Guillermo Capadocia Explained

Guillermo Capadocia (1909–1951) was a Filipino communist politician and labour leader. He was a prominent leader of the Communist Party in the Philippines (PKP) and different labour movements. During the last one and a half years of his life he was a regional guerrilla commander of the Hukbalahap.^[1]

Early life

Capadocia was born in Negros Oriental, the son of a poor labourer. Capadocia himself survived through various employments, such as working as a chef and waiter. He became active in trade unions in the 1920s. Despite lacking a formal education, Capadocia became highly literate and gained a deep knowledge of Marxist-Leninist thought.

Prominence in the PKP

When the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (Communist Party in the Philippines or PKP) was founded, Capadocia was included in its first Central Committee.^[2] In the labour movement, Capadocia was a leading figure in the Katipunan ng mga Anak-Pawis sa Pilipinas (KAP).^[3] Capadocia became the general secretary of the Communist Party in 1938, in the unification process with the Socialist Party.^{[4] [5] [6]} In the same year, Capadocia became the executive secretary of the Collective Labor Movement.^{[7] [8]}

On January 25, 1942, Capadocia, Pedro Abad Santos, and Crisanto Evangelista were arrested by the Japanese forces.^[9] He was imprisoned at Fort Santiago. He was released after some years.^[10]

When the Congress of Labor Organizations was formed in July 1945, Capadocia was included in its leadership. Capadocia became the vice president of CLO.^[11]

Later years and death

When the Hukbalahap rebellion broke out in 1949, Capadocia stayed overground and continued to work as a Congress of Labor Organizations leader. However, in late 1949 he went underground to lead the Huks on the island of Panay.^[2] Capadocia and several of his fighters were killed by government forces in an attack on their hide-out in the mountains of Panay in September 1951.^[12]

Notes and References

1. Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 50
2. Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 221
3. Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. p. 58
4. Schirmer, Daniel B., and Stephen Rosskamm Shalom. The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship, and Resistance. Boston: South End Press, 1987. p. 73
5. Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. p. 52
6. Rectify Errors, Rebuild the Party!
7. Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. p. 61
8. Kurihara, Kenneth K. Labor in the Philippine Economy. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1945. pp. 74-76
9. Taruc, L., 1967, He Who Rides the Tiger, London: Geoffrey Chapman Ltd.
10. Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. p. 80
11. Guevarra, Dante G. History of the Philippine Labor Movement. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Institute of Labor & Industrial Relations, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 1991. pp. 89, 91
12. Kerkvliet, Benedict J. The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. p. 236