Camilo García de Polavieja

Camilo García de Polavieja y del Castillo-Negrete, 1st Marquess of Polavieja (13 July 1838 – 15 January 1914) was a Spanish general, born in a family of merchants. He was a competent commander, but considered as brutal as Valeriano Weyler of Cuba. He was one of the most relevant military officers of the time and a famous regeneracionista.

Early life and career
He enlisted voluntarily in the Navarro Regiment in 1855, where he distinguished himself in Africa. He received the Cross of Isabelle Maria Lucia for gallantry. He then took part in the Ten Years' War in Cuba, where Spain sent 70,000 men, and the Third Carlist War.

He was Colonel of the Princess Regiment and promoted to brigadier general in 1876 before being sent to Cuba. In Cuba, he was made Field Marshal and received the Cross of Military Merit. In 1882, he returned to Spain and was made a member of the Supreme Council of War and Navy, captain general of Andalusia, and Supreme Chief of the Infantry Inspectorate.

Puerto Rico and Cuba
In 1888, Polavieja became governor-general of Puerto Rico, a post from which he resigned in 1889. A year later, in 1890, he was sent to succeed José Chinchilla as captain general of Cuba. Being one of the more competent administrators of the time, he resigned in 1892 as a protest against corruption of Francisco Romero Robledo, a well known politician for his corrupt practices, minister of Overseas during the premiership of Antonio Cánovas del Castillo. He was later known as the Butcher of Cuba.

Governor General of the Philippines
The revolution in Cuba led by Antonio Maceo Grajales inspired Philippine insurgents to revolt as well. Being the last important colony under control of Spain, the Spanish government tried to contain the Philippine Revolution under the administration of Ramon Blanco, Marquess of Peña Plata.

When the Philippine revolution broke out in August 1896, Polavieja was appointed second corporal and served as Blanco's second-in-command. However, his partnership with Blanco did not last long.

The further spread of the insurgency in the Philippines led to the turnover of the post of governor general to Blanco's second-in-command, lieutenant general Polavieja. The Filipino historian Gregorio Zaide notes that Polavieja was installed with the help of powerful Spanish friars including the archbishop of Manila during that time.

As soon as he took over, he implemented many policies to curb corruption and improve the bureaucracy. He began repression in the form of deportations accompanied by promises of pardons and trials, many of these ending in capital punishment. Under Polavieja's direction, military operations began as soon as reinforcements arrived, and they actively pursued the rebels in their mountain bases.

By August 1896, there were 500 soldiers in Manila and 700 in the rest of the archipelago. Native mercenaries numbered around 6,000. By January 1897, a total of 25,462 officers and men had arrived from Spain. Polavieja had an available force of over 12,000 men to suppress the rebels in Luzon alone. On February 13, 1897, he opened his first phase, the Cavite campaign. Polavieja advanced against the revolutionaries with 16,000 men armed with Spanish M93s, and one field battery. They were led by General José de Lachambre, and many of the soldiers he led were from Pampanga, fired during Blanco's administration. He had scarcely reconquered half of Cavite when he resigned, owing to disagreements with superiors in Madrid and his bad health. He did, however, disperse every major rebel contingent in Cavite. Around 4,000 rebels died in jails of Manila.

Rizal execution
Polavieja oversaw the court martial and death of José Rizal on December 30, 1896. Twenty four more people were executed with Rizal.

Polavieja faced condemnation by his countrymen after his return to Spain. While visiting Girona, circulars were distributed among the crowd bearing Rizal's last verses, his portrait, and the charge that Polavieja was responsible for the loss of the Philippines to the United States. Ramon Blanco later presented his sash and sword to the Rizal family as an apology.

Death
He went back to Spain and went on to influence the Government of Spain. He declared preparation for a neutral or third party but his manifesto was prohibited for publication. He died of hepatitis in 1914.

Media portrayal

 * Portrayed by Tony Mabesa in the 1998 film, José Rizal.