Deodato Arellano
| Deodato Arellano | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 26, 1844 Bulacan, Spanish East Indies |
| Died |
October 7, 1899 (aged 55) La Trinidad, Benguet |
| Alma mater | Ateneo de Manila University |
Deodato Arellano (July 26, 1844 – October 7, 1899) was a Filipino patriot who was among the founders of the Katipunan that started the Philippine Revolution against Spain.
He was born in Bulacan, to Juan and Mamerta de la Cruz, who changed their family name to Arellano when the Spanish colonial government decreed in 1849 that the natives change their surnames with ones picked from a Madrid directory. Arellano studied bookkeeping at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila (now Ateneo de Manila University) and later worked as assistant clerk at the arsenal of the colonial army in Manila. He was married to Hilaria del Pilar, a sister of Marcelo H. del Pilar.
Along with del Pilar, Arellano was an active freemason. He also solicited funds for Filipino expatriates in Spain when del Pilar had to flee to Spain because of allegedly subversive articles that appeared in the newspaper that del Pilar published, Diariong Tagalog (Tagalog Newspaper), in the Philippines.
In 1892, Arellano and other freemasons, like Andrés Bonifacio, joined La Liga Filipina, which was founded by José Rizal upon his return to the country. Arellano was elected the league's secretary but Rizal was deported to Dapitan island, in Mindanao, a few days later.
On July 7, 1892, when the government announced Rizal's deportation, Arellano, Bonifacio, Ladislao Diwa, Teodoro Plata, Valentín Díaz, and José Dizon founded the Katipunan. He was elected the first president of its supreme council.
When the revolution broke out in August 1896, Arellano repaired to Bulacan and joined Gregorio del Pilar's brigade, becoming its commissary officer.
He fought in the battles in Bulacan during the Philippine-American War, but he contracted tubercolosis in the course of the war and died of the disease while he and his fellow revolutionists were fighting in the Cordillera Mountains. His comrades buried him in the town cemetery of La Trinidad, Benguet.
References
- National Historical Institute, Filipinos in History 5 vols. (Manila: National Historical Institute, 1995)