Lorenzo Martinez "Ka Tanny" Tañada Sr. (, August 10, 1898 – May 28, 1992) was a Filipino statesman, lawyer, human and civil rights defender, and national athlete. He is often referred to as the "Grand Old Man of Philippine Politics." He served as the Solicitor General for two terms. Following his election in 1947 where he placed 1st with the highest number of votes among the Senate candidates, he then had a sterling career as a long-time senator in Philippine Senate History, being elected to four consecutive terms from 1947 until 1971, for a total of 24 straight years in the senate. He was a fierce nationalist and principled politician. A staunch opponent to

martial law under Ferdinand Marcos At 7:15 p.m. on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the Philippines under martial law, stating he had done so in response to the "communist threat" posed by the newly founded Communist Part ...

, he marched and led rallies in the Parliament of the Streets. He is also equally renowned for his efforts to stop the continued presence of US military bases in the Philippines through the Anti-Bases Coalition (ABC).Lorenzo Tanada, Philippine Politician, 93, Archives, ''The New York Times'' and NYTimes.com, May 29, 1992
retrieved on: July 9, 2007Acosta, Abraham Rey Montecillo. "Super Lolo", ''A Review of The Odyssey of Lorenzo M. Tañada by Agnes G. Bailen'', UP Press, 1998 (note: Agnes Bailen was a former UP Department of Political Science senior lecturer); "Book Reviews", the Philippine Collegian, November 23, 1998; and LibraryLink.org, 2004
retrieved on: July 9, 2007 Senator Tañada was the chairman of the Justice for Aquino, Justice for All (JAJA) movement that sought to oust Marcos after the assassination of former Sen. Ninoy Aquino. Senator Tañada was also a co-founder of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) with Joker Arroyo and José W. Diokno. FLAG is the largest group of human rights lawyers nationwide. They spearheaded the nationalist cause in the 1970s and 1980s as an agreement in the 1960s with Larry Henares and others. He was also the founding chairman of a merged party called Bayan that opposed Marcos in the 1978 elections, and he founded the Nuclear-Free Philippines Coalition or NFPC, which successfully prevented the opening of the

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) is a nuclear power plant on the Bataan Peninsula, west of Manila, Philippines. Completed but never fueled, it is located on a government reservation at Napot Point in Barangay Nagbalayong, Morong, Bata ...

under the Marcos administration. In his youth, he was also a national

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

and was part of the Philippine national team that bagged silver medals at the

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

and

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

Far Eastern Championship Games, the precursor to the famous

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

. He is the father of former Philippine Senator Wigberto Tañada and the grandfather of former Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada.

Early life

Tañada was born in Gumaca, Quezon on August 10, 1898, the son of Vicente Tañada, who served as the last

gobernadorcillo The (, literally "little governor") was a municipal judge or governor in the Captaincy General of the Philippines, Philippines during the History of the Philippines (1565–1898), Spanish colonial period, who carried out in a town the combined ...

of Gumaca town in Quezon under the Spanish colonial government, and Anastacia Martinez-Tañada. His actions in life were governed by the philosophy ingrained in him by his mother. The phrase "fear of God is the start of wisdom" guided him in all his social dealings. The same week, US conquered Spain's navy and captured the Philippines as its colony. As an elementary student in Gumaca, he joined a protest against his school's American principal. The protest was prompted by the principal's order for school children to stay during weekends to build a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

, which prevented them from going home to their parents. Tañada said he was the smallest child and remembered when the principal was shocked to see he was one of the complainants. This was considered to be his very first rally. In 1915, Tañada moved to the new De La Salle College, Manila, now called De La Salle University or DLSU, a school run by the Christian Brothers and graduated at the top of the class in 1918. He claimed it was the first time he saw his mother very emotional as she pinned the special medal on Tañada's breast during the ceremony. As a law student at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

(U.P.), Tañada, completed his Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) prior to the academic Philippine educational system and obtained the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, and was a lead actor in plays. He was also a national

team

and was part of the Philippine national team that bagged silver medals at the

and

Far Eastern Championship Games, the precursor to the Asian Games. As a college student, during U.P.'s Armistice Day, he we would exhort "his fellow cadets to take their training seriously as they will soon be called upon to use their skill against the Americans if the country's

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

is not granted". He recalled being allowed to make this speech at the request of the Filipino administrators. Though after the speech the Filipino administrators told him to resign from the ROTC before the American general may try to punish him. In 1924 he topped the government's examination for '' pensionados'' and obtained a free scholarship to study in the U.S. In 1928, he earned his Master of Laws from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He was the principal protégé of American

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

justice

Felix Frankfurter Felix Frankfurter (November 15, 1882 – February 22, 1965) was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1939 until 1962, advocating judicial restraint. Born in Vienna, Frankfurter im ...

. He also acquired a Doctor in Civil Law ''meritissimus'' from the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

. In 1947, together with prominent justices and lawyers, they founded the MLQ Law School, which became the Manuel L. Quezon University in 1958 upon signing of the charter granted by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture. The Monzon Hall is currently situated in R. Hidalgo Street while the Law Building is at Arlegui Street. Tañada was also a founder of the Civil Liberties Union in 1937 together with friend J.B.L. Reyes.

Political career

Tañada served as the pre-war and first post-war solicitor general from 1940 to 1941 and 1945 to 1947, tasked with the monumental collaboration cases against many prominent figures, where he earned the respect and admiration of many of his peers and countrymen. Tañada was first elected to the Philippine senate in 1947 where he topped the elections, placing 1st among senatorial candidates, the first of his 4 successful senatorial elections. Tañada was the chief prosecutor against Japanese collaborators. Due to his political reputation, Tañada became a Filipino praised by all sectors of Philippine society, a person honored by both the Communist Party of the Philippines and the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, and a man who was acknowledged as a man of principles even by those whom Tañada himself once charged as "collaborators". He was a petitioner in the landmark Supreme Court case
Tañada vs. Tuvera
', which declared that unpublished laws (a characteristic of the Presidential Decrees of Marcos) are without effect. Tañada was also a longtime opponent of the U.S. role in the Philippines. He was the organizer of the Anti-Bases Coalition (ABC) together with lawyer and former senator José W. Diokno and also led other groups that rallied public opposition to the presence of American troops in the Philippines. Tañada is often called the "grand old man of Philippine politics", due to his reputation as one of the Philippine's foremost nationalists. He was a familiar fixture during the

Martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

era of

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

, leading rallies and demonstrations being the founding chairperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. Due to his esteem among national democrats, Tañada chaired some national democrats coalitions in his later years to oppose Marcos in the streets. After Marcos' opponent,

Ninoy Aquino Benigno "Ninoy" Simeón Aquino Jr., (, ; November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac (1963–1967). Aquino was the husban ...

, was assassinated, JAJA was formed with co-leader Diokno, who is called the father of human rights advocacy, which made JAJA the first united front built to stop Marcos. Tañada was elected the chair of the alliance. However, JAJA could not unite the different competing groups and ideologies, and eventually former members left to form different alliances, with the largest being the ''Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino'' (Congress of the Filipino People) or "KOMPIL", of which Tañada served as one of the chief delegates. During

Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...

's presidency, he was a staunch anti-U.S. Bases activist and an anti-

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

. On September 16, 1991, Tañada received a standing ovation from the Philippine Senate after its rejection of a new lease for the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, which was the last American military installation in the Philippines.

Later life

Tañada passed away in 1992, on the way to a hospital, at the age of 93. Days before his death, Tañada had already been undergoing

kidney dialysis Kidney dialysis is the process of removing excess water, solutes, and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally. Along with kidney transplantation, it is a type of renal replacement therapy. ...

. He was survived by his wife, Expedita Ebarle-Tañada, nine children, including his son former Senator Wigberto Tañada, and some grandchildren, and including his grandson Erin Tañada. Tañada also is survived by his great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. He is buried at Loyola Memorial Park.

Legacy

He received the

Philippine Legion of Honor The Philippine Legion of Honor (; ) was established by President Manuel Roxas, through Philippine Army Circular No. 60 dated July 3, 1947. The Philippine Legion of Honour, Honor was patterned after the Legion of Merit of the United States of Amer ...

, highest rank of Chief Commander (CCLH) in 1988. Tañada was issued a stamp on the centennial of his birth in 1998 under the category of ''Great Filipinos.'' In his hometown of Gumaca, Quezon, August 10 is celebrated every year as Lorenzo M. Tañada Day, a special non-working holiday, with historical-themed festivities held usually near the marker of his birth and at the site of his bust at the Gumaca National High School outdoor area. A road 300 m long was named L. Tañada Street and is located near the presidential residence called the ''White House''; the residential-cum-commercial road starts at Mimosa Dr. near the Filinvest Mimosa Leisure Estate, and is intersected right in the middle by Cardinal Santos Avenue until it reaches C.P. Garcia while directly facing Clark Development Corporation in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. He was a 1988 The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) awardee for Freedom Advocacy. His son Wigberto Tañada also received a TOFIL award in 1999 for Government and Public Service. Tañada's name is inscribed on the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Wall of Remembrance, which recognizes heroes who fought against martial law in the Philippines under Ferdinand E. Marcos. There have been movements and calls, as well as bills have been filed in both senate and house of representatives in the 16th Philippine Congress, to rename Commonwealth avenue to Sen. Lorenzo Tañada avenue, to honor his legacy of Filipino nationalism and independence. Other calls have been made to rename Marcos Highway to Lorenzo Tañada Ave.; along with Shaw Blvd. to Jovito Salonga Blvd.; Taft Ave. to José W. Diokno Ave.; and Imelda Ave. to Sen. Geronima Pengson Ave. De La Salle University put up a special museum called the Lorenzo M. Tañada Memorabilia Room as a permanent part of the campus. Visits require early appointments. They have also instituted the Lorenzo M. Tañada CHIMES Award for faculty. The De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno School of Law was named in his and "Ka Pepe" Diokno's honor on Diokno's centennial on February 26, 2022. On 21 September 2021, he was honoured as Lasallian heroes against Martial Law along with Jose W. Diokno and Bishop Felix Paz Perez of Cavite. Books about his life include: * ''The Essential Tañada'' by Renato Constantino published in 1989 * ''The Odyssey of Lorenzo Tañada'' by Agnes Bailen published 1998 * ''Lorenzo M. Tañada, in celebration of his 100th birth anniversary, 1898-1998'' published by the Lorenzo M. Tañada Foundation in 1998 * ''Lorenzo M. Tañada as Others Saw Him: Contemporaneous Observations on a Filipino Leader and Hero'' by Jose N. Endriga published in 1998 Other features include "Lorenzo Tañada, Brief life of a Philippine patriot: 1898-1992" by Christopher Capozzola, in the Nov-Dec 2020 issue of ''Harvard Magazine'', "Sen. Lorenzo Tañada Sr. – national heartthrob" by Argyll Geducos, Mario Casayuran, and Hannah Torregoza published August 5, 2018, and "A Tañada Dynasty or Legacy?" published by Action for Economic Reforms in March 2013.

Notes

References