Born on August 9, 1864, Roman Aguirre hailed from Lezo, Aklan section of Capiz.
He had a big heart for the oppressed and the helpless, but his fists were fast as the sticks of his snare drum against the haughty, the high and the mighty.
The Kalibo band was assisting and was marching down the street and Roman was beating the snare drum.
Without any strong male to depend on to protect the family in the face of the threatening danger of rebel raid from Malinao, Eulogia, Roman's wife, dragged her brood back to their home in Kalibo the following day, where situation under the Spanish authorities was still relatively peaceful.
The next day, a bandillo announced Colonel Monet's amnesty urging the rebels to report and be pardoned.
Roman reprimanded the children and told them to go back and tell their mother that he would not present himself as he had a hunch that the amnesty was just a ruse.
At noon, Antonia again returned to her father, saying that it was the priest himself who gave the assurance in a church sermon of the sincere intention of the Spaniards, and that so many insurrectos in fact had already surrendered.
At 6:00 o’clock that afternoon, when Antonia went back the third time, Roman gave in to a tearful daughter's plea.
When they were finally permitted, Spanish marines who accompanied them rested a rifle at every shoulder of each child as they approached the prisoners‘ quarters.
[4] Roman, as a parting word to his wife, said that it was bruited that they would be shipped to Capiz the following day where other prisoners had been brought.
They are in their red uniform.”[5] The mortal remains of the 19 martyrs were relocated to a mausoleum in 1926 now known as Aklan Freedom Shrine or locally known as Castillo.
In order to commemorate the death anniversary of the Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan, Republic Act No.
7806 was made into law setting the 23rd day of March of every year as a special public holiday in the province of Aklan.
A former general himself, President Fidel V. Ramos let Republic Act 7806 lapsed into law without his signature.
The Ramon Aguirre Building is located in the corner of XIX Martyrs and Pastrana Streets, Kalibo.
On the 102nd martyrdom anniversary of the Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan on March 23, 2018, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines officially turned over to the Provincial Government of Aklan a tableau memorial in honor of the freedom heroes at the Goding Ramos Park.