Hermenegildo Teves Villanueva (September 25, 1876 – December 17, 1941), fondly called Bindoy, was a Filipino politician. He served as

Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

for

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his dea ...

from December 1938 until his resignation in April 1939.

Personal life

Villanueva was born on the 25th of September, 1876 in

Bais, Negros Oriental Bais, officially the City of Bais ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Bais; fil, Lungsod ng Bais), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 84,317 people. Etymology In t ...

, one of the 11 children of Hermenegildo Regis Villanueva and Anselma Pinili Teves. He was privately tutored for primary education and finished secondary and tertiary education in

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...

. Upon finishing his studies, the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

erupted and he became one of the leaders in the

Negros Revolution The Negros Revolution ( fil, Himagsikang Negrense; ceb, Rebolusyong Negrense; es, Revolución negrense), commemorated and popularly known as the Fifth of November ( es, links=no, Cinco de noviembre) or Negros Day ( hil, Adlaw sang Negros; ce ...

. He was married to Asuncion Larena, daughter of Don

Demetrio Larena Demetrio Larena was a political hero and former governor of Negros Oriental (East Negros), a province on Negros Island in the Philippines. He was the vice-president of the Republic of Negros and eventually the governor of Negros Oriental from 1901 ...

and Maria Luisa de la Peña of Zamboanguita. They had one son, Jesus Pablo Villanueva. He also partnered with Nemecia Diputado and had 5 children. As a sugar planter and progressive agriculturist, he was a long-time member of the board of directors of Central Azucarera de Bais y Tanjay founded by

Tabacalera Tabacalera, formerly the Compañía Arrendataria de Tabacos, was a Spanish tobacco monopoly whose origins date back to 1636, making it the oldest tobacco company in the world. In 1999, the company merged with SEITA of France to form Altadis, ...

. He was also instrumental in the creation of the Sugar Central Board, forerunner of the present

Sugar Regulatory Administration The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA; Filipino: ''Pangasiwaan sa Regulasyon ng Asukal''; Hiligaynon: ''Administrasyon sa Regulasyon sang Kalamay'') is a government-owned and controlled corporation attached to the Department of Agriculture o ...

Political career

After the

, he was appointed as justice of the peace in Bais. In 1902, he became municipal vice-president (vice mayor) and subsequently elected as municipal president (mayor) in 1903. He was reelected for another term in 1905. In 1907, he succeeded

as governor of

Negros Oriental Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...

. In 1909, while serving an unexpired term as governor, he ran for a seat in the

Philippine Assembly The Philippine Assembly (sometimes called the Philippine National Assembly) was the lower house of the Philippine Legislature from 1907 to 1916, when it was renamed the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The Philippine Assembly wa ...

and won. He represented the first district of Negros Oriental for two consecutive terms from 1909 to 1912 and from 1912 to 1916. Villanueva then served as senator from the eighth senatorial district for two terms from 1919 to 1925 and from 1925 to 1931. Afterwards, he returned as governor of Negros Oriental for another two terms from 1931 to 1934 and from 1934 to 1937. During his incumbency as governor, he was elected as delegate to the 1934 Constitutional Convention that drafted the

1935 Philippine Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippines ...

and was chairman of the Committees on National Defense, Special Provinces, and Sponsorship. Prior to his appointment to the Quezon cabinet, he was appointed Chairman of the Board on Pension for Veterans in 1938.

Death and legacy

Villanueva was aboard SS ''Corregidor'' when it sank in the early hours of December 17, 1941 upon striking a mine off

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phili ...

. His son Jesus Pablo Villanueva also died as a result of the tragedy. In 1949, as decreed by President

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidio Quirino y Rivera; ; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the sixth president of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino enter ...

, the barrio of Payabon was separated from the town of

Manjuyod, Negros Oriental Manjuyod ( ceb, Lungsod sa Manjuyod; tl, Bayan ng Manjuyod), officially the Municipality of Manjuyod, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,799 peopl ...

and created as the town of

Bindoy Bindoy (formerly Payabon), officially the Municipality of Bindoy ( ceb, Lungsod sa Bindoy; tl, Bayan ng Bindoy), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40 ...

, named after Villanueva.

References

External links

Senate of the Philippines - Biography of Hermenegildo Villanueva
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villanueva, Hermenegildo 1876 births 1941 deaths Governors of Negros Oriental Senators of the 8th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 7th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 6th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 5th Philippine Legislature Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Negros Oriental People from Negros Oriental