The Chronicle of Mariveles
Agatona De Leon, Victorino Gonzales, and the Founding Bloodlines of Barangay San Carlos
By Pocholo De Leon Gonzales
The VoiceMaster of the Philippines
Descendant of Agatona De Leon and Victorino Gonzales
Origins Across Water and Time: Tanza, Cavite and Pasac, Mariveles
History is not born from dates alone. It begins with people who carry memory across seas and generations, turning movement into settlement and lineage into nationhood.
In 1820, within the parish records of Tanza, Cavite, appears the baptism of Agatona De Leon, daughter of Valentin De Leon and Benita Guevarra. Soon after, her younger brother Ignacio De Leon followed. Tanza served as their birthplace, but their destinies unfolded elsewhere, across the waters of Manila Bay, in the coastal town of Mariveles, Bataan.
At that time, Mariveles included a now forgotten barrio known as Pasac. Far from insignificant, Pasac was a dynamic settlement where indigenous families, Spanish religious authority, and emerging local leadership coexisted. It was here that another life entered the historical record.
On June 17, 1829, a fragile baptismal entry recorded the birth of a child named Victorino Gonzales. Baptized privately due to danger of death, he was described as the nine day old son of unknown parents, indios of Pasac, under the patronage of Señor San José. His godfather was Don José Atopias. Victorino entered history without named parents and under uncertain circumstances, yet he survived, matured, and would later shape the destiny of Mariveles itself.
The eventual marriage of Victorino Gonzales and Agatona De Leon united two lineages from different shores. From that union emerged a family whose influence would extend from revolution to governance.
The Union That Shaped Mariveles
Victorino Gonzales and Agatona De Leon established a bridge between Cavite and Mariveles through both blood and purpose. They raised two sons in Pasac, a barrio that no longer appears on modern maps but once stood at the heart of what would become Barangay San Carlos.
Their first son, Esteban Gonzales, became a Katipunero and later served as judge and the first mayor of Mariveles during the American period. Their second son, Melchor Gonzales, also joined the Katipunan and fought for the town’s liberation. Through them, the Gonzales and De Leon names became inseparable from the land of Mariveles.
Victorino’s life, however, ended early. Agatona was widowed, yet her role in history was far from complete.
A Second Marriage and a Broader Legacy
Following Victorino’s death, Agatona De Leon married Julian Sarreal, the Gobernadorcillo of Imus, Cavite. This second union introduced a new dimension to her legacy, intertwining revolutionary heritage with formal civic leadership.
From this marriage was born Jose De Leon Sarreal, Sr., who would later serve as the thirteenth mayor of Mariveles from 1898 to 1904. Today, Jose Sarreal Street in Barangay San Carlos stands as a geographical reminder of his contribution. Through this marriage, Agatona became not only a revolutionary matriarch but also the ancestral mother of Mariveles’ governing lineage.
Revolution in Mariveles: The Araw ng Kupuhan
In 1898, as Spanish colonial rule collapsed across the Philippines, the Katipunan gathered in secrecy throughout Mariveles. Esteban and Melchor Gonzales were among those who signed the Acta ng Katipunan with their own blood, sealing their commitment to the struggle for independence.
On May 31, 1898, the uprising in Mariveles began. Known locally as the Araw ng Kupuhan, the revolution was signaled by the third strike of the bombo. At its center stood Agatona De Leon herself, known to the people as Cabesang Tonang.
In a rare and powerful moment in Philippine revolutionary history, it was a woman who led the charge. Her command, Salakay, mga Kapatid, echoed through Mariveles, and the people responded. The Spanish authorities were overthrown in what became known as the Copo de Mariveles, a swift and decisive victory. From that day forward, Agatona De Leon was remembered as the Mother of the Katipunan of Mariveles.
From Revolution to Governance
The end of colonial rule gave way to the work of building a town. Agatona’s descendants became architects of Mariveles’ civic, educational, and economic foundations.
Esteban Gonzales served as mayor during the American period beginning in 1908 and founded the town’s first elementary school, securing education for future generations. Jose De Leon Sarreal, Sr., combined entrepreneurship with public service during his tenure as mayor at the turn of the century.
Later, Carlos “Carling” Lara Sarreal, Agatona’s grandson, served as the seventeenth mayor of Mariveles from 1968 to 1979. His administration established the Mariveles Water District, built the public market, elevated the town’s economic status, and formally created Barangay San Carlos in 1969.
These leaders left marks not only in archives but in the physical landscape of Mariveles, visible in its streets, schools, and barangays.
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| Mayor Carlos De Leon Sarreal |
Bloodlines That Converge
The Gonzales De Leon lineage continued through both paternal and maternal lines. From Victorino Gonzales came Esteban Gonzales, then Leoncio Gonzales, followed by Luis Gancit Gonzales, who served as Municipal Administrator of Mariveles. From this line came the present author.
From Ignacio De Leon came Emilio “Milyong” De Leon, then Amado Velez De Leon, followed by Avelina De Leon Gonzales. Through these parallel branches, the Gonzales and De Leon families remained intertwined across generations. This shared ancestry explains why Luis Gancit Gonzales and Avelina De Leon Gonzales, the author’s parents, were third cousins, both descended from the same revolutionary roots.
Pasac: The Barrio That Endures
Though Pasac has vanished from official maps, it has not disappeared from history. It survives in Barangay San Carlos and the surrounding sitios. It was in Pasac that Victorino Gonzales was baptized, where Katipuneros prepared for revolt, and where the first spark of Mariveles’ revolution was ignited.
Pasac was not merely a place. It was the cradle of a spirit that continues to define Mariveles.
An Unbroken Line of Memory
From Tanza came Agatona and Ignacio De Leon.
From Pasac came Victorino Gonzales.
From their union emerged revolutionaries, educators, and builders of a town.
From their descendants rose leaders who shaped modern Mariveles.
This narrative is not solely a family chronicle. It is the story of Barangay San Carlos and the wider history of Mariveles itself.
Epilogue: The Duty to Remember
These names are spoken not as distant historical figures but as living memory.
Victorino Gonzales.
Agatona De Leon.
Esteban Gonzales.
Jose De Leon Sarreal.
Carlos Lara Sarreal.
They are the roots of Barangay San Carlos and the pillars of Mariveles. To remember them is not an act of nostalgia, but a responsibility to history itself.
Mabuhay ang Barangay San Carlos.
Mabuhay ang Bayan ng Mariveles.
Mabuhay ang ating kasaysayan.
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