Mariano Jesús Diosomito Cuenco (January 16, 1888 – February 25, 1964) was a Filipino Cebuano politician and writer. He was the 4th President of the Senate of the Philippines.

Early life

Cuenco was born in

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the ...

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 16 ...

on January 16, 1888, to Mariano Albao Cuenco (1861–1909) and Remedios López Diosomito. He studied at the Colegio de San Carlos of Cebu, where he graduated in 1904 with the degree of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

. He finished law in 1911 at the Escuela de Derecho (later became the Manila Law School) and passed the bar examinations in 1913.

Political career

Cuenco entered

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

in 1912 when he was elected to the Philippine Assembly representing the fifth district of Cebu. He was re-elected from 1916 to 1928. He ran for the governorship of Cebu in 1931 and became the President of the League of Provincial Governors of 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 ...

. In 1934, he was elected delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he was chosen floor leader. Cuenco was Secretary of Public Works and Communications from 1936 to 1939. He was also appointed Acting Secretary of the agriculture, commerce and labor departments while serving as Secretary of Public Works and Communications in 1938. In 1941, Cuenco was elected Senator of the Philippines but the onset of the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

prevented that Senate from going into session. After the Japanese Occupation, Cuenco was reelected to the Senate in 1946. From 1949 to 1951, he served as

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 ...

and Chairman of the Commission on Appointments. His term paved the way for many reforms and his significant contributions resulted in a more efficient

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

body. As a member of the Liberal Party of incumbent 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 ente ...

, Senate President Cuenco was defeated in his bid for reelection in the

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party ( Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ...

shut-out during the

1951 Philippine general election A senatorial election was held in the Philippines on November 13, 1951. The election was known as a midterm election as the date when elected candidates take office falls halfway through President Elpidio Quirino's four-year term. Summary As the H ...

. He ran and regained his seat as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

once again in 1953 and 1959. He continued serving in the Philippine Senate until his death in office in 1964.

Writer

Cuenco was also known as a prolific writer. He was the publisher of the Spanish–language newspaper ''El Precursor'' of Cebu, a newspaper which ran from 1907 until the eve of

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In 1947, he founded ''The Republic''. In 1926, he became a member of the Academia Filipina Correspondiente de la Real Española de la Lengua. He was honored by the Spanish government with the decoration Gran Cruz de Isabela la Catolica and by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

with the decoration '' Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice''. Cuenco also wrote in Visayan. ''Ang Republikang Pilipinhon'', ''Codigo'' and ''Roma'' are among his works. His pen name was "Lauro Katindog."

Personal life

He was married twice, first to Filomena Alesna, and years after she died, to Rosa Cayetano. Cuenco died on February 25, 1964 at the age of 76. The funeral service was held in Manila North Cemetery, in Santa Cruz, Manila.

Early life

Political career

Writer

Personal life

References

See also