Thursday, August 14, 2008

*99. HON. PABLO ANGELES DAVID: "No Fear" Governor


FIERCE AND FEARLESS. Hon. Pablo Angeles David of Bacolor, Governor of Pampanga (2 terms 1931, 1934) and Senator of the Philippines (1947).

A distinguished son of Bacolor, Pablo Angeles David was born to Carlos de los Angeles (of Brgy., San Vicente) and Ceferina Mesina David (of brgy. San Isidro) on 17 August 1889. Early on, Pablo displayed brilliance as a juvenile student in the private school of Don Modesto Joaquin, which was considered the best “escuela “ in the province. After all, Don Modesto was a former Katipunero whose discipline was legendary, even among the Americans who feared him. When not fighting, he was tutoring students at his Spanish academy, many of whom would grow and become Pampanga’s leading lights: Justice Jose Gutierrez David, patriot Nicolas Dayrit and Benigno Aquino Sr.

After Pablo left the local school in 1901, he was sent to study at the “Liceo de Manila” and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1906. He next enrolled at the country’s leading law school, “Escuela de Derecho”, and finished his Bachelor of Laws in 1909. In 1910, at age 20, he took and passed the bar examinations and placed third. He was thus the country’s youngest bar passer , but he had to wait another year to take his oath as a lawyer as he was considered underaged.

He chose to serve Pampanga, and became a justice of the peace for Sasmuan, Santa Rita and Bacolor, his hometown. He became the assistant fiscal of Pampanga from 1913-1915 and the next year, his political career began when he became a member of the Provincial Board for 3 years. In 1918, he was named as the Census Board chairman and the next year, he was elected to the House of the Representatives for Pampanga’s 1st District.

David became acting governor of Pampanga at age 27 when Don Honorio Ventura was appointed as Secretary of the Interior, being the number one board member. He was officially elected as governor in 1931 and was re-elected in 1934. After the Liberation, he re-established the provincial government, driving away the Huks who occupied the provincial capitol and took the helm of running the affairs of Pampanga, with the blessings of the national government. In 1947, he was elected as a Senator.

As a senator, Pablo Angeles David had his share of controversies with his fiery exposes. In 1950, he contested Pres. Quirino’s claim that the war on Huks has diminished, and instead charged that the perpetrators of terror were not the Hukbalahaps but government troops out for blood for the assassination of one of their commanders. David then revealed to the Senate, a massacre that took place in Bacolor involving these constabulary forces, that further infuriated the President.

Without fail and without fear, the good governor, with his wife Concepcion “Conching” Baro and his family, lived to serve his province and his country long and well, staying in Bacolor till the end of his illustrious life on 16 May 1965.

(Many thanks to Mr. Mariano Angeles y Angeles, grandson of Don Pablo Angeles David, son of his second child Atty. Ciceron Baro Angeles Sr., for providing additional information and corrections on this entry.)

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