Juan Cailles

Juan Cailles, 1899-1901

Juan Cailles (November 10, 1871 - June 21, 1951) was a Filipino commander who served during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War. He later served as a provincial politician.

Early life

Juan Cailles was born in Nasugbu, Batangas to Hippolyte Cailles, a Frenchman and María Kauppama, a woman of Indian descent to a Maharaja and a Maharani. He was the sixth child among a brood of seven. His siblings were as follows: Leon Cailles, Julia Cailles-Zialcita, Isidoro Cailles, Victoria Cailles-Molina, Julio Cailles and Cecilia Cailles-Cruz. His early education was at the house of Ovidio Caballero. He graduated from the Escuela Normal run by Jesuits in Manila. Afterwards, he became a schoolteacher in two towns in Cavite. He taught for five years in the public schools of Amaya, Tanza, and in Rosario, Cavite.

Philippine Revolution

When the premature discovery of the Katipunan in Manila forced Andres Bonifacio to take to the field of Balintawak and raise the flag of revolt, Cailles organized a force of the fathers of his own pupils. To them, he remained Maestrong Cailles, despite his successive promotions in military rank. He took part in many encounters with the Spaniards, particularly in engagements resulting in the deaths of his superior officers, such General Candido Tria Tirona, Edilberto Evangelista, and Crispulo Aguinaldo, which facilitated his rapid promotion.

Philippine-American War

In the Battle of Mabitac, in Laguna Province, on September 17, 1900, Cailles’ troops outmaneuvered and routed a strong American contingent led by Colonel Cheetham. Magnanimous in victory, Cailles allowed Cheetham to recover from the field the bodies of eight slain American soldiers, together with all their personal belongings. This treatment provided a sharp contrast to the American despoliation of General Gregorio del Pilar’s corpse in the Battle of Tirad Pass on December 2, 1899.

After serving as acting chief of operations in the first zone of Manila during the Philippine-American War, Cailles was appointed by Aguinaldo as military governor of Laguna and half of Tayabas (now Quezon) province. The capture of Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela, on March 23, 1901, convinced Cailles that the war was lost, and so he surrendered to the Americans on June 20.

Postwar

Cailles then directed his efforts toward rebuilding the country. He served as governor of Laguna from 1901 to 1910, and again from 1916 to 1925. After his second gubernatorial term, he was appointed representative of the Mountain Province in the Philippine Legislature in 1925 and reappointed in 1928. In 1931, Cailles was again selected governor of Laguna, and reelected in 1934.

It was during his term as governor that the Sakdal uprising flared up on May 2, 1935, in Santa Rosa and Cabuyao, Laguna. The revolt was suppressed in record time, thanks to Cailles’ firm administration and revolutionary experience. Cailles had also a hand in the capture of Teodoro Asedillo, the "Terror of the Sierra".

Cailles died on June 28, 1951, a victim of heart attack.

References

• National Historical Institute. Historical Markers: Regions I-IV and CAR. Manila: National Historical Institute, 1993.