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Guillermo Capadocia

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Guillermo Capadocia
Bornc. 1909
Negros Oriental, Philippines
DiedSeptember 28, 1951(1951-09-28) (aged 41–42)
OccupationPolitician

Guillermo Capadocia (1909–September 28, 1951)[1] 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.[2]

Early life

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Capadocia 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.[3] 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

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When the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (Communist Party in the Philippines or PKP) was founded, Capadocia was included in its first Central Committee.[3] In the labour movement, Capadocia was a leading figure in the Katipunan ng mga Anak-Pawis sa Pilipinas (KAP).[4] Capadocia became the general secretary of the Communist Party in 1938, in the unification process with the Socialist Party.[5][6] [7] In the same year, Capadocia became the executive secretary of the Collective Labor Movement.[8][9]

On January 25, 1942, Capadocia, Pedro Abad Santos, and Crisanto Evangelista were arrested by the Japanese forces.[10]: 61  He was imprisoned at Fort Santiago. He was released after some years.[11]

When the Congress of Labor Organizations was formed in July 1945, Capadocia was included in its leadership. Capadocia became the vice president of CLO.[12]

Later years and death

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When 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.[3] The national government offered a $50,000 reward for him.[1] Capadocia and several of his fighters were killed by an Army task force, led by Col. Alfredo Ramos, in an attack on their hide-out in the mountains of San Remigio, Antique, on September 28, 1951.[1][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Rebel killed". The Daily Examiner. Grafton, New South Wales. Australian Associated Press. September 29, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved January 29, 2025 – via Trove.
  2. ^ Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 50
  3. ^ a b c Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 221
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ Rectify Errors, Rebuild the Party!
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ Kurihara, Kenneth K. Labor in the Philippine Economy. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1945. pp. 74-76
  10. ^ Taruc, L., 1967, He Who Rides the Tiger, London: Geoffrey Chapman Ltd.
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ 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
  13. ^ Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 236