CALAMBA NOTABLE: Taciano V. Rizal (Former Mayor)

The Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapones, often called by its contraction Hukbalahap was a communist guerilla movement formed by the peasant farmers of Central Luzon in 1942. They are popularly known as “Huks.”

Although earlier formed to fight the Japanese, they extended their fight into a rebellion against the Philippine Government in 1946. By 1950, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP), resolved to constitute the organization as the armed wing of a revolutionary party prompting a change in the official name to Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (HMB).

The group aimed to lead the Philippines toward Marxist ideals and communist revolution. The Hukbalahap insurrection in 1946 to 1954 was their attempt to take over the Philippines. The Huks were finally put down through a series of reforms made by then President Ramon Magsaysay.

What has this to do with Calamba?

Among the Organization’s’s leaders was its Supreme Military Commander, Supremo Luis Taruc and his hatchet man was Taciano V. Rizal, Mayor of Calamba in 1960 to 1963, 1964 to 1967 and 1972 to 1975 and brother of Dr. Sisenando Rizal, mayor of Calamba in 1948 t0 1951 and 1952 to 1954. According to the book “RM: A Biographical Novel of Ramon Magsaysay” written by Allen C. Ryan Tarciano V. Rizal was known by many aliases, among them Commander Mac and Commander Arthur. Commander Arthur was Supremo Luis Taruc’s hatchet man. He was given the task to assassinate President Ramon Magsaysay with Nick Pamintuan the overall Huk Commander in Manila. When the time for the planned assassination came, the jeep Taciano Rizal was riding broke down, and when he arrived at the place of the supposed assassination Ramon Magsaysay had already left. This made Rizal change his heart and later helped Magsaysay suppress the movement.

Taciano V. Rizal later lived a peaceful life to become one of the most, if not the most loved mayor of Calamba.