LUKBAN
who incite to rebellion against the real chief ; those … who while they understood , yet lent a hand to such machinations and dragged in those poor innocent one ; those who disseminated lying report merely to terrorize or to sustain vain hopes ; who incited men to hide and wander about in roving bands in the woods , for them to be shot and wounded ….. What a horrible punishment from God ! May the mercy of God descend !”
He challenged Lukban : “ If you like to meet the Americans to fight , only decide upon the time and place , as they will go out to fight with you .”
As a postscript , he wrote to the leaders : “ Rest assured that unless you surrender to the Americans , you will have no rest ; for they will continue to persecute you in these woods , with fires , with loss of your cattle and your crops .” 10
Lukban met the same conflict with illustrados in Leyte when for some months he acted as the island ’ s politico-military governor before the arrival of Gen . Ambrosio Mojica . In the recent months , the surrender of some of his officers , who were of illustrado origins , only reinforced such a bias toward this class .
On July 12 , 1900 , he wrote one of his many circulars to Samar ’ s important citizens and political leaders , hoping they would truly understand the cause of the rebellion . This was an address to the town presidentes and other inhabitants of Samar , explaining to them the true character of the Americans . The continuous and relentless attacks by his forces on American garrisons have served to weaken them morally as well as materially . Indeed they have resorted lately to the policy of attraction in order to “ retrieve their strength and destroy the Filipino nation .” 11
They also made use of parleys to have personal interviews with the officers , and decrees of amnesty so that when they surrender to the Americans , they “ become prisoners caught in a trap prepared by them .” Such parleys , Lukban explained , were apt to be deceptive because their real purpose was overlooked . He cautioned against being carried away as what happened to their ancestors . The Americans always tried to paint a beautiful picture of their regime , but the people and their leaders must pay close attention to their deceptive enterprise . He said there is no better future for them than liberty and independence . 12
He took a swipe at the outright lies provided by his enemies to the press in Manila and the world , to paint a glorious picture of themselves
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