August 27: Colorumism and the Fire on Bucas Grande

27 August 2025 Feature | Surigao Historical Society | Local History

Web Story Series: Surigao’s Awakening | Buwan ng Kasaysayan 2025

“Rebellion in robes and rosaries. Smoke over Pamosaingan. Where prayer met fire.”

In 1924, on the remote island of Bucas Grande, a small community in Pamosaingan was engulfed in flame—not just of literal fire, but of unseen resistance. It was the site of a little-known Colorum uprising, an event rarely mentioned in Philippine historical accounts and often dismissed as the work of fanatics.

But behind that label lies a deeper story—one of faith, poverty, colonial repression, and the human yearning for liberation.

Colorumism: Faith, Rebellion, and the Poor

The Colorum movement was not born in Surigao—but it found fertile ground there. Originating in Central Luzon during the late Spanish period and expanding under American occupation, Colorumism combined Catholic mysticism, apocalyptic vision, and anti-colonial sentiment. It appealed most powerfully to the marginalized—farmers, fisherfolk, and indigenous communities who had little voice in colonial society but clung to powerful beliefs about divine justice and deliverance.

In Bucas Grande, the Colorums saw themselves not as rebels, but as the faithful chosen, guided by visions, rituals, and sacred symbols. They wore white robes, chanted litanies, and believed the end of colonial oppression was near.

Pamosaingan, 1924: Where Prayer Met Fire

The Colorum community in Pamosaingan had grown increasingly visible—and threatening—in the eyes of the authorities. Led by a charismatic figure whose name is lost to official records, they gathered in defiance of colonial law, holding religious assemblies and proclaiming divine sovereignty over earthly powers.

In 1924, the Philippine Constabulary, under orders to suppress the movement, arrived on the island. What followed was not a peaceful arrest—it was a violent confrontation.

According to accounts preserved in Surigao Across the Years, a gunfight erupted, and in the chaos, Constabulary forces set fire to the Colorum houses. Men, women, and children were caught in the blaze. Some perished. Others fled into the forest. No monument marks their names. No church claims their sainthood.

“The smoke rose over Pamosaingan—not just from burning wood, but from a century of broken promises.”

Fanatics or the Faithful? Rethinking Resistance

The word “Colorum” has long been wielded as an insult—used to discredit grassroots spiritual movements as dangerous cults. But what if it was something more? A revolution of symbols and silence, where faith was their only weapon and ritual their only refuge?

To colonial authorities, they were a threat.

To the local elite, they were an embarrassment.

To history, they became a footnote—until now.

In retelling their story, we do not glorify violence, but honor their context: a time when spiritual devotion became an act of resistance, and when people with no power still dared to believe they could shape their fate.

“The fire on Bucas Grande did not destroy rebellion—it revealed it.”

#SurigaoAcrossTheYears #HistoryMonth #ColorumismRevisited

Five Questions to Spark Your Curiosity

1. Who were the Colorums of Bucas Grande, and what did they believe in?

2. Why did spiritual movements like Colorumism become political under colonial rule?

3. What really happened in the 1924 confrontation at Pamosaingan?

4. How do we honor the memory of uprisings that were quickly branded as heresy or madness?

5. Are there echoes of Colorumism in present-day struggles for dignity and identity in Surigao?

Explore Further, Engage Deeper

“History is often written by victors—but memory belongs to the people. The fire on Bucas Grande may have silenced voices, but not their meaning. Revisit this forgotten crucible of faith and defiance in Surigao Across the Years—and uncover the truths that endure.”

This story is just one of many hidden within the pages of Surigao Across the Years. To explore more: Interact with the book through Artificial Intelligence (AI):
Visit the customized GPT by Open AI HERE and the Book Section of the Surigao Historical Society HERE

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