Guevara, Pedro, 1879-1938

<p>The longest serving Resident Commissioner from the Philippines and a protégé of Manuel L. Quezon, Pedro Guevara waged a difficult battle promoting Philippine independence while fighting congressional measures to curb territorial sovereignty and economic progress. Guevara acted for much of his career as the voice of the Philippine legislature in Congress in a low-key style of delivery that relied on prepared statements rather than fiery, impromptu speeches. Guevara began his career a stalwart proponent of independence, saying, “For 25 years I and my people have lived under the American flag. Yet wherever I go Americans take me for … some other Oriental. Americans know very little about us or our country, and they care even less than they know. To continue American control, under such conditions, is an injustice to the Filipinos.” But his perspective shifted in his final years as Resident Commissioner, and disagreements with his patron Quezon over the best path to independence led to his quiet retirement from politics.</p>

<p>Pedro Guevara was born on February 23, 1879, in Santa Cruz, Laguna Province, Luzon, Philippines. The son of Miguel Guevara and Maria G. Valenzuela, he attended local schools some 60 miles to the south of Manila. Guevara’s family sent him north to the capital to attend a finishing school, Ateneo Municipal de Manila, and then Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Guevara earned a liberal arts degree at the latter school in 1896, finishing at the head of his class. When the 1896 revolution broke out, Guevara fought the Spanish and earned the rank of lieutenant colonel for his service, including helping to lead Filipino forces in the Battle of Mabitac. In the Philippine-American War, he joined the insurrectionaries who opposed U.S. occupation forces, serving as aide and private secretary to General Juan Cailles, commander of Philippine rebels in Laguna Province. After the war ended, Guevara joined the Philippine constabulary, a paramilitary unit that maintained peace. After five years of service, Guevara returned to civilian life and, in a pattern reminiscent of others who later became Resident Commissioners, worked as a journalist. He became chief editor of Soberanía Nacional (National Sovereignty), a newspaper that championed Philippine independence, and also served as city editor for four other newspapers. During this time, Guevara studied at La Jurisprudencia, a Manila law school, and passed the bar in 1909. He married Isidra Baldomero, and the couple had one son, Pedro Jr.</p>

<p>As with many other contemporary politicos—Isauro Gabaldon, Jaime de Veyra, and Sergio Osmeña among them—Guevara easily transitioned from being an editorialist to an elected public servant. His political career began in 1907, when he was elected as municipal councillor in San Felipe Neri, Rizal Province. Two years later he won election to the Philippine assembly, representing Laguna Province, and he was re-elected in 1912 to a second term. In 1916, under the provisions of the Jones Act, he was elected to the first of two terms in the Philippine senate, representing a district that included Manila and the provinces of Rizal, Laguna, and Bataan. He served in the senate until his election as Resident Commissioner. A well-respected jurist, Guevara chaired the Philippine delegation to the Far Eastern Bar Conference in Beijing, China, in 1921. A year later he joined a group of prominent Filipinos who traveled to Washington, DC, as part of the second Philippine independence mission.</p>

GUEVARA, Pedro, a Resident Commissioner from the Commonwealth of the Philippine Islands; born in Santa Cruz, Laguna Province, Luzon, Philippine Islands, February 23, 1879; attended local schools and Ateneo Municipal de Manila University, Manila, P.I.; graduated from Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Manila, P.I., 1896; studied law at La Jurisprudencia, Manila, P.I., and passed bar in 1909; Philippine Army, 1896-1901; officer, Philippine Constabulary, c. 1901-1906; journalist; newspaper editor; lawyer, private practice; San Felipe Neri, P.I., municipal councillor, 1907-1909; member of the Philippine assembly, 1909-1915; member of the Philippine senate, 1916-1922; chair of the Philippine delegation to the Far Eastern Bar Conference at Peking (Beijing), China, 1921; elected as a Nacionalista to the Sixty-eighth Congress for a three-year term, reelected to three succeeding terms, and served until his resignation on October 1, 1935 (February 17, 1923-October 1, 1935); died on January 19, 1938, in Manila, P.I.; interment at Cementerio del Norte, Manila, P.I.

<p>Pedro Guevara (February 23, 1879 – January 19, 1938), was a Philippine soldier, lawyer, legislator, and Spanish writer who became Resident Commissioner of the Philippines during the American colonial period.</p>

<p>Born in Santa Cruz, Laguna, Philippines, on February 23, 1879.</p>

<p>He attended the Pedro Guevara Memorial National High School and graduated from Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Manila, in 1896.</p>