(1868 - 1914)
Genaral Mariano Trias
y Closas , one of the
leading patriots and
defenders of Cavite
against the Spanish oppression, was
born on Oct. 12,1868 in San
Francisco de Malabon, now renamed General Trias , a town
of Cavite. He was the
fifth of the nine
children of Don Balbino, a
cabeza de barangay
and justice of the
peace during the Spanish regime who, after his term
of office, become a landowner farmer. His mother was Gabriela Closas.
He had primary schooling
under the tutorship of Eusebio Chaves and Cipriano Gonzales, both local school
teachers. Later, he was sent to
Before the revolution in
August 1896, he affiliated with the
Katipunan and was an active propagandist
of the society in the towns of Silang
and Kawit.In the election of the
Katipunan popular council which the
Sangguniang Balangay of Mapagtiis organized, he was named fiscal .
When two councils of the Katipunan revolutionist came into
existence the Sangguniang Bayang Magdiwang and the Sangguniang Bayang Magadalo, both factions set up their respective
councils of leaders. He became the minister of justice and grace of the
Magdiwang group.
Assuming
the nom-de-guerre Labong(bamboo shoots)he
recruited troops and solicited contributions from rich
Filipinos in Indang and Alfonso,
Cavite , to help finance the
cause .
On August 31,1896, he
had a group of Katipuneros in a surprise attack of a
Malabon town, following a threat
by Esteban San Juan, capitan de cuadrilleros, to drive him
and his companions
away from the carinderia on
Pasong Kalabaw as they waited
for the food
they ordered, In February of 1897 he was promoted to
lieutenant general.
On March
22,1897, a second assembly
of Katipunan leaders from both factions was
held, this time at Tejeros, near
the coast, in the heart of
Magdiwang territory. This
happened while A guinaldoand the Magdalo factions were
desperately trying to
stop the ADVANCES OF THE Lechambre soldiers. After a stormy
debate, it was agreed to
set up a new government,replacing that
of the katipunan Nine positions
were to be filled.
By secret ballot, Emilio Aguinaldo[who was absent, defending Imus against the foth coming attack
by Governor Lachambre
was elected president and
Mariano Trias vice president.
Bonifacio was defeated for both positions.
At the revolutionary assembly convoked by Aguinaldo in Naic,Cavite after Easter
Sunday of 1897, Trias was
again chosen as vice
president of the new
government. On
After the
abolition of the dictatorial government and the establishment of
the revolutionary government, he
was appointed on July15, 1898 as secretary of
finance and continued in
this office after the transfer of seat
of the government to Malolos. In the paterno
cabinet, which succeeded the Mabini
cabinet, he held the position
of secretary of war. After the revolutionary government forces
were practically dispersed in
Central Luzon, he was named
commanding general of
southern Luzon. He directed
guerilla offensive moves in
He figured
in a series of furious
skirmishes with the troops
of General Wheaton in
January 1900 when he
held the defense
of Cavite until
his men where finally dispersed.
General Trias set free all
the Spanish prisoners under his command in May 1900.
Nine days after the capture
of Aguinaldo, General Trias, accompanied by Severino delas Alas, former secretary of
the Interior, Ladislao Diwa ex- governor of Cavite, two colonels, two
lieutenant colonels and
a number of majors,
captains, and lieutenants, and some
hundreds of soldiers with
guns, voluntarily surrendered
in Santa Cruz de
Malabon, Cavite to General Baldwin
on May 13, 1901.
With the establishment of
the civil government by the Americans, Civil Governor William Howard Taft
appointed him the first civil governor of
He sailed
to the United States
as member of
the honorary board of
Filipino commissioners to the
Lousiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. After
his term of office. He engaged in
agricultural activities, but this was a brief respite from politics. H e was
the acting governor of
Cavite when he
died of appendectomy at the
Philippine General Hospital
on February 22, 1914. He was buried in
He was married to Maria Conception Ferrer by
whom he had eight children. Rafael, Miguel,