people.

Meanwhile, their commander, Felipe Estrella, and his fellow

officers went about the task of soliciting and collecting food contri-

butions they could bring back to Kakarong.

On the very same day-it was a Monday in May 1896-that the

Sons of the People captured San Rafael, a large detachment of the

volunteer corps led by Captain Sta. Maria himself invaded

Kakarong. There was little doubt that the operation was carried out

with the help of his three spies who had infiltrated the community.

Felipe Estrella's troops had barely reached their destination when

the enemy suddenly descended on Kakarong and began shooting in

earnest.

Shortly after the firing started,

the camp and gutted the headquarters and the houses surrounding

it. The two spies who had remained in camp were caught in the act

of starting the fires. The few troops left to guard the outpost were

kept busy trying to extinguish the fire and to save the screaming

old people and women and children engulfed in the flames. Mean-

while, the enemy pressed their advantage and quickly overran the

camp, especially when they sensed that from the few shots fired from

within, only a handful were defending the Katipunan outpost. Spar-

ing no one, from suckling infants to doddering old people, they shot

and killed everyone they saw in the camp. The only survivors were

a few who managed to escape, among them Maestro Sebio himself

BNews of the massacre at Kakarong swiftly reached San Rafael in

the aftern0on of the same day. Estrella hastened to mobilize his

troops who had dispersed and were still heady over their victory.

Knowing that Kakarong had only a few men left to defend it, he

became impatient with his disbanded troops, whom he found diffi-

cult to mobilize at once, so he left with only

instructing others to follow immediately.

However, they had scarcely left San Rafael when they were sud-

denly ambushed by the enemy. Their path was blocked, and enemy

troops, who sprang at them on either side, opened fire ferociously

and without letup. The Spanish forces were so numerous that they

were able to encircle almost all of the San Rafael area. Bullets from

all quarters rained on the little band of Felipe Estrella.

Estrella and his me

conflagration broke out inside

a few of his men while

valiantly fought back, but their puny efforts

in the face of great odds could not stem the enemy onslaught. The

tiny Katipunan band dispersed and sought shelter inside shops and

houses and fired away at the enemy from their concealment. For

their part, the townspeople began to flee. They fled with their

babies and the old, and the sick in their arms or on their backs.

the hand

The women with their brood in tow were led away

Soon, the Spaniards had so

effectively encircled the town that the

fleeing folk could find no way out. All the exits had been blocked