Andrés Novales

Early life and career

Novales' father was a captain in the Spanish Army, while his mother was born to a prominent family in the Philippines. According to the Filipino author Nick Joaquin, he was a Filipino Creole of Mexican descent. He became a cadet at the age of nine and a lieutenant at fourteen. When he heard of the Peninsular War, an existing war between Spain and France, he sought his senior officer's consent to go to Madrid. Despite being demoted to a volunteer soldier with no rank after arriving in Spain, he returned to the Philippines with the rank of captain. His zeal for service had not waned, earning him the envy and ire of other military officers – something which Governor-General Juan Antonio Martínez later used against Novales.

Novales revolt

Novales' unease with the way Spanish authorities treated creoles later grew, reaching its climax when peninsulars were shipped to the Philippines to replace Creole officers. He found the sympathy of many Creoles, including Luis Rodríguez Varela ("El Conde Filipino") as well as demoted Latin American officers in the Spanish Army. "Officers in the army of the Philippines were almost totally composed of Americans," observed the Spanish historian José Montero y Vidal. "They received in great disgust the arrival of peninsular officers as reinforcements, partly because they supposed they would be shoved aside in the promotions and partly because of racial antagonisms." As punishment for this dissent, many military officers and public officials were exiled, including Novales, who was exiled to Mindanao to fight pirates. Undeterred, he secretly returned to Manila.

On the night of June 1, 1823, Novales, along with a certain sub-lieutenant Ruiz and other subordinates in the King's Regiment, as well as discontented former Latino officers "americanos", composed mostly of Mexicans with a sprinkling of Creoles and mestizos from the now independent nations of Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica, went out to start a revolt. Along with 800 Filipinos which his sergeants recruited, they seized the Governor-General's Palace, the Manila Cathedral, the city's cabildo (city hall) and other important government buildings in Intramuros.

Failing to find the Governor-General, they killed the lieutenant governor and former governor-general Mariano Fernandez de Folgueras. Folgueras was the one that suggested replacing Creole officers with peninsulars. The soldiers shouted ¡Viva el Emperador Novales! ("Long live the Emperor Novales!") Surprisingly, the townsfolk followed Novales and his troops as they marched into Manila. They eventually failed to seize Fort Santiago because Andrés' brother Mariano, who commanded the citadel, refused to open its gates. Authorities rushed soldiers to the fort upon learning that it was still holding out against the rebels. Novales was reportedly "everywhere" during the Spanish Attack motivating his troops and was captured on the battlefield.{{cite book | access-date = 2026-01-13

At 5:00 pm of June 2, Novales, Ruiz, and 21 sergeants were executed by firing squad in a garden near Puerta del Postigo. In his last minutes, Novales declared that he and his comrades shall set an example of fighting for freedom. Mariano was initially to be executed as well for being Andrés' brother, but the crowd pleaded for his freedom with the argument that he had saved the government from being overthrown. Mariano received a monthly pension of ₱14, but went mad after the execution.

References

References

1. "FamilySearch.org".
2. "Adventures in the Philippine Islands".
3. Joaquin, Nick. (1990). "Manila, My Manila". Vera-Reyes, Inc..
4. Nick Joaquin, Manila, My Manila, Page 90
5. Bernal, México en Filipinas, Pages 102–104
6. Park, Paula C.. (2022). "Intercolonial Intimacies: Relinking Latin/o America to the Philippines, 1898–1964". [[University of Pittsburgh Press]].
7. John Scott, John Taylor. (1826). "The London Magazine, Volume 14".
8. [https://filipinokastila.tripod.com/FilMex.html "Filipinos In Mexico’s History 4 (The Mexican Connection – The Cultural Cargo Of The Manila-Acapulco Galleons)] By Carlos Quirino
9. (2008). "Struggle for Freedom 2008 Edition". Rex Bookstore.
10. "General at once ordered Andres Novales".