EMILIO Jacinto, the young general and brains of the Katipunan, was born on Dec. 15, 1875 in Trozo, Tondo, Manila, the son of Mariano Jacinto and Josefa Dizon out of wedlock. He was baptized three days later at the Parish of the Our Lady of Most Holy Rosary in Binondo. It can be assumed that in his younger years, since he first just used the surname of his mother, that he was raised by a single mom, and thus life was harder.
Aside from being known as a dependable midwife or “hilot,” his mother Ñora Pangoy worked for a local government-run tobacco factory, Fabrica de Puros de Meisic, where, according to Jacinto family stories, she worked with Maria Justa Amorin and Catalina de Castro. Amorin was the mother of Mariano Jacinto and this is how he and Josefa met.
This is also why, as historian Espiridion Arsenio Manuel has revealed, that the Bonifacio-Jacinto connection was not surprising; their mothers were close friends. De Castro, the mother of Andres Bonifacio, was a “cabecilla” (table supervisor) and later “maestra” (section supervisor) in the same factory. Josefa and Catalina became pregnant almost at the same time and by Dec. 14, 1875, Josefa was assisting Catalina in birthing Espiridiona, Andres Bonifacio’s younger sister. “Then in the following day,” according to Manuel, “Josefa Dizon, the midwife, herself gave to the world Emilio Jacinto. The two children were born apparently healthy but one mother was not. That was Catalina. Her breasts were flabby and lacked milk sufficient in quantity to nourish her child. This poor lactation condition soon became obvious after the first weeks for the little baby girl was not showing much flesh. Learning of her friend’s predicament, Josefa Dizon would come and suckle Bonifacio’s sister until the child was able to eat soft food like 'lugaw.' This is how Nonay, Espiridiona’s nickname, survived and became exceedingly loved by her brothers.”
Although a side of the descendants claim that Jacinto was not that poor, by all accounts, including that of the historian José P. Santos and Jacinto’s own cousin, José Dizon’s son, Exequiel, attest to the difficult life mother and son had to experience. According to Exequiel, Miling, as Jacinto was called, lived in Magdalena Street (now Masangkay Street), just in front of their own home. And because they were near the central business district at that time of Binondo, San Nicolas, Santa Cruz and Escolta, despite his poverty, he was not adept in speaking Tagalog but spoke what was called “Kastilang tindahan” or a sort of Spanish that if you learn it enough could make you survive business in Manila.
But they were so hard-up at times that the mother, Ñora Pangoy, had to ask richer relatives and her “hilot” patients for clothes for Miling, or buy clothes that had been foreclosed by the “casa de agencia,” or the pawnshops. It was said that he got bullied by other kids because of this.
According to family stories, Roberta Bartolome, the wife of Josefa’s brother José; died; her brother then asked Josefa to leave her job at the cigarette factory to take care of Marina who was just eight years old (she was born the same year as Emilio). José gave Josefa a guarantee that he would take care of her and her son, Miling. And so, it was José Dizon who financed Jacinto’s entry into secondary school at the San Juan de Letran, and after he finished his studies at Letran, he was enrolled for his tertiary education at the University of Santo Tomas, studying law.
But even under the care of the kind uncle, they still did not have much money. It was noted that Miling’s clothes could have seen better days and his hair was always long as a haircut was too costly. He only went for a haircut when the teasing from his classmates became too much. To tie his shoes, he used old rags that he cut into pieces, and to tie his clothes together, he cut the tip of the dresses of his loving mother.
His cousin Exequiel said it himself, “Ang kahirapang [dinanas] sa buhay ni Miling, 'yan ang tawag namin sa kanya, ang siyang nagbigay sa kanya ng tigas ng damdaming nagsilbing sandata niya sa gitna ng kahirapan at sa mga panganib na kinasuungan niya sa larangan ng laban.”
According to Exequiel, Miling was very fond of reading, especially La Historia de la Revolucion Francesa and Los Misterios de la Inquisicion. Young Miling idolized José Rizal in the field of literature and also kept his personal copies of Rizal’s books Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. And he idolized Marcelo H. del Pilar when it came to politics. According to his classmate, the senator Juan Sumulong, he was silent in class but showed toughness and willingness to fight when needed. Exequiel also said that Miling had shown from a young age his deep love of country and an obsession for its freedom.
Despite showing excellence in his studies, Jacinto dropped out of school in May 1893 to meet his destiny. He joined Andres Bonifacio’s Katipunan.
Note: As of this writing a Jacinto biopic "Liwanag at Dilim: Heneral Emilio Jacinto" is currently being filmed featuring Gerald Santos in the title role, directed by Rommel Ramilo and co-produced with Ramilo, Leroy Santos, Arleen Mendiola Lipana and Ivan/Chona Raymundo. I serve as historical consultant.
