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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/leandro_fullon.webp"  alt="Leandro Fullon" />
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(General Leandro Fullon)
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<p>
Although many older references give his birth year as 1877, research by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and its historical marker at his birthplace identify his correct birth date as March 13, 1874 in Hamtic, Antique. This date has been used in recent official commemorations of his 150th birth anniversary in 2024.
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Early life and education
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<p>
Leandro Locsin Fullon was born in the coastal town of Hamtic, Antique, to Justo Guerrero (or Gorero) Fullon, a cabeza de barangay, and Justa (or Fausta) Lerona Locsin. Growing up in a principalia family, he learned to read and write at home before being sent to Manila for formal schooling.
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He studied first at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila and later transferred to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Financial difficulties prevented him from completing college, so he worked while studying and eventually returned to Manila to continue his education.
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At about 22 years old, he married <b>Petra Francisco</b> from a prominent family in <a href="/articles/3003/the-rich-history-of-binondo-manila" class="news_link">Binondo, Manila</a>, cementing ties with Manila-based ilustrado and merchant networks. These Manila connections would later prove important in his revolutionary career.
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Entry into the Katipunan and the 1896 Revolution
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When the Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896, Fullon joined the Katipunan, the secret revolutionary society that initiated the uprising against Spain. As a young, educated Antiqueño with Manila experience, he became a natural choice for leadership in the revolutionary movement in Panay.
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By 1897 he was already considered a trusted revolutionary officer, and he soon came under the direct command of <a href="/articles/3325/emilio-aguinaldos-life-and-leadership" class="news_link">Emilio Aguinaldo</a>, president of the revolutionary government. Aguinaldo later assigned him a crucial mission in the Visayas.
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Mission to Panay and organization of forces
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<p>
On September 6, 1898, Fullon sailed from San Roque, Cavite, as head of an expeditionary force sent by Aguinaldo to liberate Panay Island from Spanish rule. His column consisted of around 140 officers and men armed with more than 300 rifles and other weapons.
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The expedition landed on September 21, 1898 at Inyawan in the town of Pandan, Antique, where many local volunteers quickly joined his forces. Among his key officers were Silvestre Salvio, Felix Armada, Ruperto Abellon, Demetrio Nava, and Angel Salazar Sr., who helped organize the expanding revolutionary army in northern Antique.
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<p>
Fullon soon established local revolutionary governments in Pandan and neighboring Culasi, appointing or confirming municipal officials loyal to the new cause. These early civil structures were precursors to the later Revolutionary Provincial Government of Antique.
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Campaign in Antique and the Battle of Antique
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<p>
The Spanish forces in Antique, led by Colonel Brandais, attempted to block Fullon's advance at Ipajo in Bugasong, resulting in a series of intense encounters that forced Fullon's troops to temporarily withdraw into the mountains around Culasi. The revolutionaries regrouped and adopted more flexible tactics, using local knowledge and support from upland communities.
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On October 19, 1898, during a town dance in Culasi, Fullon's men staged a surprise attack against the Spanish garrison, driving them out of the town. This operation allowed the revolutionaries to consolidate the northern part of Antique under Filipino control.
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<p>
Fullon then turned south toward the provincial capital, San Jose de Buenavista. After a two-day struggle later remembered as the Battle of Antique, his forces captured the capital and effectively ended Spanish control over the province. The victory paved the way for the establishment of a revolutionary provincial government.
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Revolutionary provincial government of Antique
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<p>
Following the capture of San Jose de Buenavista in November 1898, Fullon helped organize a Revolutionary Provincial Government for Antique. Angel Salazar was chosen as provincial governor, with Santos Capadocia as vice governor and several others assigned to portfolios such as justice and internal revenue; Vicente Gella served as representative to the Malolos Congress.
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When a broader revolutionary government in the Visayas was later organized, Fullon was recognized as the politico-military governor of Antique, consolidating both military and civil authority in the province under the revolutionary regime. From this base, he coordinated with other Visayan revolutionary leaders, including those in Iloilo.
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Role in the wider Visayan Revolution
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Beyond Antique, Fullon's forces joined engagements against Spanish troops in towns such as San Miguel, Pavia, and the outskirts of Jaro in Iloilo, often in cooperation with Ilonggo generals like Pablo Araneta and <a href="/kauswagan/articles/1340/today-in-philippine-history-november-11-1858-martin-teofilo-delgado-was-born-in-santa-barbara-iloilo" class="news_link">Martin Delgado</a>. In local memory he is sometimes credited with firing the "first shot" in one of the key battles in the Iloilo area, symbolizing Antiqueño participation in the broader Visayan struggle.
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These campaigns formed part of the Visayan front of the Philippine Revolution, where local forces, though geographically distant from Aguinaldo's base in Luzon, still recognized and coordinated with the central revolutionary leadership. Fullon thus served as an important link between Manila-based revolutionaries and the emerging Visayan leadership.
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Philippine-American War and resistance to U.S. forces
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The Treaty of Paris, signed on 10 December 1898, transferred Spanish sovereignty over the Philippines to the United States, setting the stage for the Philippine-American War. When U.S. forces invaded Iloilo on 11 February 1899, Fullon and other Visayan leaders continued resistance, now against the new colonial power.
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In early 1900 Fullon returned to Antique to continue guerrilla warfare against American troops, coordinating with other Filipino commanders in Panay. Pressure from superior American numbers, scorched-earth tactics, and dislocation of civilian populations eventually weakened the revolutionary forces.
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On March 22, 1901, facing deteriorating conditions and seeking to spare his province further devastation, Fullon and many of his remaining officers formally surrendered to the Americans. Like other Filipino generals who laid down their arms, he then transitioned into the new civil government framework under U.S. rule.
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March 13, 1874: Leandro Fullon was born in Hamtik, Antique