An Appraisal of a Great Commoner
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AN APPRAISAL OF A GREAT COMMONER Hon. RELIKmj. JOSE ^mbcr^C^iku^ud Assembly A (A A (A Compedium of What Different Groups of People Think of Hon. Felipe E. Jose—and the Reasons Why They Want Him Appointed Mayor of Baguio) To the Governor General and the President of the Philippine Senate, this work is heartily dedicated. Hon. Felipe E. Jose Member, Constitutional Assembly June 8, 1935 City of Baguio. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL To His Excellency The Governor-General of the Philippines, Malacanang, Manila, and To the Honorable President of the Philippine Senate, Legislative Building, Manila. Dear Sirs: With due respect, the undersigned have taken the liberty to present to you in book form the memorials, resolutions, and petitions, the original copies of which were sent to you by the petitioners themselves, urging the ap- pointment of the Hon. Felipe E. Jose, delegate to the Con- stitutional Convention, to the mayorship of Baguio as soon as this office is vacated by the present incumbent, Mayor E. J. Halsema. Very respectfully, PASTOR ESGUERRA ALFREDO FERRER BENITO M. SAKDALAN VITALIANO S. MAGNO EMILIANO N. RAMIREZ LEOPOLDO L. NIEVERA RAMON P. MITRA BENITO LORENZO SILVESTRE CABANLIG TOMAS CASTRO ROMAN MENDOZA JOAQUIN BOGAYONG EUGENIO ESTRADA JOSE DE LA ROSA CARLOS PANGILINAN 3 FOREWORD The spontaneous and friendly spirit of the various memorials and resolutions compiled herein has prompted the publication thereof in book form. And the ob- jective in this effort is merely to present these docu- ments again to the authorities concerned in a form that will their make perusal less boresome. Besides, it is more convenient to keep a book than a file of loose-leaf type- written papers. There is no need here for an elaborate discourse on the outstanding qualities of the man recommended in these memorials and resolutions for appointment to be the first Filipino mayor of the City of Baguio. For Mr Felipe E. Jose as a private citizen and as a public man, is amply and duly appraised in the memorials and resolutions print- ed m this volume. No better appraisal of him could have been made. These memorials and resolutions were con- ceived and written by men of different callings, in dif- hf6; th6y are men of hi*h Ending i" Zl r7£V immunities. And they 2f£e men are all respon- 6 &dd a slant ^e- se KjLT a man" * » » must sweat °f th°Se Wh° in ordTr to It PreCiat"l™**ve of what*ver re" ward, no matter how : little tw COmes to , he has accomnliS 2 ' * him for the work He iS °f the ?* sort tha* counts fte^ck^?i?Sf;the cnicks oetore the eggs are hatched, or that will kill the gooze that lays the golden ejnrs Hp hlv • . relieves in the prin- ciplerinlP thatth-it man mustmi..*V ? earn what he receives As a family man he has • al b UUL1IU1 ne nab never been recreant tn hia + u- » ™ dutles to hls wi*e and to his childrenchildren. HisHie, treatment*!!7 : of them is exemplary worthv of °ther ifw m fatherS and fc^ands U S Un an exa^eration extolling him to the skie« and on P ^ l these Hnes that: Si^.^'man ??"But any ' - one who knows him full well , , sit te 10 say that Til"ZtZZZ£ * he is a MAN - His is the distinction of having been recommended for appointment to an important public office in so many memorials, resolutions, and petitions, unsolicited. As a delegate for Baguio to the Constitutional Con- vention, the Journals of Session of that august body will suffice to prove his worth in that capacity. He was a member of seven committees of the Convention; i.e., Con- vention Membership, Committee, Immigration, Suffrage, Labor and Public Welfare, Impeachment, Insular Police, Nationalization and Conservation of Lands and Natural Resources, and Special Provinces. As a member of the Baguio City Council from 1931 to 1934, the resolution of the present council printed in this book speaks well of his public career. As a member of the Mixed Independence Mission to the United States in 1933, he did his part cre- ditably. If the selection of the new mayor of Baguio were by popular vote, doubtless Mr. Felipe E. Jose would easily emerge triumphant, for the number of signers of the me- morials, resolutions, and petitions printed herein exceeds the number of voters who cast their votes in the last gen- eral elections in Baguio. B. M. SAKDALAN Baguio, April 25, 1935. 6 CONTENTS 1. Memorial of Baguio residents with 1,400 signers. 2. Letter of Resident Commissioner Francisco Delgado to Governor-General Murphy. 3. Resolution passed by a majority of the members of the Constitutional Convention, with 108 signers. 4. Letter of Delegate Felipe E. Jose expressing his thanks to his colleagues. 5. Radiogram sent by some delegates to President Quezon. 6. Another radiogram by Delegates Altavas, Lim, et al. 7. Radiogram of General Ricarte to President Quezon. 8. Resolution of the Provincial Board of Pangasinan. 9. Resolution of the Provincial Board of Bulacan. 10. Resolution of the Provincial Board of Nueva Ecija. 11. Resolution of the Provincial Board of Tarlac. 12. Letter of professional men of Baguio to Governor Gen- eral Murphy. 13. Letter of professional men of Baguio to President Quezon. 14 Uti°n Munidpal ' Council of Malolos, Bu- lacan ^ 15. Resolution of the Municipal Council of Gapan, Nueva liiCij a. IS. Resolution of the Municipal Council of Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. 17. Resolution of the City Council of Baguio, appreciating the work of Hon. Felipe E. Jose as member thereof! the Ilocos 18. Resolution of Norte Bar signed by 40 law- yers and the members of the Provincial Board 19. Resolution of the National Volunteei-s. 20. Resolution of the "Congreso Obrero de Filipinas .» 21. Resolution of the "Katipunang Pangbansa hg Mag- bubukid sa Filipinas." 22. Resolution of "Asamblea Nacional de Trabajadores de Filipinas. Resolution 23. of the "Palihan ng Bayan." : Baguio wants a Neiv Deal. Its people need it. And thanks to the inborn love of liberty and justice of the American people, that New Deal so long delayed and so long hoped for will soon become a reality. By opera- tion of the Tydings-McDuffie Independence Law, Amer- ican officials in every branch of the Philippine govern- ment will soon relinquish their responsibilities to Fili- pinos, and Baguio's appointive officials are no exception. Only recently, the American mayor of Baguio, Mr. E. J. Halsema, tendered his resignation. The occasion thus be- comes opportune for the appointment of a capable Fili- pino to head the administration of the City of Baguio. succeed Among those mentioned as possibilities to to Mayor Halsema, Hon. Felipe E. Jose, senior delegate and onetime member of the Constitutional Convention the most prominent, me the City Council of Baguio, is Joses out- of Baguio have long realized Delegate people Halsema and long before Mayor standing qualities, a had forwardea filed an application for retirement they k. J ° memorial urging the appointment of Hon. Felipe than as Baguio's first Filipino mayor. More folio* Baguio's leading citizens signed, and sent the memorial on June 29, 1934 CITIZENS OF BAGUIO UJGING MEMORIAL OF THE FELir* THE APPOINTMENT OF HONORABLE THE CITY OF E. JOSE AS MAYOR OF BAGUIO, P. I- and WHEREAS, with the advent ^^^,4 the Government of the all the ^ Islands in a few mon hs of ^ e ^ ^ will have been placed in ™ of their ultimate assump- 2^^£X«^ °f indePendenCG ^ Stat of American civil • p impimplantation twr^cWH REAS, since the . ^ ^ regime, thef Government ot 7 ^ placed mainly in the hands of nationals of the United States with the Filipino officials playing minor roles; and WHEREAS, the Filipinization of all the offices in the Government of the City of Baguio is not only called for by the spirit and intent of the Philippine Independence Act but is also the avowed policy of America, as is shown by the commitments of various administrations of fos- autonomy and of educating ll and training the ™n£people in the art of self-government H E RE BE IT ^SOLVED, as it is hereby resolve .- /? f,° Bagui nresentt^n wTv? °' Ph»iPPine Islands, re- S f am°ng Wh0m ar offSa n 1 ^ ,° * government businessmen > Property-owners, la- borers,00 e s knTothT,?and others, whose\ signatures are affixed to this memorial, to recommend and urge upon the elders of the stitutional Convention ?"5 SfL^o^St7 Counci1 of Baguio, as mayor of the Citv ? £ upon the relinquishment of the ^ ^ cumbent S^lby^ for ^ the following' ^ First. Hon. FELIPE E irvsn- perience and possesses the €X" capacity required nf f thru three y executive acquired years of signal ^ ? > tive member merito™ous service as elec- of the Citv fi of Baguio's senior 5"°;, He is also the City deleiigate t0+ the tion. Constitutional Conven- Second. Hon. FELIPE F thqtt x. harmonious ahyays spoused politico-social1 roint- u and has labor and ca" pital, dedicated th I T cause, advancement an "* to the ^ weGlfaiefare JTof the ft** Philippines. ^bor class in the 81 Vic of the^^^^^ . *?? ^^ent * Is,a "ds an<1 ly affiliated ' « actual- wit sev , , I ^ several labor ,u\ w organizations the lab°r Uni °ns in the Philip- nines in tL'^T*1983 MlX6d Impendence Sd Statt Mission to the 8 Third. Hon. FELIPE E. JOSE is a man of great and varied experience. (a) He has been a laborer, public school teacher, life insurance agent, optician and newspaperman He was editor of the defunct the PLARIDEL, a bilingual semi- weekly review m Malolos, Bulacan.