FLAVIANO
YENGKO
(1874 - 1897)
One of the unsung heroes of the
Philippine Revolution was Flaviano
Yengko, a law student of the
At the age of five, he was
enrolled at the Escuela Normal. He
finished the course for primary teachers with the qualification maestro de ascenso. He took up Latinidad under Enrique Mendiola and
later under Benedicto Luna. Then he enrolled at the Colegio de
He was generous. A classmate, broke
because of lavish spending was in dire predicament regarding a back account of
eight pesos with the university. Flaviano told him, ”Don’t worry. With my gold
spectacles and your gold watch chain, we can easily raise more than ten pesos
from the pawnshop”.
He was versatile. He
performed well in class and was an eloquent orator, a witty debater, and a good
athlete. He was given to the arts. One of his paintings, A Landscape was awarded a prize in the Regional Exposition of the
In Imus, he fell in love
with a beautiful Cavitena. She favored him, but her father did not think him
man enough, put off by his fancy clothes. The preferred a rival who had the
making of a revolutionary.
The outbreak of the
Philippine Revolution in August 1896 gave him the opportunity to prove his
manly courage. In response to Bonifacio’s call to arms, he quit his law course
and secretly left his home in Tondo. He left a note: “Mother. I am laving
without your consent and knowledge because I will be fighting for our
fatherland.”
On
On November 9,he had his
first engagement in the Battle of Binakayan. The ardor he manifested in battle,
and his unusual valor in action caught
the attention of Aguinaldo ho, consequently, took him in the general staff with
the rank of captain. He participated in other military engagements, winning
rapid promotion .
The Christmas of 1896 saw
him in the uniform of a Colonel. Despite the gore and grime
of combat, he to keep himself well-groomed.
In February 1897,Spanish
General Cornelio de Polavieja launched an intensive offensive in
After the fall of Perez
Dasmarinas, the Filipino forces took their position in the town of
At the military hospital in
Imus, his sweetheart comforted him. With the satisfaction of a reciprocated
love and the glory of having fought for his country, he died on