in October 1945 through the initiative of Don Ramon Dote, then a member of the Provincial Board of Sorsogon. It was transferred to its present site after the heirs of Don Clemente Villaroya donated a vast tract of land for the use of the school.  In 1952, the Daughters of St. Paul (also known as the Sisters of Charity) founded the St. Anthony Academy. In 1966, it transferred to its present site at Daku-na-Kuta.

The end of World War II ushered in new developments. Politics once more dominated Gubat. Coupled with this is the building of more roads, concrete buildings and other facilities established. More families were enabled to send their sons and daughters to study in Manila graduating from well-known educational institutions, such as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Santo Tomas, University of the East, Far Eastern University, etc. Education is intellectual maturity.  Many young Gubatnons enhance their perspective on local and national life. Proclamation 1081, issued on September 21, 1972, found many young men and women of Gubat in the forefront fighting the dictatorship established by this proclamation. Foremost of these young men and women is Juan Escandor, Jr., Doctor of Medicine graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine.  Pioneer Cancer specialist, he did not hesitate to fight the dictatorship.

Postscript

Historical development should never be viewed as a monolithic train of events occurring from the past to the present. The local history of Gubat documented the active participation of its inhabitants in local, national, and international events. Like the other towns in the country, Gubat stamped its own identity in Philippine history. “Without the Past”, wrote Jacques Chirac, President of France, “there is no Future”.  If the people of Gubat wants to know their Future, it is necessary for them to look back. A people ignorant of their past is a doomed people. This year’s grand celebration of the town’s 250th Foundation Day is a great way of looking back.

Memory fades but the written words remain. Gubat has a rich history and culture. It is the responsibility of the youth of Gubat to record and preserve their town’s rich past.

About the Author:

LUIS CAMARA DERY was born on the 8th of March, 1946, in Sorsogon. He moved to the Metro in his collegiate days to study in UP Diliman, where he graduated in 1964. He took his masters several years later in the same university and finished by 1971. Directly after accomplishing his MA, he immediately went into teaching as a member of the UP Faculty. He went and got his PhD in History, graduating in 1987. He moved to De La Salle University in June 1994. In his tenure as a Lasallian professor, he published 11 books—all single authorship. He has also garnered three Outstanding Book awards, one from the UP President’s Office and two from the National Academy of Science and Technology. The rest of his books received nominations for the National Book Award. He left DLSU in 2006. After a two-year hiatus, he came back in 2008 to full professorship in the History Department. Since then, he has remained a prominent fixture, not only in his own department, but within the University in general. Dr. Dery donated the majority of his library collection to the University, thereby establishing the Luis Dery Collection, now housed in the Learning Commons of the Henry Sy Sr. Hall. Now retired from DLSU but showing no signs of slowing down., he has taken a job offer to teach at the University of Santo Tomas. (Excerpted from the Lasallian and written by Paulo Yusi and Josienne Cordova, July 16, 2016.)

A Postscript:

Prof. Luis Camara Dery, Ph.D. (March 8, 1946 – July 31, 2023), great Filipino historian and President of the Philippine Historical Association (2013 – 2014). The passing of the great historian, Luis Camara Dery, caught me by surprise as I got the untimely news from his son David Elijah Dery. Known to many as “Mr. Dokumento” because of his tireless diligence in historical research, he was with the De La Salle University in Manila for a long time, where he retired as full professor. He was generous with his research findings as well as his sources and always welcomed being interviewed on TV as a public historian. He completed his education from the University of the Philippines in Diliman: BS in Education (1970), MA in Teaching (1971), and PhD in History (1987).

He wrote about history and his books include: From Ibalon to Sorsogon: A Historical Survey to 1905 (1991), The Crisis in Philippine History: A Study of Moro anti-Colonial Resistance (1997), Awit kay Inang Bayan: The Picture of the Philippines according to the Poems and Kundiman Written During the Himagsikan Period (2003), A History of the Inarticulate: Local History, Prostitution and Other Views from the Bottom (2001), When the World Loved the Filipinos and Other Essays on Philippine History (2005). “Mang” Luis, as he was fondly called by his students and colleagues, was a colorful historian and a mentor to many. May his spirit live on in his beautiful works that he contributed and dedicated to the Motherland. He brought much happiness to the lives he touched during his life.

Excerpted from the announcement by Michael Charleston “Xiao” Briones Chua, Philippine Historian, on his Facebook page.

Editors’ Note: We thank Vladimir E. Estocado for permitting us to use his collection of writings by Dr. Luis C. Dedy and related photos featured in his Facebook page. He is the admin of Facebook pages promoting Gubat, such as GUBAT (Group of Unified Bicolanos Assigned with Task), Gubat Heritage 260th Year Anniversary, and, Gubat Photographers Club.