1898: Our Last Men in the Philippines 2016

In October 1897, amid the Philippine Revolution, Tagalog rebels allied with the Katipunan launch a bold assault on a Spanish garrison in Baler, Aurora, resulting in the death of 37 of the 50 soldiers stationed there. The siege that follows sets the stage for a prolonged test of endurance, courage, and shifting loyalties.

Three months later, the 2nd Expeditionary Battalion is dispatched from Manila to retake the village. The force is led by Captain Enrique de las Morenas y Fossí and Lieutenant Martín Cerezo. Upon reaching Baler, they adopt a wary stance, heeding the warning from Brother Carmelo that the rebels may already have departed, yet they proceed with caution. On their approach they encounter Sergeant Jimeno Costa, a survivor of the crisis, and Teresa, a village resident who makes clear she bears no grudge against the Spanish Empire.

The battalion is largely composed of fresh cadets, and Morenas stresses that the real adversaries are not only the rebels but also the environment: humidity, disease, typhoons, and wildlife. Among the cadets is Carlos, an aspiring artist from Fuenlabrada de los Montes who hopes to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando after the war. He shares his fears and desires with Fray Carmelo, who offers him opium to ease the pain of the moment.

News from Manila arrives in the form of a brutal update: the United States has declared war on Spain, and the Spanish fleet has been destroyed in Cavite. With Manila under siege, supplies dwindle, and Morenas orders the battalion to fortify the church as a potential fortress against a renewed assault. On 30 June 1898, Tagalog rebels strike anew, forcing the Spanish to retreat into the sanctuary of the church.

The following morning, Calixto Villacorta, representing Commander Luna, proposes a one-day truce so both sides can bury their dead. As both sides honor the fallen, Juan defects to the rebels, a turn of events that foreshadows the shifting loyalties inside the besieged church.

By 10 October, beriberi strikes several cadets due to contaminated rations from Manila. Morenas succumbs to the illness that night, and Cerezo assumes command in the fight to hold the position. Teresa and the village women bring oranges and the latest newspapers as a peace offering, but the gesture sparks an argument between Cerezo and Costa about the future of the battalion. On 31 December, Brother Carmelo dies of beriberi, a loss that intensifies the strain inside the church.

Days later, after hearing Teresa singing in the village, Cerezo shoots her, and the Tagalog forces retaliate by shelling the church. Costa and other cadets attempt to sabotage the rebels’ cannon, while Carlos’s actions—stealing food and burning nearby houses—pull him deeper into danger and withdrawal symptoms when Carmelo’s opium pipe is found. He is confined to the basement during this turmoil.

On 18 May 1899, Lieutenant Colonel Cristóbal Aguilar y Castañeda arrives on behalf of Governor-General Diego de los Ríos to demand the battalion lay down its arms. Cerezo remains convinced that the documents he has received are false, and Carlos volunteers to travel to Manila to verify the truth. He is captured by Tagalog forces and brought to Luna, who reveals that Spain had sold the Philippines to the Americans for $20 million, initiating the Philippine–American War. Carlos returns to the church to relay what he learned, but Cerezo refuses to stand down. That night, Carlos, José, and Carvajal attempt to flee the church; Costa executes Carlos, while Cerezo orders the execution of the other two cadets.

The next day, Cerezo raises the white flag from the church tower and hands over a formal surrender to Luna, who pledges not to take the battalion prisoner and leaves their fate to the American forces. A guard of honor is granted, and the men depart with the poignant line “it has been four centuries, lieutenant.” Carlos receives a letter of exemplary conduct, but he refuses to stay quiet about the truth of their situation, discarding his art book as the surviving cadets leave the church behind.

The siege endures for 337 days, claiming 17 Spanish lives and more than 700 Filipino deaths, a conflict that signals the end of the Spanish Empire in the region. Among the survivors, Cerezo is awarded the Laureate Cross, while the enlisted men receive the Cross of Military Merit and a pension for life, marking a somber, hard-won closure to a chapter defined by endurance, misgivings, and the cost of war.