León Gawaran Guinto Sr. (June 28, 1886 – July 10, 1962) was a public servant in the

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 ...

from the Commonwealth period up to the post-war era, best remembered as the war-time Mayor of the

City of Greater Manila The City of Greater Manila, also known simply as Greater Manila and sometimes Greater Manila Area (GMA), was a chartered city which existed during the World War II era. It was governed by the Commonwealth of the Philippines and was dissolved by ...

in the Philippines.

Early life

Guinto was born to Juan P. Guinto and Pia Gawaran in the village of San Nicolas in Bacoor,

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 ...

province. He completed his early education from his home town and earned his college degree from the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran, (transl: College of San Juan de Letran) also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers i ...

. He first got work at the Weather Bureau, married Marta Montes from

Atimonan Atimonan, officially the Municipality of Atimonan ( tgl, Bayan ng Atimonan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,260 people. It lies on the eastern shore ...

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 ...

Province (now Quezon). The union produced three sons and two daughters. By 1916, Guinto left his job at the Weather Bureau to pursue law studies at the old Escuela de Derecho and by 1920, after completing his law studies and qualifying as a bona fide lawyer, Guinto was employed as private secretary to the then

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

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 de ...

Government service

Pre-World War II

Guinto, after serving briefly as private secretary to Senate President

, launched his political career in 1922 by running as member of the Provincial Board of the then Tayabas Province, the home province of his wife Marta Montes. By 1925, he pursued the position of representative of the 2nd district of Tayabas under the Lower House of the

Philippine Legislature The Philippine Legislature was the legislature of the Philippines from 1907 to 1935, during the American colonial period, and predecessor of the current Congress of the Philippines. It was bicameral and the legislative branch of the Insular G ...

. He held the post of legislator for six years until 1928. He was elected provincial governor of Tayabas in 1928 but his term was cut short when he was appointed as Commissioner of Public Safety by then American Governor-General

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Theodore Roosevelt III ( ), often known as Theodore Jr.Morris, Edmund (1979). ''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt''. index.While it was President Theodore Roosevelt who was legally named Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the President's fame made it simple ...

In the later part of 1933, Governor-General

Frank Murphy William Francis Murphy (April 13, 1890July 19, 1949) was an American politician, lawyer and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving ...

named undersecretary of the Interior Department. By 1934, the Departments of Interior and Labor were merged and Guinto continued to serve as undersecretary. In 1940, Guinto was appointed Secretary of Labor in the Commonwealth government of President Manuel L. Quezon.

Greater Manila's war-time mayor

By 1942, Guinto was appointed by

Jorge B. Vargas Jorge Bartolomé Vargas y Celis (August 24, 1890 – February 22, 1980) was a Filipino lawyer, diplomat and youth advocate born in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and ...

, the then incoming chairman of the Japanese-created government structure called the

Philippine Executive Commission The Philippine Executive Commission (PEC; Tagalog: ''Komisyong Tagapagpaganap ng Pilipinas'') was a provisional government set up to govern the Philippine archipelago during World War II. It was established with sanction from the occupying Imp ...

, to assume the position of mayor of

and look after the city's administration during the Japanese occupation 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 ...

. Guinto's close relations with the labor sector proved useful to his administration of Greater Manila, of which a number of

labor leader A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (su ...

s served as heads of the city government departments. He held the position until the city's disestablishment in 1944. In 1945, Guinto was indicted as a war criminal for collaborating with the Japanese forces. A blanket amnesty was issued before the granting of

Philippine Independence 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 ...

on July 4, 1946, sparing the former Manila mayor of a war crimes trial.

Post-World War II

Guinto went into the private sector, taught in the academe and even served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of the Lyceum of the Philippines University. In 1955, Guinto returned home to Quezon Province and was elected governor, only to lose re-election in 1959.

Death

Guinto died in 1962 at the age of 76 in Manila, Philippines.

Legacy

Leon Guinto Street (formerly Pennsylvania Street), which runs through the

Ermita Ermita is a district in Manila, Philippines. Located at the central part of the city, the district is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of the city, bearing the seat of city ...

and

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms (L ...

districts, was renamed in his honor.

References

External links

The City of Manila
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Guinto, Leon 1896 births 1962 deaths Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni Filipino collaborators with Imperial Japan Mayors of Manila Lyceum of the Philippines University Governors of Quezon Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Quezon Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Manila Secretaries of Labor and Employment of the Philippines People from Bacoor Burials at the Manila South Cemetery Quezon administration cabinet members Nacionalista Party politicians Members of the National Assembly (Second Philippine Republic) Members of the Philippine Legislature