LEGAZPI CITY, Aug 26 (PCOO) -- President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared September 2, which falls on a Monday, as a special (non-working) day in the province of Albay to mark the 148th birth anniversary of the late General Simeon A. Ola, the last revolutionary general to surrender at the end of the Philippine-American War.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration through Proclamation No. 635 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on August 22, to give the people of Albay the full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
Born on September 2, 1865 to ordinary citizens Vicente Ola and Apolonia Arboleda, Ola was a hero of the Philippine Revolution and the last general to surrender to American forces during the Philippine-American War.
In 1896, he stopped his studies at the University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City and joined the local branch of the Katipunan in his hometown, the province of Albay.
Ola was promoted to the rank of captain after the battle of Camalig in Albay in 1898 and again promoted to the rank of major after a daring ambush mission that led to the capture of three Americans.
He was also the leader of the subsequent valiant attacks on Albay towns namely, Oas, Ligao and Jovellar. He later surrendered to Americans on the condition that his men would be granted amnesty.
Ola was put on trial and was proven guilty of sedition and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In 1904, he was given a pardon and returned to his place of birth.
In 1910, he entered politics and won a town mayor of Guinobatan, which he served until 1913. He was again elected as mayor in 1916 and served the term until 1919.
The regional police command in Legazpi City was named after him.
Ola died on February 14, 1952 and was interred at the Roman Catholic Cemetery of Guinobatan. PND(js)
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