Cry of Nueva Ecija

The first Cry of Nueva Ecija (Filipino: Sigaw ng Nueba Esiha) (Spanish: Grito de Nueva Ecija) was the first call for revolution in central Luzon, and occurred September 2 to 5, 1896. Roughly 3,000 volunteers were led by Mariano Llanera and Pantaleon Valmonte (the Gobernadorcillos of Cabiao and Gapan). The makeshift army of Llanera and Manuel Tinio marched towards San Isidro, and the next few days were marked by numerous battles and insurgencies.

The First Battles
Pantaleon Valmonte led troops from Gapan while Mariano Llanera led troops from Cabiao. Colonel Alipio Tecson, Manuel Tinio and his men also joined the combined forces Valmonte and Llanera. Numbering around 700 men, the townsfolk of Cabiao under the leadership of their Capitan Municipal Mariano Nuñez Llanera together with the people of the neighboring towns of Arayat, Deliquente (San Antonio) & Jaen led the siege against the colonizing Spaniards stationed at the Factoria of San Isidro. Although there were some three thousand Filipino revolutionaries the force only possessed about 100 rifles. The Filipinos organized themselves at Sitio Pulu 5 kilometers from San Isidro and there 500 men were chosen for the attack.

Despite the fact that they had only 100 rifles, they furiously fought the Spaniards who defended themselves in the Casa Tribunal, the arsenal, other government buildings and in the houses of Spanish residents. The Spanish commander, Joaquin Machorro (commander of the Guardia Civil) was killed on the first day of battle.

According to Julio Tinio, Manuel's cousin and a participant in the battle, Manuel had a conference in the arsenal with Antonio Luna and Eduardo Llanera, the general's son, immediately after the battle.

The Cabiao Brass Band accompanied the Filipino revolutionaries into battle. Other sources refer to this same'band' as a bamboo orchestra named the "Banda Makabayan De Cabiao".

Spanish Counterattack
Spanish reaction was delayed due to the sheer scale of the uprising in the province and its surroundings. The next day, a 200 man company was hastily organized by the authorities under the command of Major Lopez Arteaga. All night fighting followed. This time, the Spanish army prevailed as they regained possession of the town. They successfully drove the insurgents out of the government centers. More Spanish troops arrived from Penaranda, forcing the poorly armed rebels to retreat, leaving behind 60 dead. The Spaniards continued to pursue the rebels, furiously driving the rebels out of Cabiao. The rebels retreated to Candaba Pampanga; while the rebels of Gapan retreated to San Miguel de Mayumo Bulacan. The San Isidro rebels crossed the river to safety in Jaen, Nueva Ecija, Maunel Tinio. One of the major Novo-Ecijano commanders defended the rebels crossing the river, who were all relatives of the local rebels and were among his kinfolk. The Spaniards relentlessly pursued the rebels until January 1897, forcing Llanera to shift to guerrilla warfare against them.

Guerrilla Warfare
Due to the retreat, Llanera, Tinio and other Novo-Ecijano commanders shifted to guerrilla warfare until they could regroup for another offensive. This tactic, though effective in stalling for time, caused the revolutionaries massive casualties as the Spaniards furiously pursued them. Generals like Manuel Tinio had to constantly hide and escape from pursuit as the revolutionaries continued to fight desperate skirmishes against a well-armed and well-prepared enemy. This continued until late December when, for a while, there was no pursuit by the Spaniards and the revolution seemed over. Llanera used this vital pause in the revolution to regroup for another attempt to revolt against the Spaniards.