Battle of Kakarong de Sili
| Battle of Kakarong De Sili | |||||||||
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| Part of the Philippine Revolution | |||||||||
 Maestrong Sebio after the battle. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 KatipunanKakarong Rebublic |
 Spanish Empire
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Canuto Villanueva Eusebio Roque  Gregorio Del Pilar
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José Olaguer Feliú
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 6,000 men, 1 fort | 600 Cazadores soldiers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 1,000+ (killed, wounded, captured) (estimated) 1 fort |
24 killed, 76 wounded | ||||||||
The Battle of Kakarong de Sili was fought on January 1, 1897, near Pandi, Bulacan, in the Philippines. The Kakarong Republic, based in the little fort in Pandi, was attacked by a force of Spaniards who massacred the Katipuneros there. At the end of the battle, General Eusebio Roque (also known as Maestrong Sebio and Dimabungo) was captured by the Spaniards. The Kakarong republic was considered the first republic formed in Bulacan and in the Philippines.
When the revolution began at Balintawak, Katipuneros to the north of Manila, in the central plains aimed to join in the fight, but after the unsuccessful Battle of San Juan del Monte with Spanish forces and Bonifacio, the central Luzon Katipuneros lost heart and postponed most of their revolts. However, in Pandi, Bulacan and San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, the revolution had heated up. The Katipuneros in Bulacan established the Kakarong Republic and built a fort in the Real de Kakarong area. According to "Life and Death of a Boy General", Teodoro Kalaw's biography of Gregorio del Pilar (then an officer of the military forces of the Kakarong area), a fort was constructed at 'Kakarong de Sili' that was like a miniature city. It had streets, an independent police force, a military band, a military arsenal with factories for bolos and field artillery, and repair shops for rifles and cartridges. The Kakarong Republic had a complete set of officials, with Canuto Villanueva as Supreme Chief and Captain General of the military forces, and Eusebio Roque, also known by his nom-de-guerre "Maestrong Sebio", then head of the Katipunan local organization (Balangay Dimas-Alang serving the town of Pandi), as Brigadier General of the Army of the Republic.
On January 1, 1897, a massive force of fresh Spanish "Cazadores" marching in six columns, arrived at the fort, led by the Commandant José Olaguer Feliú. They besieged the fort for a number of hours, fighting Roque and del Pilar's forces. Finally, the walls and the men defending them gave way and Roque's forces were forced to retreat further into the fort. After breaching the walls, the Spanish started to burn down the settlements, arms repairs and shop houses. The remaining Katipuneros there were massacred by the oncoming force. Del Pilar, just a lieutenant at the time, was wounded and he and the rest of his men retreated to the nearby Barangay Manatal. Villanueva managed to escape and retreat, but Sebio and the rest of his men were captured and imprisoned by the Spaniards. Sebio was Executed by firing squad, along with his men, on January 16, 1897. Eventually, Bulacan became a center of rebellion and guerilla tactics began being used by rebels there.
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