Papa Isio

Dionisio Seguela or Dionisio Papa y Barlucia, more widely known as Papa Isio (Hiligaynon, Isio the Pope), was the leader of a group of babaylanes (shaman) who were, as conjectured by Modesto P. Sa-onoy, recruited from the remnants of the followers of Dios Buhawi upon the dissolution of his group under the poor leadership of Camartin de la Cruz during the years prior to the onset of the Philippine Revolution.

According to Sa-onoy, Seguela's nom de guerre, Papa Isio, was partly dictated by the religious thrust of his revolt against Spain and the Catholic religion it championed. The title "Papa" was a repudiation of the Pope's (Santo Papa) authority - which Seguela then appropriated upon himself. This particular group of babaylanes were organized by Seguela in 1896 in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental.

Fusing religion with agrarian reform and nationalism, Papa Isio called for the removal of non-Malays from Negros and the division of the land among the natives. It is contended that Papa Isio responded to the Philippine Revolution which was began in August 1896 by AndrĂ©s Bonifacio. The group of babaylanes was said to have adopted "¡Viva Rizal!" (Spanish, "Long Live Rizal!"), "¡Viva Filipinas Libre" (Spanish, "Long Live a free Philippines!") and "Kamatayon sa Katsila" (Hiligaynon, "Death to Spaniards!") as their battle cries.

While Filipino revolutionary General Miguel Malvar, widely acknowledged to be the last leader of the Philippine Revolution to surrender to the Americans, actually capitulated on April 16, 1902, Papa Isio gave up his struggle very much later - on August 6, 1907. Finally cornered by government forces, Papa Isio surrendered to an American officer, Lieutenant J. S. Mohler. At first, he was sentenced to death, but the punishment was later mitigated to life imprisonment. Papa Isio died in the Old Bilibid Prison in Manila in 1911.