Guillermo Capadocia (1909–1951) was a Filipino communist politician and labour leader. He was a prominent leader of the Communist Party in the Philippines (PKP) and different labour movements. During the last one and a half years of his life he was a regional guerrilla commander of the Hukbalahap.[1]
Guillermo Capadocia | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1909 Negros Oriental, Philippines |
| Died | September 1951 (aged 41–42) Panay, Philippines |
| Occupation | Politician |
Early life
editCapadocia was born in Negros Oriental, the son of a poor labourer. Capadocia himself survived through various employments, such as working as a chef and waiter.[2] He became active in trade unions in the 1920s. Despite lacking a formal education, Capadocia became highly literate and gained a deep knowledge of Marxist-Leninist thought.
Prominence in the PKP
editWhen the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (Communist Party in the Philippines or PKP) was founded, Capadocia was included in its first Central Committee.[2] In the labour movement, Capadocia was a leading figure in the Katipunan ng mga Anak-Pawis sa Pilipinas (KAP).[3] Capadocia became the general secretary of the Communist Party in 1938, in the unification process with the Socialist Party.[4][5] [6] In the same year, Capadocia became the executive secretary of the Collective Labor Movement.[7][8]
On January 25, 1942, Capadocia, Pedro Abad Santos, and Crisanto Evangelista were arrested by the Japanese forces.[9]: 61 He was imprisoned at Fort Santiago. He was released after some years.[10]
When the Congress of Labor Organizations was formed in July 1945, Capadocia was included in its leadership. Capadocia became the vice president of CLO.[11]
Later years and death
editWhen the Hukbalahap rebellion broke out in 1949, Capadocia stayed overground and continued to work as a Congress of Labor Organizations leader. However, in late 1949 he went underground to lead the Huks on the island of Panay.[2] Capadocia and several of his fighters were killed by government forces in an attack on their hide-out in the mountains of Panay in September 1951.[12]
References
edit- ^ Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 50
- ^ a b c Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 221
- ^ Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. p. 58
- ^ Schirmer, Daniel B., and Stephen Rosskamm Shalom. The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship, and Resistance. Boston: South End Press, 1987. p. 73
- ^ Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. p. 52
- ^ Rectify Errors, Rebuild the Party!
- ^ Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. p. 61
- ^ Kurihara, Kenneth K. Labor in the Philippine Economy. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1945. pp. 74-76
- ^ Taruc, L., 1967, He Who Rides the Tiger, London: Geoffrey Chapman Ltd.
- ^ Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. p. 80
- ^ Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. pp. 89, 91
- ^ Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 236