Though local heroes are shrouded in obscurity, Holy Angel University endeavored to keep these men and women alive, featuring them in special issues of Singsing, the Center for Kapampangan Studies’ (CKS) publication. These issues are “99 Memorable Kapampangans” and “Brave Hearts.”
One memorable hero who hailed from Angeles City at birth is Gen. Servillano Aquino, a Katipunero and the patriarch of the Aquino family.
Born on April 20, 1874, he received education at a young age from a private tutor in Mexico, Pampanga. During his childhood, his family migrated to Tarlac.
Aquino became a part of the Katipunan in 1896 and organized revolutionary forces against the Spanish as a major under General Francisco Macabulos’ command.
He was voluntarily exiled to Hong Kong along with Emilio Aguinaldo after the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. Once returned to the Philippines in 1898, he joined General Antonio Luna in fighting against the American forces.
In 1901, he was incarcerated in Bilibid Prison for the alleged murder of an American prisoner, He was sentenced to death by hanging, but later sentenced to life imprisonment instead. Two years later, however, he was given pardon by US President Theodore Roosevelt.
Notably, the tradition of patriotism began with Gen. Aquino, which is evident in his clan all the way down to his grandson, Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. His grandson’s assassination in 1983 led to the People Power Revolution in 1986, restoring democracy in the country.
Angeles City: Home of Guardian Angels 