Biography of "General Antonio Luna"

Childhood and Family Background

Occupation

Antonio Luna with fellow propagandists Eduardo de Lete (CENTER) and Marcelo H. Del Pilar (RIGHT). PHOTO was taken in Spain in 1890.

Antonio was a gifted student, who studied with a teacher called Maestro Intong from the age of six. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1881, and continued his studies in chemistry, music, and literature at the University of Santo Tomas, also in Manila. In addition to his academic subjects, Antonio Luna studied fencing, sharpshooting, and military tactics at the university. In 1890, Antonio traveled to Spain to join his brother Juan Luna, who was studying painting in Madrid. There, Antonio earned a licentiate in pharmacy at the Universidad de Barcelona, followed by a doctorate from the Universidad Central de Madrid. He went on to study bacteriology and histology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, continuing on to Belgium. While in Spain, Luna had published a well-received paper on malaria, so in 1894 the Spanish government appointed him to a post as a specialist in communicable and tropical diseases.

Antonio was the youngest of seven children of Joaquín Luna San Pedro Y. Posadas from Badoc, Ilocos Norte, and Spanish mestiza Laureana Novicio San Ignacio Y. Ancheta, from Luna, La Union. His father was a traveling salesman of the government tobacco monopoly. The tobacco monopoly was formally established in 1782. After their family moved to Manila in 1861, his father became a merchant in Binondo.

He also has siblings. His older brother, Juan Luna, was an accomplished painter who studied in the Madrid Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. His Spoliarium garnered one of the three gold medals awarded in the Madrid Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884. His other brother, José Luna, became a doctor. Yet another brother, Joaquín Luna, fought with Antonio in the Philippine-American War, and later served as governor of La Union from 1904 to 1907. Joaquín would also serve as senator from 1916 to 1919. His three other siblings were Numeriana, Manuel, and Remedios.

Turn of the century photo of Antonio Luna

He was regarded as one of the fiercest generals of his time, he succeeded Artemio Ricarte as commander of the Philippine Revolutionary Army. He sought to apply his background in military science to the fledgling army. A sharpshooter himself, he organized professional guerrilla soldiers later to be known as the "Luna Sharpshooters" and the "Black Guard". His three-tier defense, now known as the Luna Defense Line, gave the American troops a hard campaign in the provinces, north of Manila. This defense line culminated in the creation of a military base in the Cordillera. He was also known as a soldier, chemist, musician, pharmacist, war-strategist and a journalist back in his days.

Fun Fact:

Photos of some events of his life...

Gen. Luna's brother Juan Luna was one of the first recognized Philippine artists. He was the creator of the world-famous painting, Spoliarium, which was also known as the greatest painting of all times.

Death

Antonio Luna poses with a microscope at the Institute Pasteur in Paris, France. PHOTO was taken in the early 1890's.

General Luna was assassinated on June 5, 1899 at the streets of Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija by his own soldiers because the president, Emilio Aguinaldo thought he was threat.

THE MOVIE

General Luna was the fiercest, bravest, and one of the most admired heroes of the Philippines. The history of the Philippine Revolution was mostly forgotten because after Gen. Luna was assassinated, the americans won the war. In one of our histories, one of our first teachers were the Thomasites, they were a group of about five hundred American teachers sent by the U.S. government to the Philippines in August 1901.

Personal life

In the period between 1889-1891, Luna courted Nellie Boustead who was also courted by Jose Rizal, (national hero). Boustead was really infatuated with Rizal. In a party, the drunk Gen. Luna made some unpleasant remarks to Boustead. This made Jose Rizal challenge Gen. Luna in a duel. However, Luna apologized to him when he felt well, thus averting the duel between the compatriots.

So they must have thought the new generation of Filipinos that they're the true heroes of the country. Here's a trailer of a movie depicting the true history of the Philippine Revolution.

"HENERAL LUNA"

"The Fiery General"

by : Jerrold Tarog

Jose Rizal

"National Hero of the Philippines"

Nellie Boustead

Fun Fact:

There are urban legends that persist to present concerning Luna diverting millions of pesos from the Republic's treasury, particularly from Ilocos and Pampanga, to the hometown of his alleged sweetheart, Ysidra Cojuangco. Ysidra was the aunt of Jose Cojuangco, father of Corazon Aquino. Luna's wealth was rumored to have been entrusted to Ysidra, resulting in the latter becoming one of the richest women in the Philippines by 1900.

He was the editor of La Independencia.

After the declaration of Philippine independence, Gen. Luna saw that the success of the new republic depended on the mindsets of his countrymen. He felt that the revolution needed a newspaper that would help mold the nation. On September 3, 1898, the first edition of La Independencia (“The Independence”) rolled off, thereby pioneering the democratic concept of freedom of the press in the Philippines.

[FACTS]

Highlights:

General Antonio Luna, AKA “The Fiery General” was a leader of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine-American War. He formed the Philippine Revolutionary Army. He was a Filipino scientist and soldier who lived in the late 19th century. He was widely recognized in the scientific community for his research of contagious diseases.

Legacy:

His efforts to free the Philippines from American rule and his pharmaceutical and environmental science findings both left their mark on his country.

Birth Date and Place of Birth

• He was a scientist.
• He was a brilliant writer.
• He was an expert marksman and martial artist.
• He and Jose Rizal almost had a duel.
• He had a bad ass teacher in the art of war.
• He helped establish the first military academy for Filipinos.
• He had his own elite group of soldiers.
• He created the Luna Line, (a series of three-layered bamboo trenches which included bamboo spikes and poisonous snakes.)
• He planned to build a guerrilla fortress in the Mountain Province.
• A bag of coins stopped a bullet from killing him.
• He was frightening even in death.
• Even the Americans admired him.

He was known to be the "Hero of the Philippine Revolution"

General Luna was an Ilocano born on October 29, 1866 in Calle Urbiztondo (Barraca Street), Binondo, now part of San Nicolas, Manila.

Sources

• http://pinoykollektor.blogspot.ca/2015/09/106-general-antonio-luna-memorabilia.html
• http://asianhistory.about.com/od/philippines/fl/Antonio-Luna-Hero-of-the-Philippine-American-War.htm
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Luna
• http://www.filipiknow.net/facts-about-antonio-luna/

Biography Report of General Antonio Luna