Trinidad Tecson was born on November 18, 1848 in San Miguel de Mayumo Bulacan. Her parents where Rafael Tecson and Monica S. Perez.

As a young child, Trinidad showed early signs of becoming a future heroine. She learned and practiced fencing from Juan Zeto who is one of the good fencers. She learned to read and right from her mentor, Quinto, schoolmaster of their town. She stood for and defended her family on two separate occasions. One was when she and her brothers were sleeping; a young man went up to their house. Awakened and sensed the danger, she seized a bolo and hacked the intruder on the head. On another situation, a group of civil guards forced to enter in their house in searched for the smuggled tobacco. Trinidad refused to let them in and told the guards that there was no tobacco hidden inside the house. Alarmed by the determination of the civil guards, she took a bolo and used it to drive the guards away. For this, the people dubbed her for being a babaing lalaki, pertaining to her courage and strength despite her being a woman.

Trinidad married at the age of 19. She had two sons: Sinforoso and Desiderio; but both of them died. She had a total of four marriages.

Trinidad was already 47 years old when she joined the woman chapter of the Katipunan in 1895. Prior to this, she was already an active member of the Logia de Adapcion, which is the Masonic Lodge of Women in the Philippines. Albeit signing with the blood was not required for women, Trinidad drew blood from her forearm and used it to sign her oath of loyalty, determination and affiliation to the Katipunan.

Trinidad didn't waste any time after she joined the Katipunan. At a time when the Katipuneros lacked firearms, she went with three other companions to the courthouse in Caloocan, Rizal and succeeded in defending against the civil guards and seized away the guns. After this, she led a band of five men and fled to the jail in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija where she was able to capture seven more firearms. The authorities through the treachery of an accomplice soon discovered her. She immediately escaped to Obando.

In the battlefield, Trinidad fought side by side with men, wearing a Katipuneros outfit with a wide brimmed hat. Biak-na-Bato served as the Katipunan's revolutionary headquarters and here, Trinidad nursed and took care of the wounded katipuneros. She secured food for herself and the soldiers. In one event, she was almost caught by the Spanish soldiers. She pretended to be hit and threw herself on the ground, crawled on the grass and hid behind tall bushes. She waited until the soldiers left then she escaped.

Trinidad was then called as the Mother of Biak-na-bato. She was likened to Tandang Sora. She was also cited as the Mother of the Philippine Red Cross, in recognition for her nursing works.

Trinidad worked overtime. On top of her nursing and caring for the wounded soldiers, she still joined and fought in battles whenever there was an opportunity. She would get wounded like in the bloody encounter at San Miguel and Zaragoza, but she would always return to battle after she recovered.

At the turn of the second phase of the revolution, she joined the forces led by General Gregorio del Pilar in the assault of Bulacan and Calumpit under the direction of Isidro Torres. She served the Commissary of War under the Republic of Malolos.

She never stopped nursing the sick and wounded soldiers. She crossed the Zambales highlands to Sta. Cruz, and then to Iba, bringing with her the sick and wounded.

Before the outbreak of the Revolution in 1896, Trinidad engaged in several businesses. She purchased and sold cattle; she was a dealer of fresh and dried fish, salt, oyster, and lobster, which were sold in Manila. She continued her business in Nueva Ecija, mainly the selling of meats in the town of San Antonio and Talavera, until after the death of her husband and upon the establishment of peace.

She died on January 28, 1928 in the Philippine General Hospital at the age of 80. She was buried in the Plot of the Veterans of the Revolution in Cementerio del Norte.

TRINIDAD TECSON
(1848 - 1928)

Trinidad Tecson was known as the Mother of Biak-na-Bato.

She was born on November 18, 1848 in San Miguel de Mayumo Bulacan the  daughter  of the affluent  couple Rafael Tecson and Monica S. Perez.

She learned to read  and write from a schoolmaster of the town by the name of Quinto. In her teens, the notorious Tangkad was feared throughout the province and it was probably for self – protection that she took practicing native fencing from Juan Zeto, one of the better known local fencers.

She revealed her remarkable courage early. One night while she and her brothers were asleep in their home in an isolated farm a young man stealthily went up the house. Awakened, she seized a bolo and hacked the intruder on the head. He fled bleeding. Trining’s audacity was much praised.

There was a time a party of civil guards demanded to search the house of smuggled tobacco. She told them emphatically that there was no tobacco in the house and refuse to let them in. Their chief, the alferez, was an unwelcomed suitor. She surmised that he might have sent his man to annoy her. Seeing that they are determined, she took a bolo which she wielded with dexterity. She, herself was not unscathed but the guards had to desist.

His father was consequently made a party to a lawsuit which lasted for three months. The court decided in favor of the Tecsons. The people dubbed her babaing lalaki, complementing her fearlessness but beclouding her feminity.

She married at the age of 19, but her two children Sinforoso and Desiderio died.

When she joined the woman chapter of the Katipunan in 1895, Trinidad was 47 years old. At the time, she was already an active member of the Logia de Adapcion the Masonic Lodge of Women in the Philippines. Although the women members were not required to sign with their blood, she drew blood from her forearm to sign her  oath of affiliation to the Katipunan.

Seeing that arms and ammunitions were desperately needed by the Katipuneros, she went with three companions to the courthouse in Caloocan, Rizal to seize from firearms. They succeeded in overpowering the guardia civiles and carried away their guns.

She also led a band of five men and captured seven firearms from the jail of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, which was soon discovered through the treachery of an accomplice. Hounded by the authorities, she left the town and move to Obando.

While securing food for herself and for the other soldiers, she was almost caught by the Spanish soldiers. She evaded capture by pretending to be hit and throwing herself on the ground. She crawled on the grass and hid behind some tall bushes near a brook. She waited until the soldiers went away and made her escape.

In the battlefield she wore the Katipunero’s outfit wearing a wide brimmed hat. She fought side by side with the men.

She nursed the wounded after the assault by the Spanish forces in Biak-na-Bato following the engagement at Baling Kupang. She took part in the encounter of Gulod Baboy in view of the lack of fighting men. In the bloody encounter at San Miguel and at Zaragosa she was wounded at the right thigh. She and the forces of Makabulos returned to Biak-na-Bato, which became the revolutionary headquarters after the arrival of Emilio Aguinaldo.

During the second phase of the Revolution, she joined the forces led by General Gregorio del Pilar in the assault of Bulacan and Calumpit under the direction of Isidro Torres. She served the Commisary of War under the Republic of Malolos. During the American drive northward, she was in the line that passed by Cabanatuan where she saw Luna’s body lying in the state.

She crossed the Zambales highlands to Sta. Cruz, and then to Iba, bringing with her the sick and wounded. The Filipino forces fought in Subic and Castillejos and for a while held the Americans in check.

Before the outbreak of the Revolution in 1896, she engaged in the purchase and sale of cattle, became a dealer of fish (fresh and dried) salt, oyster, lobster which were sold in Manila. After the death of her husband, and upon the establishment of peace, she carried on her business activities in Nueva Ecija, mainly the sale of meats in the towns of San Antonio and Talavera. She married her third husband, Doroteo Santiago, after whose death she married Francisco Empainado.

The editorial of La Opinion, dated January 30, 1928, written by Fernando Ma. Guerrero, likened her to Tandang Sora.

She was credited as the first to start Red Cross recognized her nursing work. She was cited as the Mother of the Philippine Red Cross.

On January 28, 1928, she died in the Philippine General Hospital at the age of 80. She was buried in the Plot of the Veterans of the Revolution in Cementerio del Norte.

 

Trinidad Tecson
(1848-1928)

Mother of Biak-na-Bato. Born in San Miguel, Bulacan, on November 18, 1848. Even though women-members of the Katipunan were exempted from the pact, she participated in Sanduguan(blood compact). She fought fearlessly in 12 bloody battles of the revolution in Bulacan, including the famous Battle of Biak-na-Bato. Later, she became known as The Mother of the Philippine Red Cross. Died on June 28, 1928.