Leon Kilat Monument & Bacong Plaza
Bacong, Negros Oriental · about 170 km from 3ACs Apartment, Talisay City
The hometown shrine of Pantaleon 'Leon Kilat' Villegas, Negros Oriental's Katipunan hero.
About
Bacong's plaza, beside the old church and municipal hall, honours its most famous son: General Pantaleon Villegas, better known as Leon Kilat ('Lightning Leon'), who led the Tres de Abril uprising against Spain in Cebu in 1898. A standing statue from 1926 stands near a later bronze of him charging on horseback, and his remains rest at the base of the monument. Nearby is the Tindoc house, the town's only remaining Spanish-era bahay-na-bato. Afterwards, walk down to Bacong's string of beaches, which fill up with families on dry-season weekends.
History
Leon Kilat was born in Bacong on July 27, 1873, and was betrayed and killed in Carcar, Cebu, on April 8, 1898. His bones were brought home to Bacong in the 1920s. Every July 27 the town holds a week of tributes, a Mass and a wreath-laying at the monument.
Why visit
Island history, an old church and the beach — 10 minutes from Dumaguete.
How to get there
Bacong town proper, about 8–10 km south of Dumaguete on the national highway.
- Jeepney or tricycle south from Dumaguete
Prices (estimates)
- EntranceFree
Hours / best time: Daily; Leon Kilat Day July 27
Nearby places
- Bacong Church (St. Augustine of Hippo) — National Cultural Treasure with the province's tallest belfry and a Spanish pipe organ.
- Dumaguete Cathedral & Belfry (Campanario) — Oldest stone church in Negros and its 1811 coral-stone watchtower.
- Dauin Church & Watchtowers — San Nicolas church, the oldest in the province, with old dome-shaped watchtowers by the sea.
- Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete — Seaside promenade of the 'City of Gentle People'.
- Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries — Dumaguete's famous silvanas and sans rival.