A History of Resistance H OW important Ilocos was to the Spanish authorities became apparent when leaders of early revolts like Francisco Maniago of Lubao, Pampanga province and Andres Malong of Binalatongan, Pangasinan province sent letters and envoys to natives of the province to encourage them to liberate themselves from Spanish rule. In 1660, Maniago barricaded the mouths of rivers with stakes to block the commerce between Manila and Pampanga and sent letters to Ilocos and Pangasinan inciting the natives to rebel against the Spaniards and kill them if necessary. The people of Pangasinan under the leadership of Andres Malong responded to Maniago’s call by organizing the Malong Rebellion (1660-1661). From Lingayen, the rebellion spread throughout the entire province of Pangasinan. Wishing to spread the rebellion to nearby provinces, Malong sent his general, Melchor de Vera, with 6,000 men to Pampanga and Pedro Gumapos,
In one of his forays to Manila as a messenger for Ilocos Sur bishops, legendary Ilocano fighter Diego Silang witnesses the British attack on Spanish-held Manila and its eventual capitulation to the English. A History of Resistance 53