Battle of Pateros

Part of The Philippine Revolution

Date	December 31, 1896 – January 3, 1897
Location	Pateros, Taguig, Silang, Cavite, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Result	First phase, December 31: Filipino victory Second phase, January 1–2: Inconclusive Third phase, January 3: Spanish victory

Belligerents

Katipunan

Spanish Empire

Commanders and leaders

Strength

10,000 local militia and irregulars
6,000 regulars

4,000 cazadores
7,000 infantry
5 guns

Casualties and losses

2,200 killed, wounded and captured

325 killed, 450 wounded

The Battle of Pateros refers to a series of skirmishes between Spanish troops and revolutionary forces in the towns of Las Piñas, Taguig and Pateros in Manila. These skirmishes occurred shortly after the execution of José Rizal and are considered the renewal of hostilities in Luzon after a period of ceasefire from the Battle of Binakayan to the Rizal execution.

After the failed Spanish attempt to recapture several towns in Cavite, a short period of desperate fighting occurred. The central Luzon revolutionaries in the north were heavily depleted and were on the verge of losing their war. Andrés Bonifacio's men in Morong were hard pressed by the Spaniards. But as things began to settle, the revolutionaries had successfully liberated all of Cavite and most of Laguna, Batangas and Tayabas provinces. In the period following the battle at Binakayan, several townsfolk from all over the provinces raced to settle in the territory of Cavite, bringing with them their town bands, their patron saints and so on. This period of temporary peace saw what the settlers of Cavite called "Ang Panahon ng Tagalog". Meanwhile, a new governor, Camilo de Polavieja, was put in power and began to suppress the rebels in Cavite, with Manila newspapers reporting the arrival of 40,000 cazadores (marksmen) from Spain.

Strategically located along the Pasig River, Pateros and other cities in the area were ideal for controlling trade in and out of Laguna, as Emilio Aguinaldo slowly advanced on Taguig, the generals of Laguna planned to liberate the rest of the province as well. Just before these incidents, an unofficial ceasefire was being observed in Cavite. Upon hearing of the execution of Rizal, Aguinaldo and several other generals ordered for the renewed struggle for independence. The first major target for the revolutionaries was Pateros and its surrounding towns. The advance began on land with the Aguinaldo forces marching towards Pateros, after noticing rebel activities in the area, Spanish troops pleaded for reinforcements as Aguinaldo moved forward, the reinforcements would arrive one day too late.

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Wikipedia