Whatever Happened to Camilo Polavieja?
Camilo Polavieja y del Castillo, Marques de Polavieja (1838–1914) Regarded as a villain in Philippine history for ordering the court-martial and subsequent execution of José Rizal, Governor-General Camilo de Polavieja had an illustrious career as a military officer. He assumed the position of Governor-General of the Philippines during a turbulent period, succeeding Governor-General Ramón Blanco y Arenas. Polavieja was notably favored by the powerful friar orders of the time. It is said that when Doña Teodora, Rizal's mother, pleaded for her son’s life, she reportedly approached Malacañang Palace on bended knees. Upon meeting Polavieja, he coldly declared, "I cannot spare the life of this rebel while young Spanish soldiers are dying on the battlefields of Luzon." Another version of the story suggests that Doña Teodora and one of her daughters were merely dismissed at the palace gates without an audience. Polavieja ultimately failed to pacify the Philippine Revolution...