The Battle of Tres de Abril Series - April 10, 1898 (Easter Sunday)

The book “Ang Kagubot sa Sugbo 1898” provides a narrative of what happened on April 3, 1898 (Palm Sunday) and the following days. It was authored by Manuel Enriquez dela Calzada and contains articles written by veterans and witnesses of the Cebuano uprising against Spain. The entry on Holy Saturday was written by Don Elpidio Rama and Raimundo Enriquez while the entry on Easter Sunday was written by Elpidio Rama and Isidoro N. Enriquez, this is the adaptation of CEBUpedia of the article written in Cebuano: The Execution of Candido Padilla

“On April 9, 1898, the verdict for the execution of Candido Padilla was handed down by General Adolfo Montero (the last Spanish Governor of Cebu). After the announcement of his execution, C. Padilla was given the sacrament of confession. C. Padilla then asked that he be allowed to return the key of the Señor Sto. Niño, because he was the custodian of the image. This was his way of giving his farewell by kissing the image of the Holy Child. It was the priests who guaranteed the word of C. Padilla so he was allowed to leave and see the Holy Image. The key and the fiesta attire of C. Padilla were taken.

“The group was met by the friars inside the church, bowed before the Holy Sacrament, C. Padilla then opened the cover of the Holy Child, facing the convicted prisoner who knelt in front, silently murmuring his final prayers, with tears flowing from his cheeks and kissed the Image of the Sto. Niño.

“The following day, April 10, 1898, Easter Sunday called by the Spaniards as ‘Gloria de Pascua,' it was only the belfry of Seminario de San Carlos that was tolling the bells announcing the Roman Catholic Church feast of the triumphant rising from the dead of Jesus Christ, calling for the people to attend the Mass. There were a series of Masses, but only few attended, majority of which were those who sought succor inside the fort. There was a mass for the Sto. Niño, it was only the soldiers guarding the church that attended the Mass.

There was no Mass at the Cathedral, Recoletos, and San Nicolas. The customary ‘Sugat sa Kabanhawan' of that year did not happen. There was supposed to be a ‘Cenaculo' at the Cathedral and San Nicolas. It was said that it was as if Judas had escaped, as normally there was a practice where an effigy of Judas is set on fire and made to explode.” (To be continued)