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Originally Posted by Robert Coleman
Dimasalang, Thank you very much for the wonderful information that you have contributed to this post as it is greatly appreciated. I do have a couple of questions that I would like to ask. You said, "It looks to be from the Revolution/Phil-Am War era and not earlier than that. I say this because a piece like this would be illegal to make and sell when the Spanish were still in control of the islands." My question on this would be, seeing that this dagger was designed for one purpose and one purpose only do you think that there could have been people (criminal types or assassins) that could have carried and used a dagger like this without really caring if it was against the law or not to own, and if so do you think that this could date this a little earlier than the 1890's ? My second question is, would it be correct to assume that the the correct term for this style of dagger to be a Tres Cantos ?
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Hi Robert,
I know when most think of the Spanish era in the Philippines, they tend to believe Spain had "complete" control of all +7,000 islands and all square meters of land. This is very far from the truth. The Spanish were only in control of key areas and ports...and they had little to zero control in the Moro regions. During the Spanish era prior to the 1896 Revolution, the free roaming parts around the Philippines were: the mountainous regions, very rural country areas, swamp and dense jungle regions, and the southern Moro controlled regions. These are all parts the Spanish didn't care to control or could not control by force. The Visayan bolos, like the Tenegre and Garabs, were all products of the dense jungle and mountainous rural areas of Visayas. These regions and outskirts are the areas where criminal elements could live carrying such a blade. BUT, given this type looks to have Chinese influence I would say no on being from a rural area. The Chinese living in the Philippines banded together and thrived off business areas that were well "populated"(Southern Luzon regions, Cebu, Spanish controlled areas, and in Moro kingdoms). I can't see why a Chinese blacksmith would be out in the middle of rural nowhere making a living doing this. Areas that were uncontrolled by Moros or by Spanish were too dangerous for foreigners to reside or do business. I would say this was not made by a Chinese in the Moro region also, since a blade like this had no appeal to Moros, plus a Filipino(Christian) who would desire this type of blade would not be residing in Moro country, and most Chinese in Moroland would be making Moro style blades...and obviously the blade handle and scabbard has more of a Luzon style to it. This is all what makes sense to me...so I wouldn't say this piece was made anywhere in the above free regions.
It is important to note, during the Spanish era, we were slaves in our own country and there were "two" evil entities controlling the islands, the Spanish government and the Spanish Catholic Church. Even the rich and wealthy were not truely safe...they were under the thumb of both rulers. They wouldn't be able to carry or own a piece like this without question. Also, the revolution of 1896 was not the first attempt, there were several rebellions throughout the entire Philippines since the beginning of Spanish rule by both rich and poor folks, but none significant enough around the era of this piece to be made in. Many of the ones who were apart of these other rebellions were once Civil Guards of the Spanish Government...so even a Filipino or Mestizo Civil Guard would be under a watchful eye and under heavy scrutiny. Because of so many attempted rebellions, the Spanish were extremely strict and enforced these laws to the T...a hint of affiliation meant death or exile(thanks to the code of law: "Guilty until proven innocent"). If ever you would like to gain a better understanding of how life was during the mid to late 1800 under Spanish rule, I recommend reading the novel "Noli Me Tangere" published in the 1880s by the Philippines national hero Jose Rizal. A fictitious book about a make believe town in the Philippines during Spanish rule; but the environment, story situations, and details are true. The book in itself is a great read and is what sparked the Katipunan and the revolution..as well as the authors execution.
I actually forgot one other place this dagger could have possibly originated from, which is Hong Kong. For a large amount of money the Spanish paid Emilio Aguinaldo to stop the revolution and go in to self exile. Emilio Aguinaldo and his top generals agreed to this pact and decided to take their self exile in Hong Kong. The money paid to them was primarily to be used to purchase arms in China and Japan to help finance another planned revolution. This is just a small possibility, but given the handle design and such, I really doubt it was made in China.
As for the name Tres Cantos. I honestly wouldn't know. I know much of the history surrounding some of the blades in the Philippines, but not so much on the names of the blades themselves.
Hope this post helps out in some way or another.
