Antonio Luna

Antonio Luna y Novicio (October 29, 1866 - June 5, 1899) was a Filipino pharmacist and general who fought in the Philippine-American War. He founded the Philippines's first military academy.

Family background

Antonio Luna was born in Urbiztondo, Binondo, Manila. He was the youngest of seven children of Joaquin Luna and spanish mestiza Laureana Novicio, both from wealthy families of Badoc, Ilocos Norte. His father was a traveling salesman of the products of government monopolies, who later became a prosperous merchant in Binondo. His older brother, Juan Luna, was an accomplished, prize-winning painter who studied in the Madrid Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Two other brothers, Jose, became a doctor and Joaquin a governor and later senator.

He was the youngest of the brood of Laureana Novicio, a Spanish mestiza, and Joaquin Luna of Zambales and Ilocos Norte, Antonio went to the Ateneo Municipal, like the two other brothers, Manuel and Juan who later traveled to Europe to learn music and painting, respectively. Still in Manila, Antonio studied

Education

His early schooling was at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1881. He went on to study literature and chemistry at the University of Santo Tomas, where he won first prize for a paper in chemistry titled Two Fundamental Bodies of Chemistry. Aside from chemistry, he also studied pharmacy, swordsmanship, fencing, military tactics, and became a sharp-shooter. On the invitation of his brother Juan, Antonio was sent by his doting parents to Spain, to acquire a licentiate and doctorate in Pharmacy. He obtained the degree of Licentiate in Pharmacy from the University of Barcelona. He pursued further studies and in 1890 obtained the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy from the Universidad Central de Madrid.

Reform propagandist

In Spain, he became one of the Filipino expats who mounted the “Propaganda Movement” and wrote for La Solidaridad, published by the reformist movement of the elite Filipino students in Spain. He wrote a piece titled Impressions which dealt with Spanish customs and idiosyncrasies under the pen-name "Taga-ilog". He fought duels with Spanish writers who wrote insultingly of Filipinos. He was rumored to be a ladies’ man. In Europe, Luna and José Rizal once quarreled over their interest in the same girl, a French mestiza.

Luna was active as researcher in the scientific community in Spain, and wrote a scientific treatise on malaria titled El Hematozoario del Paludismo (Malaria), which was favorably received in the scientific community. He then went to Belgium and France, and worked as assistant to Dr. Latteaux and Dr. Laffen. In recognition of his ability, he was appointed commissioner by the Spanish government to study tropical and communicable diseases.

In 1894, he went back to the Philippines where he took the competitive examination for chief chemist of the Municipal Laboratory of Manila, came in first and won the position. He also opened a sala de armas, a fencing club, and learned of the underground societies that were planning a revolution, and was asked to join. Like and other leaders, he was in favor of reforms rather than independence as goal to be attained. His answer, that of an ill-informed ilustrado, he regretted all the rest of his life was: “And what shall we fight with? With these?” (baring his strong, white teeth). He considered an armed uprising a premature adventure which would deteriorate into an “armed riot” because “you cannot get two Filipino to agree on one opinion.”^[1]

Nevertheless, after the Spanish authorities discovered the Katipunan in August 1896, Antonio, Jose and Juan Luna were arrested and jailed in Fort Santiago for their participation in the reform movement. Months later Jose and Juan were freed. But Antonio was exiled to Spain in 1987, where he was imprisoned at the Carcel Modelo in Madrid.

His more famous and controversial brother Juan, who had been pardoned by the Spanish Queen Regent herself, left for Spain to use his internationally acclaimed, prize-winning artist’s prestige to intercede for Antonio. With Juan's influence working, Antonio's case was dismissed by the Military Supreme Court and was released.

Antonio prepared himself for the revolutionary war he had decided to join. First, he went to Madrid and other cities in Germany and Belgium, studied field fortifications, guerrilla warfare, organization, and other aspects of military science. He studied military tactics and strategy under General Gerard Leman in Beligium.

In Hong Kong, he was given a letter of recommendation to Emilio Aguinaldo by the Filipino Junta. He returned to the Philippines in July 1898, his head filled with suspicions of American treachery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Luna