OCTOBER 3, 1924 – ONE HUNDRED YEARS AFTER

One hundred years after General Juan Araneta’s passing in October 3, 2024, over 500 of his descendants got together to pay tribute to their patriarch.

With the appropriate pomp and ceremony befitting a hero, the city officials of Bago paid homage to this beloved Bagonhon at a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the monument built in honor of Tan Juan, as our hero is fondly called.  The statue is of Araneta astride his faithful steed Requinto, an Arabian horse bought in Vienna.  This figure also marks his final resting place which is a sight that greets all those who arrive at the city proper via Araneta Street that is one of the two major thoroughfares of the Province of Negros Occidental.

 

 

 

What makes General Juan Anacleto Torres Araneta an exceptional human being?  He was a patriot, a farmer, and  a wise, loving patriarch.

A Patriot.

When Tan Juan departed from this world, he left extensive landholdings that are indications of how wealthy he was.  However, the road to wealth was, for him, full of obstacles and heartaches.  Lands that he and his siblings inherited were confiscated by the Spanish authorities, and he had to start all over again.

The patriotic fire in his breast burned more ardently during a European sojourn that exposed him to First World ideas on good governance.  The palpable freedom there enabled him to meet and interact closely with Filipino leaders who were based in some European capitals.  It is also interesting to note that General Juan Araneta was a schoolmate of national hero Jose Rizal at the Ateneo Municipal, and also with another Negrense General Aniceto L. Lacson.

A Farmer.

Tan Juan was a lover of the soil and had met many successes as a farmer.  His expertise in Agriculture was out in the spotlight when he joined the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair as a commissioner.  There, products from Negros such as cacao, rice, and abaca were displayed and these garnered gold and silver medals.

Tan Juan also became a founder of the Ma-ao Sugar Central that progressed into a booming agriculture estate capable even of being a town by itself.  His daring entrepreneurial spirit was sharpened by the trials and tribulations in the past involving losing his lands and having to begin anew.  It was not only the Spanish authorities who deprived him of his inheritance, but also a private lender of money who never showed up on the agreed date when Tan Juan had gathered enough money to redeem the collateral.   His dauntless self enabled him to acquire lands again, and invest in modern machinery to manage the farms efficiently and profitably.

 

A Hero.

One doesn’t need much introduction on Juan Araneta the hero.  The tale of his ingenuity and leadership role in the 1898 revolution has been retold countless of times over the decades that followed that fateful November 5, 1898 event.  However, there was more to the cleverly executed plan to fool the Spaniards with fake cannons and cannonballs, and rifles.

November 5 was the day when both plebes and elite classes united for a common purpose.  The desire for independence from Spain was in every man’s heart, and at the forefront was Araneta who led this risky expedition from Bago to Bacolod.  It was a well-calculated move to time the arrival in the capital at around the setting of the sun, for it was when the light was beginning to dim when it was thought that the Spaniards would not see clearly enough to distinguish counterfeit weapons from the authentic.

A Patriarch.

If General Juan Araneta’s love for country and agriculture are well-known and well-established in the annals of Negros history, so it that aspect of him as a lover of women.  He was married to four ladies and begot at least 25 children by them.  And there are recent approved claims of being his descendants by other women.  It seems that Araneta was not only a Secretary of War during the existence of the Negros Republic, but he was also a Secretary of Love.

One hundred years after his death, the prolific revolutionary leader had been succeeded by seven generations many of whom are based out of Negros, and out of the country. The descendants have also made a name for themselves in various fields and industries.  The beauty of Tan Juan’s fecundity is that his heroic exploits, his tremendous triumphs in agriculture, and his dashing character are remembered with pride in the hearts and minds of his myriad progeny.

At the tribute for their Lolo Juan, scores of the General’s offsprings showed up at his monument in the morning of October 3, 2024 and, amidst pageantry also involving the Local Government, flowers were offered in honor of their esteemed forefather.  Previous to this, an early morning Mass was heard, followed by a Unity Walk from church to monument, and a motorcade.

 

 

 

The relatives, then, proceeded to their ancestral abode the Balay ni Tan Juan for a mid-morning snack and an exciting hour or so of speeches, skits, song and dance numbers, and even a marriage proposal making the affair a truly memorable one filled with laughter, nostalgia, and strengthening of family ties.  The reunion was extended to October 5, a Saturday, to give everyone ample time to catch up on each other’s lives.

MABUHAY SI TAN JUAN!!  A HUNDRED YEARS LATER.