Trinidad Perez Tecson (November 18, 1848

January 28, 1928), known as the "Mother of Biak-naBato"

and
"Mother
of
Mercy
fought
to
gain Philippines independence.

Trinidad Perez Tecson

She was given the title "Mother of Biak-na-Bato" by

Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. She was also cited as the
"Mother of thePhilippine National Red Cross" for her
service to her fellow Katipuneros.
EARLY LIFE

Historical marker, Santa Rita Bata, San Miguel, Bulacan

Born

November
San

Miguel

18,
de

1848

Tecson
was
born
in San
Miguel
de
Mayumo, Bulacan, one of sixteen children of Rafael
Tecson and Monica Perez. She learned to read and
write from schoolmaster Quinto. She practiced
fencing with Juan Zeto and was feared throughout
the province, called "Tangkad" (tall) by her peers.
Orphaned at a very young age, she stopped school
and went with her siblings to live with relatives. She
married at 19 and had two children, Sinforoso and
Desiderio, who both died. Tecson and her husband
were engaged in the purchase and sale of cattle, fish,
oysters, and lobsters to be sold in Manila.

Mayumo, Bulacan,Captaincy

REVOLUTIONARY

General of the Philippines

Katipunan
Died

January

28,

1928 (aged 79)

Ermita, Manila, Philippine Islands

Resting

Manila North Cemetery

place

Nationality

Filipino

Known for

Philippine

Revolution

founder of Philippine National Red Cross

Political

Katipunan

party

Religion

Roman Catholicism

At first she was a dedicated councilor of Logia de

Adopcion, a masonic lodge founded in 1893 for
Philippine women. In 1895 at the age of 47 she
joined the Katipunan, signing her oath with her own
blood, although women members were not required
to do so. She helped the group by pilfering firearms
from a courthouse in Caloocan and in San Isidro. She
was working under General Mariano Llanera when
the Revolution began. In a battle in San Miguel, she
was almost captured while delivering food to the
soldiers, but escaped by pretending to be dead. She
took part in a battle led by General Francisco
Macabulos of Nueva Ecija, General Llanera, Gen.
Isidro Torres and Gen. Gregorio del Pilar of Bulacan.
On the battlefield, she tended to the wounded
Katipuneros. In the bloody battle of San Miguel and
Zaragosa she was shot in her right thigh. Tecson and
the others were forced to retreat to Biak-na-Bato,
which became the revolutionary headquarters of
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.
PHILIPPINE AMERICAN-WAR

She joined the revolutionary forces led by Gen. Gregorio del Pilar and participated in the assault on
the province of Bulacan and Calumpit. She also served in theMalolos Republic and was designated as the
Commissary of War. During the American drive northward, she was in Cabanatuan. Bringing with her sick
and wounded revolutionaries, Tecson crossed the Zambales mountains to Santa Cruz then to Iba.
LIFE AFTER WAR

After the war, her second husband died and she continued in business in Nueva Ecija, concentrating on
selling meat in the towns of San Antonio and Talavera. She married her third husband, Doroteo Santiago,
and after his death, married Francisco Empainado. On January 28, 1928, she died in Philippine General
Hospital at age 79. Her remains lie in the Plot of the Veterans of the Revolution in Cementerio del Norte.

Trinidad Tecson
Trinidad Tecson was born on November 18, 1848 in San Miguel de Mayumo Bulacan. Her parents where Rafael Tecson and Monica S.
Perez.
As a young child, Trinidad showed early signs of becoming a future heroine. She learned and practiced fencing from Juan Zeto who is
one of the good fencers. She learned to read and right from her mentor, Quinto, schoolmaster of their town. She stood for and
defended her family on two separate occasions. One was when she and her brothers were sleeping; a young man went up to their
house. Awakened and sensed the danger, she seized a bolo and hacked the intruder on the head. On another situation, a group of
civil guards forced to enter in their house in searched for the smuggled tobacco. Trinidad refused to let them in and told the guards
that there was no tobacco hidden inside the house. Alarmed by the determination of the civil guards, she took a bolo and used it to
drive the guards away. For this, the people dubbed her for being a babaing lalaki, pertaining to her courage and strength despite her
being
a
woman.
Trinidad married at the age of 19. She had two sons: Sinforoso and Desiderio; but both of them died. She had a total of four
marriages.
Trinidad was already 47 years old when she joined the woman chapter of the Katipunan in 1895. Prior to this, she was already an
active member of the Logia de Adapcion, which is the Masonic Lodge of Women in the Philippines. Albeit signing with the blood was
not required for women, Trinidad drew blood from her forearm and used it to sign her oath of loyalty, determination and affiliation to
the
Katipunan.
Trinidad didn't waste any time after she joined the Katipunan. At a time when the Katipuneros lacked firearms, she went with three
other companions to the courthouse in Caloocan, Rizal and succeeded in defending against the civil guards and seized away the
guns. After this, she led a band of five men and fled to the jail in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija where she was able to capture seven more
firearms. The authorities through the treachery of an accomplice soon discovered her. She immediately escaped to Obando.
In the battlefield, Trinidad fought side by side with men, wearing a Katipuneros outfit with a wide brimmed hat. Biak-na-Bato served
as the Katipunan's revolutionary headquarters and here, Trinidad nursed and took care of the wounded katipuneros. She secured
food for herself and the soldiers. In one event, she was almost caught by the Spanish soldiers. She pretended to be hit and threw
herself on the ground, crawled on the grass and hid behind tall bushes. She waited until the soldiers left then she escaped.
Trinidad was then called as the Mother of Biak-na-bato. She was likened to Tandang Sora. She was also cited as the Mother of the
Philippine
Red
Cross,
in
recognition
for
her
nursing
works.
Trinidad worked overtime. On top of her nursing and caring for the wounded soldiers, she still joined and fought in battles whenever
there was an opportunity. She would get wounded like in the bloody encounter at San Miguel and Zaragoza, but she would always
return
to
battle
after
she
recovered.
At the turn of the second phase of the revolution, she joined the forces led by General Gregorio del Pilar in the assault of Bulacan
and Calumpit under the direction of Isidro Torres. She served the Commissary of War under the Republic of Malolos.
She never stopped nursing the sick and wounded soldiers. She crossed the Zambales highlands to Sta. Cruz, and then to Iba,
bringing
with
her
the
sick
and
wounded.
Before the outbreak of the Revolution in 1896, Trinidad engaged in several businesses. She purchased and sold cattle; she was a
dealer of fresh and dried fish, salt, oyster, and lobster, which were sold in Manila. She continued her business in Nueva Ecija, mainly
the selling of meats in the town of San Antonio and Talavera, until after the death of her husband and upon the establishment of
peace.
She died on January 28, 1928 in the Philippine General Hospital at the age of 80. She was buried in the Plot of the Veterans of the
Revolution in Cementerio del Norte.

TRINIDAD
(1848
Trinidad

TECSON
1928)

Tecson

was

known

as

the

Mother

of

Biak-na-Bato.

She was born on November 18, 1848 in San Miguel de Mayumo Bulacan the daughter of the affluent couple Rafael Tecson and
Monica
S.
Perez.
She learned to read and write from a schoolmaster of the town by the name of Quinto. In her teens, the notorious Tangkad was
feared throughout the province and it was probably for self protection that she took practicing native fencing from Juan Zeto, one
of
the
better
known
local
fencers.
She revealed her remarkable courage early. One night while she and her brothers were asleep in their home in an isolated farm a
young man stealthily went up the house. Awakened, she seized a bolo and hacked the intruder on the head. He fled bleeding.
Trinings
audacity
was
much
praised.
There was a time a party of civil guards demanded to search the house of smuggled tobacco. She told them emphatically that there
was no tobacco in the house and refuse to let them in. Their chief, the alferez, was an unwelcomed suitor. She surmised that he
might have sent his man to annoy her. Seeing that they are determined, she took a bolo which she wielded with dexterity. She,
herself
was
not
unscathed
but
the
guards
had
to
desist.
His father was consequently made a party to a lawsuit which lasted for three months. The court decided in favor of the Tecsons. The
people
dubbed
her
babaing
lalaki,
complementing
her
fearlessness
but
beclouding
her
feminity.
She

married

at

the

age

of

19,

but

her

two

children

Sinforoso

and

Desiderio

died.

When she joined the woman chapter of the Katipunan in 1895, Trinidad was 47 years old. At the time, she was already an active
member of the Logia de Adapcion the Masonic Lodge of Women in the Philippines. Although the women members were not required
to sign with their blood, she drew blood from her forearm to sign her
oath of affiliation to the Katipunan.
Seeing that arms and ammunitions were desperately needed by the Katipuneros, she went with three companions to the courthouse
in Caloocan, Rizal to seize from firearms. They succeeded in overpowering the guardia civiles and carried away their guns.
She also led a band of five men and captured seven firearms from the jail of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, which was soon discovered
through the treachery of an accomplice. Hounded by the authorities, she left the town and move to Obando.
While securing food for herself and for the other soldiers, she was almost caught by the Spanish soldiers. She evaded capture by
pretending to be hit and throwing herself on the ground. She crawled on the grass and hid behind some tall bushes near a brook.
She
waited
until
the
soldiers
went
away
and
made
her
escape.
In the battlefield she wore the Katipuneros outfit wearing a wide brimmed hat. She fought side by side with the men.
She nursed the wounded after the assault by the Spanish forces in Biak-na-Bato following the engagement at Baling Kupang. She
took part in the encounter of Gulod Baboy in view of the lack of fighting men. In the bloody encounter at San Miguel and at Zaragosa
she was wounded at the right thigh. She and the forces of Makabulos returned to Biak-na-Bato, which became the revolutionary
headquarters
after
the
arrival
of
Emilio
Aguinaldo.
During the second phase of the Revolution, she joined the forces led by General Gregorio del Pilar in the assault of Bulacan and
Calumpit under the direction of Isidro Torres. She served the Commisary of War under the Republic of Malolos. During the American
drive northward, she was in the line that passed by Cabanatuan where she saw Lunas body lying in the state.
She crossed the Zambales highlands to Sta. Cruz, and then to Iba, bringing with her the sick and wounded. The Filipino forces fought
in
Subic
and
Castillejos
and
for
a
while
held
the
Americans
in
check.
Before the outbreak of the Revolution in 1896, she engaged in the purchase and sale of cattle, became a dealer of fish (fresh and
dried) salt, oyster, lobster which were sold in Manila. After the death of her husband, and upon the establishment of peace, she
carried on her business activities in Nueva Ecija, mainly the sale of meats in the towns of San Antonio and Talavera. She married her
third
husband,
Doroteo
Santiago,
after
whose
death
she
married
Francisco
Empainado.
The editorial of La Opinion, dated January 30, 1928, written by Fernando Ma. Guerrero, likened her to Tandang Sora.
She was credited as the first to start Red Cross recognized her nursing work. She was cited as the Mother of the Philippine Red
Cross.
On January 28, 1928, she died in the Philippine General Hospital at the age of 80. She was buried in the Plot of the Veterans of the
Revolution
in
Cementerio
del
Norte.

Trinidad
(1848-1928)

Tecson

Mother of Biak-na-Bato. Born in San Miguel, Bulacan, on November 18, 1848. Even though women-members of the Katipunan were
exempted from the pact, she participated in Sanduguan(blood compact). She fought fearlessly in 12 bloody battles of the revolution
in Bulacan, including the famous Battle of Biak-na-Bato. Later, she became known as The Mother of the Philippine Red Cross. Died on
June 28, 1928.

Isa sa mga babaeng gumanap ng mahalagang papel sa himagsikan at

nagpamalas ng kagitingan at pagmamahal sa bayan ay si Trinidad Tecson.
Sumapi siya sa lihim na samahan ng mga Katipunero. Mapulang-mapula at
buhay ang dugong tumulo sa bisig ni Trinidad. Isinawsaw niya sa dugong ito
ang pluma at inilagda niya ang kanyang pangalan bilang isa sa magigiting na
Pilipinang kasapi sa katipunan.

Nagsuot kawal si Trinidad Tecson at sumama sa mga Katipunero sa larangan ng digmaan. Isa
siya sa pinakamatapang na kawal na babae na nakipaglaban sa mga kawal Kastila. Nakasama
siya sa labanan sa San Miguel, sa San Ildefonso, at sa San Jose, Nueva Ecija.
Siya ay naglingkod sa ilalim ng hukbong pinamunuan ng magigiting at matatapang na Heneral
na Pilipino. Kabilang dito sina Heneral Mariano Llanera.
Sa ilalim ng pangkat ni Heneral Francisco Makabulos ay nasugatan si Trinidad sa paa sa
paglusob nila sa kampo ng mga Kastila sa Zaragosa. Nueva Ecija. Napilitan siyang umurong sa
labanan at magpagaling sa Biak-na-Bato.
Sa makasaysayang pook ng Biak-na-Bato itinayo ni Heneral Aguinaldo ang mga kampo, at ospital
ng mga rebolusyonaryo. Sa pook na ito ginagampanan ni Trinidad ang tungkulin ng isang nars at
ina ng mga nasusugatan at mga maysakit na Katipunero.
Bagamat may sugat ang binti, ay inalagaan, pinakain at ginamot niya ang mga sugatang kawal.
Bukod sa paggamot at pag-aalaga sa mga kawal Pilipino ay nanawagan din si Trinidad sa mga
kababaihang Pilipina na tumulong sa pag-aalaga sa mga sugatang kababayan.
Muling nagsuot ng damit kawal si Trinidad nang muling sumiklab ang himagsikang PilipinoAmerikano noong 1898. Dahil sa kakulangan ng pagkain at sandata ay napilitan silang sumuko
sa Hukbong Amerikano.
Bilang pagkilala sa nagawang pagmamalasakit ni Trinidad Tecson sa mga kawal Pilipino noong
panahon ng Himagsikan, si Trinidad Tecson ay tinagurian ni Heneral Aguinaldo na Ina ng Biakna-Bato.