First posted on Saysay Bikol FB page, February 13, 2022. The author, Charles Joshua D. Gaufo, is a regular contributor to the FB page of Saysay Bikol, a civic organization of historians, educators, and cultural heritage advocates based in Naga City.

An unsung hero with an unorthodox profile for a revolutionary, today we commemorate the 161st birth anniversary of Don Florencio Lerma (b. February 23, 1861 – d. January 4, 1897). A musician and a playwright, he was born in the Quiapo district of Manila to Jose and Teodorica Lerma. The young Florencio attended his secondary school at the Ateneo Municipal in Intramuros. Eventually, he attended the Colegio de Niños Tiples de la Santa Iglesia Catedral, a boys’ school for church choir singers, where he honed his skills as a musician.

Lerma eventually relocated from Manila to Nueva Caceres—a part of which is now modern-day Naga City in Camarines Sur. During his stay in Nueva Caceres, he accumulated wealth through his carriage shop business and established a local theatre—a clear reflection of his interests. However, Lerma did not confine himself to the act of simply just establishing a place where people could share their artistic drive and passion. He proceeded to teach music at the Colegio de Santa Isabel while also serving as an organ player at the Naga Cathedral.

During the start of the Philippine Revolution in 1896, the Tagalog region rebelled to overthrow the three-hundred-year long Spanish rule. Meanwhile, the situation in the Bikol region was quite the contrary. The provinces of the region bestowed loyalty to Spain including Camarines Sur, consequently aiding them in their conquest to subdue the rebellion. The Tagalog rebellion caused massive paranoia to the Spanish authorities which resulted in Civil Governor Ricardo Lacosta ordering mass arrests and incarceration of personalities with suspected rebellious or subversive acts.

Lerma was arrested by the Spanish authorities on September 16, 1896. This was due to fabricated statements directed against him about landing arms from Manila and leading an orchestrated plan to assassinate Spanish colonists in the area. The account of his martyrdom and details of his incarceration was told by his eldest daughter, Doña Patrocinio, after the triumph of the revolution. According to her statement, after her father was taken away, they were subsequently robbed by the arresting officers of valuable wealth after the latter’s failure to seize any compromising evidence. Lerma then underwent severe torture with the use of extreme forces such as being tied in an undesirable position while being beaten violently with a cudgel. This is all under the objective of forcing him to admit an act he was innocent of.

After this, Lerma and the other prisoners were boarded on the steamer Isarog, where they were brought to Manila with their fate relied upon the disposition of the Spanish judge. In Lerma’s case, he was brought to the presidio in Santa Potenciana, then to the Bilibid prison, and eventually to a prison in Tondo. There, he was tortured and ordered to be whipped to death if upon refusal to reaffirm the false testimonies against him. On December 29, 1896, Lerma and ten other prisoners were sentenced to death by a war council presided over by Lieutenant Colonel Moreno Esteller.

On his last will and testament written on January 3, 1896, Lerma pledged his allegiance to his faith as a devout member of the Catholic Church. He expressed his love for his family and wished that they continue to be true to their faith. On his last words, he declared the properties seized from him by the Spanish authorities which he surrendered. As a final act, he pardoned all the personalities that would eventually cause his demise and asked forgiveness for those he might have offended, staying true to the principles of a true Christian. Finally on January 4, 1896, Don Florencio Lerma, along with the ten other prisoners were executed by firing squad at Bagumbayan – currently present-day Rizal Park, he was 35 years old. These prisoners along with four other prisoners would be known as the fifteen Martyrs of Bicol, or the Quince Martires.

In honor of Don Florencio Lerma and the fourteen others who lost their lives during the revolution, a memorial was built to honor them at the center of Nueva Caceres in 1926. In addition, a street in the Sampaloc district of Manila and a barangay in Naga City were named in honor of him.

The header features a stylized rendition of an archival photo from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Click link to learn more about Saysay Bikol on FB.

Bibliography:

Ataviado, Elias M. The Philippine Revolution in the Bikol Region, Vol. 1 (August 1896-January 1899), trans. Juan T. Ataviado. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1999.

Barrameda, Shiena M., and Juan Escandor. “15 Bicolano Martyrs given Honors in June 12 Rites in Naga City.” INQUIRER.net, June 12, 2014. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/…/15-bicolano-martyrs….

Guirao, Pilar Lozano. “Filipinas Durante El Mandato Del General Camilo García De Polavieja.” Universidad de Murcia. Accessed February 11, 2022. https://digitum.um.es/…/Filipinas%20durante%20el….

Palafox, Quennie Ann J. “Revolutions and Exodus of the Spanish Colonies in Albay, Camarines Sur and Masbate.” National Historical Commission of the Philippines, September 8, 2015. https://nhcp.gov.ph/revolutions-and-exodus-of-the…/.

Rugeria, Javier Leonardo Vitug. “Pagrumdom Ki Florencio Lerma.” Magbikol Kita. Magbikol Kita, January 14, 2021. https://magbikolkita.com/…/pagrumdom-ki-florencio-lerma/.

Santiago, Luciano P.R. “The Flowering Pen: Filipino Women Writers and Publishers during the Spanish Period, 1590- 1898, A Preliminary Survey.” Philippine Studies, Vol. 51, No. 4, The Book (2003), pp. 558-598, 2003, Vol. 51, no. No. 4 (2003): 558–98. http://www.philippinestudies.net/…/ps/article/view/366.

Team, i-Governance. “Dagos Po Sa Maogmang Naga.” Go to Dagos po sa Maogmang Naga. Accessed February 11, 2022. https://naga.gov.ph/…/naga%E2%80%99s-historical-landmarks/.

Team, i-Governance. “Dagos Po Sa Maogmang Naga.” Go to Dagos po sa Maogmang Naga. Accessed February 11, 2022. https://naga.gov.ph/…/bikol-honors-its-15-martyrs-of….