Ignacio Borbon Villamor (February 1, 1863 – May 23, 1933) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

lawyer, Associate Justice of

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

from Abra,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and the first Filipino president of the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

. Justice Villamor is also the father of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Filipino aviation hero, and 6th Pursuit Squadron Commander, Capt.

Jesús A. Villamor Jesús Antonio Villamor (November 7, 1914 – October 28, 1971) was a Filipino-American pilot who fought the Japanese in World War II. Early life and career Jesús Villamor was one of six children of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of ...

of the Philippine Army Air Corps.

Early life

Villamor was born in Bangued, Abra on February 1, 1863 to parents Florencio Villamor and Wenceslawa Borbon. His father died when he was young. Wanting to be a priest, he attended at the Seminario Conciliar of Vigan,

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...

but did not push through with the vocation. In 1882, he studied at the

San Juan de Letran 250px, Basilica and Palace - side view Lateran and Laterano are the shared names of several buildings in Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the Roman Empire. The Laterani lost their properties to Emperor Constantine ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

and acquired a bachelor's and master's degrees. At the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

, he acquired his law degree in March 1893 while completing two-year work on literature and philosophy at the same time. Married to Mariquita Flores, he was the father of five children, including the decorated war veteran Jesus Antonio Villamor.

Career

Academe

He established the College of San Antonio de Padua in 1889, and he was his province's delegate to the Malolos Congress and participated in the drafting of the new Philippine constitution, particularly on the provision of universal education for all. Together with Enrique Mendiola, he co-founded the Liceo de Manila on June 29, 1900, where he was a professor and secretary.

Judiciary

On February 16, 1901, he served as prosecuting fiscal of

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...

and then judge of the Court of First Instance of the sixth judicial district, which was composed of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

Laguna Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to: People * Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay * Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist * Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...

, and

Tayabas Tayabas, officially the City of Tayabas ( fil, Lungsod ng Tayabas), is a 6th class component city in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 112,658 people. It is known for ''lambanog'' (cocon ...

. He then was appointed as Solicitor General from July 17, 1906 to July 1, 1908 and appointed as Attorney General of the Philippines from July 1, 1908 to June 30, 1914.

Government

In 1913, Villamor became the

Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The first Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Preside ...

Executive Secretary of the Philippine Islands and director of the

Bureau of Customs The Bureau of Customs (abbreviated BoC or BOC; fil, Kawanihan ng Adwana) is a Philippine government agency under the Department of Finance. The Bureau of Customs was established on February 6, 1902 by the Insular Government of the Philippine ...

on 1918.

University of the Philippines

He was appointed the president of the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1915, becoming its first Filipino president when he replaced American Murray Bartlett. The school expanded during his term, adding new units like Conservatory of Music and opening the College of Education and the University High School. The Junior College of Liberal Arts in Cebu City was also established. Through the initiative of then Cebu Governor Manuel Roa who petitioned for its establishment on April 30, 1918, it was created by virtue of Act No. 2759 that was backed up by Speaker of the Philippine Commission Sergio Osmeña. When the college opened on July 1, 1918, its first registrar was

Paulino Gullas Paulino Arandia Gullas (29 April 1891 – 1945) was a Filipino Visayan lawyer, newspaper publisher, and legislator from Cebu, Philippines. He was the founder of The Freeman, Cebu's longest-running newspaper, served as member of the 7th Philippine ...

with Dr. Lawrence Wharton as first dean. Villamor was replaced by

Guy Potter Benton Guy Potter Benton (May 26, 1865 – June 29, 1927) was an American educator who served as president of the following universities: Upper Iowa University from 1899-1902, Miami University from 1902–1911, the University of Vermont from 1911–1920, ...

as UP President.

Supreme Court

After his term at the University of the Philippines ended, he served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1921 and remained in the position until his retirement.

Author

Throughout his career, he had written several published works including Commentaries on the Election Law, Election Frauds and Their Remedies, and others.

Death

He died on May 23, 1933.

Publication

* Criminality in the Philippine Islands * Commentaries on the Election Law * Election Frauds and Their Remedies * Japan’s Educational Development * Slavery in the Philippines * Industrious Men * Ancient Filipino Writing * The University of Santo Tomas in Her Third Century.

Historical commemoration

* Through City Ordinance No. 594 that was enacted on July 10, 1967, the Justice Ignacio Villamor Street, which stretches from Justice Abad Santos up to Gochan Subdivision, Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City, was named in his honor. *Villamor Hall in University of the Philippines was named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villamor, Ignacio 1863 births 1933 deaths University of Santo Tomas alumni Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni Presidents of universities and colleges in the Philippines Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino lawyers People from Abra (province)