Jose Tagle

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Jose Tagle was born in Bayan Luma on March 18, 1854. Except for his role in the Battle of Imus, little is known of the man since people who knew him said he was self-effacing, loved privacy and shunned public attention.

No retelling of the Battle of Imus will be complete without mentioning the name of Jose Tagle and the role he played in the opening battle of the Philippine Revolution in Cavite.

He was one of the seven children of Benito Tagle and Simona Santarin both of Imus. He grew up and received his early education in the local school.

He was married to Isabel Bella and they had three children, namely, Agustina Tagle-Ramirez, Veronica Tagle-Gordon and Jose Tagle, Jr.

According to Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s own account of the battle, Jose Tagle, then head of Barangay Pilar of Imus, first came to his headquarters at Cavite Viejo on September 1, 1896 to ask for his aid in raiding Imus. Together, they proceeded to the town accompanied with a brass band but the friars headed by Fr. Eduarte and the Gurdia Civil saw them approaching and fled towards the Imus Hacienda where they bottled up and were subsequently subdued.

The second time Aguinaldo met Tagle was on September 3, 1896 when the latter went to his headquarters again to ask for reinforcements in view of the impending attack by strong Spanish forces from Manila then massing off Bacoor. The battle that followed resulted in the defeat of the Spaniards led by no less than by the famous Spanish General Ernesto de Aguirre, and the capture of his equally famous sword or sable del mando crafted in Toledo, Spain. Aguinaldo used said sword as his command throughout the Revolution.

In recognition of his leadership that contributed to the victory in Imus, Aguinaldo appointed Tagle as Municipal Captain of the town with authority of choosing his companions in establishing the government and organizing a revolutionary army in Imus.

In death (1902), he departed quietly as he lived, leaving behind no pictures, letters or war mementoes – nothing except his legend.