José Ozámiz y Fortich (May 5, 1898 – February 11, 1944) was a

Spanish Filipino Spanish Filipinos ( es, español filipino / hispano filipino / castellano filipino; cbk, español filipino / hispano filipino / conio; Filipino/ tl, Kastilà / Espanyól / Tisoy / Konyo; ceb, Katsílà / Ispaniyul; hil, Katsílà / Espany� ...

lawyer and politician from

Misamis Occidental Misamis Occidental ( ceb, Kasadpang Misamis; Subanen: ''Sindepan Mis'samis''; fil, Kanlurang Misamis), officially the Province of Misamis Occidental, is a province located in the region of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. Its capital is th ...

Early life

Ozámiz was born on May 5, 1898 in house near the “old bridge” in Moran to Jenaro Ozámiz from Navarre, Spain and Basilisa Fortich, a

Filipino mestizo In the Philippines, Filipino Mestizo ( es, mestizo (masculine) / mestiza (feminine); Filipino/ tl, Mestiso (masculine) / Mestisa (feminine)) or colloquially ''Tisoy'', is a name used to refer to people of mixed native Filipino and any forei ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and Cebuano ancestry. Jenaro left Spain at age sixteen and came to Moran, then ended up at the Municipality of Jimenez and engaged in the business of

abacá Abacá ( ; fil, Abaka ), binomial name ''Musa textilis'', is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant, also known as Manila hemp, has great economic impo ...

and

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...

trading which made him very rich, acquiring through the years in tile province and ranch in

Bukidnon Bukidnon(), officially the Province of Bukidnon ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bukidnon; fil, Lalawigan ng Bukidnon; hil, Kapuroan sang Bukidnon; Binukid and Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the ...

. José spoke his first languages

, Cebuano, Tagalog and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

when Philippines came under American rule. He was the oldest and the only son among ten children. His sisters are Pacita, Consuelo, Carmen, Pilar, Remedios, Nieves, Mercedes, Paulita, and Lourdes. Three of Jose's sisters Consuelo, Cannon and Nieves remained distinct and never got married. Two entered politics: one was Consuelo, who was a councilor for six terms in Jimenez and Remedios who became a Congresswoman of

. Remedios’ son, Carlos Fortich became a politician also by becoming a governor of Bukidnon. In 1904, the Ozámiz family transferred to a big house in Jimenez, where they engage themselves in the copra business and ship them off to other islands in the Philippines.

Legal career

Ozámiz graduated from

Ateneo de Manila , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...

and became a lawyer on September 27, 1921. Actively practiced law, he was a counsel of big companies in

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 ...

, like Madrigal Shipping and Dela Rama Steamship, both owned by senators.

Political career

Ozámiz was appointed as

's first provincial governor and served from 1928 to 1931. He was later elected as representative of the Lone District of Misamis Occidental from 1931 to 1941. He was a delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention that resulted in the creation of the 1935 Constitution for the Philippine Commonwealth Government. In 1941, he was elected to the Philippine Senate. However, he did not serve his term as senator due to

Imperial Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

invading in the Philippines during

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 opposing ...

and he was executed before he could assume office.

World War II

When the Japanese occupied the country during World War II, Ozámiz was among those who accepted a post in the Japanese government with the blessings of the guerrilla movement who saw that his position would allow him to move discreetly.Keats, J., 1963, They Fought Alone, New York: J.B. Lippincott Company He became chairperson of the Games and Amusement Board. Then in May 1943, he came to Mindanao to contact Fertig. He came by boat accompanied by Jose Maria and Pelong Campos of Aloran. During his arrival in Mindanao, he met Fertig and Parson, both major leaders of the guerrilla movement. On his way home, Ozámiz's family was under house arrest. He went back to Manila in February 1944. He was arrested by Japanese

Kempetai The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspecte ...

on February 11 on his wife's birthday. He was condemned to be executed. A Filipino nicknamed "makapili" played a part in his downfall along with twenty-nine other fellow Filipino who also got arrested at the same time. They were the core of the guerilla movement in Manila. On the same day, he was beheaded at the

Manila North Cemetery The Manila North Cemetery (Spanish: ''Cementerio del Norte'') is one of the oldest cemeteries in Metro Manila, Philippines. The cemetery is owned by and located in the City of Manila, the national capital, and is one of the largest in the metropo ...

, alongside 29 guerilla members, by the Japanese during their occupation of the Philippines during World War II for his involvement in the Resistance Movement.

Legacy

* The city of

Ozamiz Ozamiz, officially the City of Ozamiz ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Ozamiz; fil, Lungsod ng Ozamiz), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Misamis Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 140,334 people. A ...

(which used to be called Misamis) in the province of

was posthumously named in his honor. * Then Nailon Primary School of Nailon,

Tudela, Misamis Occidental Tudela, officially the Municipality of Tudela, ( Cebuano: ''Lungsod sa Tudela''; Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Tudela''), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Misamis Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

was renamed after him, which is now Ozamiz Elementary School in Camarin, Cabol-anonan,

(Barangay Cabol-anonan was once part of Barangay Nailon).

References

External links

Biography page of Senator José Ozámiz at the OzamizCity.com website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozamiz, Jose 1898 births 1944 deaths Governors of Misamis Occidental Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Misamis Occidental Senators of the 1st Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines Nacionalista Party politicians Executed politicians Filipino people of Spanish descent Filipino people of Basque descent Filipino people of Catalan descent Cebuano people Visayan people People from Misamis Occidental Executed Filipino people People executed by Japanese occupation forces People executed by Japan by decapitation Members of the Philippine Legislature Members of the National Assembly of the Philippines Misamis Occidental