Historical Cavite: The Casa Tribunal of Noveleta

There is an old house that always arouses my curiosity every time I visited my in-laws in the town of Noveleta. It is not the age of the house nor its Spanish architectural style that makes me wonder but its being out-of-place in the town of chaotic concrete.

The house in question is the Casa Tribunal, which is not a house but actually the former municipal hall of Noveleta. This was once the town’s center of authority during the Spanish Period until after the end of the Second World War when the municipal mayor's office was transferred to a new building a few meters away.

The municipal government does not know what to do with Casa Tribunal after it vacated its premises. Casa Tribunal became a school then turned into a library and children’s clinic. After being vacant for many years, Casa Tribunal became the provincial library and then become the office of the Kawanihan ng Rentas Internas or the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which also vacated the place eventually.

Nowadays, Casa Tribunal is always closed or at least closed whenever I was in town. Thus, I was only able to take photos of its exterior.

It was unfortunate that I was not able to enter Casa Tribunal. The house holds plenty of cultural and historical treasures as seen in this Youtube video. 

Inside Casa Tribunal featuring a painting of the Battle of Calero Bridge. (Source: Noveleta Town Youtube)

Casa Tribunal is the last standing heritage building in the area. All the buildings around it are made of modern concrete. The palenque, the new municipal hall, and even the town's church are of modern architectural style.

Holy Cross Parish Church in Noveleta, Cavite.

It is sad that Casa Tribunal is relegated to the side, hidden and ignored by the current residents of Noveleta. Its condition is a far cry to its major place in the history of Cavite. Casa Tribunal is the place where Tagalog revolutionaries tasted one of their major victories.

While Andres Bonifacio and his katipunero battled it out with the Spanish colonial forces in Manila and Bulacan, the Caviteños made their move on the 31st day of August 1896. The Tagalog revolutionaries simultaneously attacked the government forces in General Trias (formerly San Francisco de Malabon), Pasong Kalabaw, Kawit, and Noveleta. The attack is now called as the “First Cry of Cavite”.

The katipunero of Sangguniang Magdiwang attacked the government forces stationed in Noveleta. The attack was commanded by Mariano Alvarez, who is the capitan municipal of Noveleta and also the head of the Magdiwang faction. He is also the uncle of Gregoria de Jesus, who is Andres Bonifacio’s wife. Pascual Alvarez, Mariano’s nephew, led the attack in Casa Tribunal, where they killed Capitan Antonio Rebolledo and Tenyente Francisco Naval of the Guardia Civil. They also captured some soldiers of the Guardia Civil.

Cuartel de la Guardia Civil occupied by revolutionaries, 1897. (Source: ABC Foto)

Mariano Alvarez is now considered a great hero of Cavite. In fact, the town of GMA is named after him. The Battle of Noveleta is not his first brush with the Spanish authorities. He was earlier placed on the death row after he gave an Spanish infantry officer a dirty water to drink. He was sentenced to death but was released through the intervention of the provincial governor due to the protest of the townsfolk. Later on, he was suspected to be part of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny. The authorities placed him in solitary confinement with his neck and feet chained to the prison walls. He was sent to Manila to be executed but was released.

Mariano Alvarez (Source: GMA Municipality)

Mariano Alvarez managed to return to the good favors of the government, thus he was able to be elected as capitan municipal of Noveleta. I bet that the Spanish forces in Noveleta were surprised by the attack because they thought that the alcalde is on their side.

Artillery bombardment during the revolution in Noveleta. (Source: Foro Policia)

The katipunero’s victory  was so decisive that Noveleta was free from Spanish control during the whole course of the revolution. The town became the seat of the Magdiwang faction, which stood in opposition to the Magdalo faction of Emilio Aguinaldo. The Game of Thrones level of struggle between these two factions led to the dissolution of Katipunan and the death of its Supremo.

The current condition of Casa Tribunal just reflects the fact that Noveleta has already forgotten its past. Its history was only recalled from time to time whenever there's a centennial celebration or other big historical commemoration. I guess the current condition of Noveleta’s Casa Tribunal fits its place in history as the seat of the Magdiwang faction. In the course of the revolution, the Magdalo faction obscured the Magdiwang faction. It is quite fitting then that the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, which is the seat of the Magdalo faction, obscured the Casa Tribunal of Noveleta.

Emilio Aguinaldo waving the Philippine flag.

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References:

Ang Casa Tribunal ng Noveleta in Cavite Info
Battle of Noveleta, Mariano Alvarez in Wikipedia
A Tribute to General Mariano Alvarez in General Mariano Alvarez website

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Read more of my post about the Province of Cavite:

Visita Iglesia: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of the Caracol Church (Rosario, Cavite)
The Historic Aguinaldo Shrine
A Peek in the Historic Halls of Aguinaldo Shrine
More on Pink Sisters' Convent in Tagaytay City
Return to People's Park, Tagaytay
People's Park, Tagaytay City
Picnic Grove, Tagaytay City
Why Don't They Fix Picnic Grove Tagaytay?
A Visit to Pink Sisters' Convent, Tagaytay City
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