Lukban Lukban | Page 18

LUKBAN
de Policia y Order Interior , Delegado de Justicia y Registro Civil and Delegado de Rentas y de la Propriedad . These elections , however , still followed the traditional way , which excluded the participation of the majority . In the meantime , on January 4 that same year , Lukban issued an order to the Presidentes of Calbayog and Oquendo , located north of Calbayog , to be vigilant of their coastal areas and rivers and to report any untoward incidents .
Later , on January 25 , 1899 , local criers known as bandillos informed residents in all sitios and barrios of Calbayog , Oquendo and Weyler of the order of Lukban , that all men and women , 18 years old and above , had to pay a cedula personal of four pesos and a contribucion de guerra of six pesos . This is presumed to have taken place also in the other towns similarly organized by Lukban ’ s appointees . 10
Months later , Lukban would realize that juntas magnas and bandillos would not be enough to create a stable base for the revolutionary government in Samar .
A brief stopover in Leyte
Since his appointment included the island province of Leyte , he set sail on January 17 , that year , on board the steamer San Nicolas for the neighboring island of Leyte , where his own mean awaited him :: Esteban Aparri , his secretary in Leyte , Francisco Enage , Claro Pimentel , Juan Merchant and Jose Memeige . All of them would benefit in his subsequent appointments . These were some of the principalia of Tacloban , apparently a rival group to the others who took the initiative to reorganize the provincial government in 1898 .
Lukban at once proceeded to issue his first proclamation to Leyteños on the necessity of establishing the republic , the importance of unity , and the threat of American domination . 11 As in his other issuances , these were written in Spanish which only those belonging to the small educated class could understand . His being a Tagalog in a region that spoke Waray worked against him at the very inception of his revolutionary career in the region .
Unlike his stint in Samar , however , Lukban ’ s actuations in Leyte were questioned by rivals in the local principalia , who thought he was using his power to appoint his close associates into important positions . A petition signed by affected parties that was sent to Gen . Aguinaldo on April 6 , 1899 says it all :
“ On the first of January last Brigadier General Vicente Lukban arrived in this port accompanied by Señor Francisco Enage de Jesus and other
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