LUKBAN
de Policia y Order Interior, Delegado de Justicia y Registro Civil and Delegado de Rentas y de la Propriedad. These elections, however, still followed the traditional way, which excluded the participation of the majority. In the meantime, on January 4 that same year, Lukban issued an order to the Presidentes of Calbayog and Oquendo, located north of Calbayog, to be vigilant of their coastal areas and rivers and to report any untoward incidents.
Later, on January 25, 1899, local criers known as bandillos informed residents in all sitios and barrios of Calbayog, Oquendo and Weyler of the order of Lukban, that all men and women, 18 years old and above, had to pay a cedula personal of four pesos and a contribucion de guerra of six pesos. This is presumed to have taken place also in the other towns similarly organized by Lukban’ s appointees. 10
Months later, Lukban would realize that juntas magnas and bandillos would not be enough to create a stable base for the revolutionary government in Samar.
A brief stopover in Leyte
Since his appointment included the island province of Leyte, he set sail on January 17, that year, on board the steamer San Nicolas for the neighboring island of Leyte, where his own mean awaited him:: Esteban Aparri, his secretary in Leyte, Francisco Enage, Claro Pimentel, Juan Merchant and Jose Memeige. All of them would benefit in his subsequent appointments. These were some of the principalia of Tacloban, apparently a rival group to the others who took the initiative to reorganize the provincial government in 1898.
Lukban at once proceeded to issue his first proclamation to Leyteños on the necessity of establishing the republic, the importance of unity, and the threat of American domination. 11 As in his other issuances, these were written in Spanish which only those belonging to the small educated class could understand. His being a Tagalog in a region that spoke Waray worked against him at the very inception of his revolutionary career in the region.
Unlike his stint in Samar, however, Lukban’ s actuations in Leyte were questioned by rivals in the local principalia, who thought he was using his power to appoint his close associates into important positions. A petition signed by affected parties that was sent to Gen. Aguinaldo on April 6, 1899 says it all:
“ On the first of January last Brigadier General Vicente Lukban arrived in this port accompanied by Señor Francisco Enage de Jesus and other
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