Major Protacio “Asing” Tabal, WWII hero of the warrior clan of Cebu

The Tabal Clan (others changed its spelling to Tabar) is Cebu's contribution to the country's warrior clans. The Tabal brothers, Rafael, Anatalio, and Quintin were the commanders/generals of the KKK uprising against Spain commencing on the Battle of Tres de Abil (April 3, 1898) and they continued fighting when the Americans came to Cebu in 1899 replacing the Spaniards as our colonizers.

Forty years later, when a new foreign power invaded Cebu, the Japanese Imperial Army, a direct descendant of the Tabal brother commanders rose to the challenge, his name was Protacio “Asing” Tabal.

Asing led the meeting of the people of Tag-bao and the nearby barrios in organizing the resistance movement against the Japanese. The meetings were attended by Beato Inocando, Guillermo “Giling” Tabal, Epifanio “Paning” Tabal, Marcial Tabal, and Juan Opsemar. It was Sergeant Justiniano Cuares who arranged the meeting. There was also Captain Leoncio Minoza, a veteran of the anti-Spanish revolution. In the annotation of the book “Tabunan” by Colonel Manuel Segura, Professor Resil Mojares notes that Asing Tabal claimed to have under him 2,000 armed men coming mountain barangays of Sirao, Babag, Cambinocot, and Adlawon (Adlaon).

The initial purpose of the group was to go after the Cebuanos who turned spies and collaborated with the Japanese army. Segura, in another book “The Koga Papers,” wrote that the leaders recruited by Major Tabal were Ignacio Pepito of Lanipga, Liloan, Danila Borbon, of Dita, Talamban, Juan Opinar of Taptap, Talamban, Balbino Sokite, Damaso Bontuyan of Adlaon, and Emilio Limpag.

It was on September 3, 1942 when Asing Tabal and his followers finally met Harry Fenton (later to become colonel and co-commander of the Cebu Area Command) in Tabunan. Tabal was given the rank of lieutenant. After seven days he was promoted to captain. After four months, in January 1943, he was promoted to major.

The father of Major Protacio Tabal, Commander Anatalio Tabal, led the Cebuano KKK during the battle in Naga on the second Sunday of May 1898. Another member of the Tabal Clan who fought the Japanese was Lieutenant Andres Tabal. He took part in the attack of a Balamban Japanese garrison where they killed three enemies, destroyed two trucks, and captured a Japanese flag. There were also the skirmishes from June 4 to 7, 1943, where Lieutenant Tabal with Captain Almendras killed 180 enemies and captured 5,000 rounds of ammunition in Mit-ol and Caba-asan in Balamban.