Little is known about Estrella's early life and career: he was born in Malolos, Bulacan in 1856; three years later, on 31 August 1859, the town of Malolos was divided into three independent towns: Malolos, Barasoain and Santa Isabel. Estrella hailed from Santa Isabel.
Military career
When the Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896, Estrella was serving in the native contingent of the Spanish colonialarmed forces. Soon enough, he was among the native officers who deserted the colonial armed forces and joined the revolutionaries. By 1897, he has distinguished himself in the battles at Perez Dasmariñas and Naic. For his courage in these battles, he received the moniker red blooded from his fellow revolutionaries. This was the time when Governor GeneralCamilo García de Polavieja renewed the Spanish offensive in Cavite, with his deputy José de Lachambre leading on the front line. Due to the overwhelming gains of the Spanish, Emilio Aguinaldo was forced to relocate his headquarters from Talisay, Batangas to Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel, Bulacan. On 15 November 1897, the :Wikisource:1897 Constitution of Biak-na-Bato |provisional constitution for the Biak-na-Bato Republic was ratified, with Estrella as one of the signers. With the Spanish seeking a quick resolution to the war, the Pact of Biak-na-Bato was signed on 14 December 1897 by Spanish Governor-GeneralFernando Primo de Rivera and the Republic of Biak-na-Bato President Emilio Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo and his fellow revolutionaries were given amnesty and monetary indemnity by the Spanish Government, in return for which the revolutionary government would go into exile in Hong Kong. Aguinaldo had decided to use the money to purchase advance firearms and ammunition later on return to the archipelago. Among those who were exiled was Estrella. On 19 May 1898, Aguinaldo decided to resume the revolution and returned to the Philippines through American aid. Among those who returned with him was Estrella. When the Philippine–American War broke out on 4 February 1899, Estrella was one of the first generals to see action outside Manila. On 5 February, the Americans positioned themselves in the outskirts of San Roque, which Filipino troops are being commanded by Estrella. Three days later, on 8 February, Second Lieutenant John Glass of the 1st Battalion of the California Heavy Artillery was sent with an escort to demand Estrella the surrender and the evacuation of the town. Otherwise, artillery and gunboat bombardment would be done against them. By this time, the gunboats Manila and Callao have been positioned just outside the town to assist the offensive. On 9 February, the town mayor approached Commodore George Dewey to ask for more time to decide the matter. When Dewey refused, the Filipinos raised the white flag of surrender. However, this was only a deception to lure the Americans into attacking the town. When the Americans managed to occupy San Roque, the retreating Filipinos set the town on fire. In order to gain access to the area, the Americans had to flank it from the sea. Meanwhile, skirmishes were undertaken whenever the Americans caught up with the Filipinos. Estrella would continue leading Filipino troops for the rest of the year, even fighting alongside Brigadier GeneralPío del Pilar in Guadalupe, Makati. However, on 8 June 1900, Estrella was caught with Pío del Pilar by the Americansecret police at Guadalupe.
