Pacencia Valencia Hidalgo Laurel (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Hidalgo y Valencia; April 30, 1889 – January 1, 1963) was the wife of Philippine President

Jose P. Laurel José Paciano Laurel y García (; March 9, 1891 – November 6, 1959) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, and judge, who served as the president of the Japanese-occupied Second Philippine Republic, a puppet state during World War II, from 1943 ...

and the third First Lady of the Philippines and the only First Lady to serve under the Japanese-occupied 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 opposin ...

Marriage and family

She eloped and married

, a fellow Tanauan native who was then a fresh high school graduate, on April 9, 1911. The couple had nine children: * José Laurel Jr. (August 27, 1912 – March 11, 1998) *

José Laurel III José Sotero Hidalgo Laurel III, KGCR (August 27, 1914 – January 6, 2003) was a Filipino diplomat and the aide-de-camp of President Jose P. Laurel during the World War II period. He later became ambassador of the Philippines to Japan. Early l ...

(August 27, 1914 – January 6, 2003) * Natividad Laurel-Guinto (born December 25, 1916) * Sotero Laurel II (September 27, 1918 – September 16, 2009) * Mariano Antonio Laurel (January 17, 1922 – August 2, 1979)Mariano Laurel's Death Certificate
/ref> * Rosenda Pacencia Laurel-Avanceña (born January 9, 1925) * Potenciana "Nita" Laurel-Yupangco (born May 19, 1926) * Salvador Laurel (November 18, 1928 – January 27, 2004) *

Arsenio Laurel Arsenio "Dodjie" Hidalgo Laurel (December 14, 1931 – November 19, 1967) was a champion race car driver from the Philippines. He was the first two-time winner of the Macau Grand Prix, winning it consecutively in 1962 and 1963. Early life ...

(December 14, 1931 – November 19, 1967) Their marriage lasted until Laurel's death in 1959.

First Lady

She held out both as first lady and mother to the nation during the dark days of the war. Laurel refused to live in Malacañang and opted for their

family home Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

in Paco,

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 Mrs. Quezon, she involved herself in socio-civic and charitable activities. The best compliment paid her can be found in the dedication of her husband's book ''Bread and Freedom'' (1952) which states: "To my beloved and understanding wife, who shared uncomplainingly, all the hardships that are the lot of one who tries to serve the fatherland." In March 1945, President Laurel, together with his family, Camilo Osías,

Benigno Aquino Sr. Benigno Simeon "Igno" Quiambao Aquino Sr. (born Benigno Simeón Aquino y Quiambao; September 3, 1894 – December 20, 1947) was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the National Assembly of the Japanese-sponsored puppet state in the ...

, Gen. Tomas Capinpin, and

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 ...

, evacuated to

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

. Shortly after the city fell, they traveled to

Tuguegarao Tuguegarao ( or ), officially the City of Tuguegarao ( ibg, Siyudad nat Tugegaraw; itv, Siyudad yo Tugegaraw; ilo, Siudad ti Tuguegarao; fil, Lungsod ng Tuguegarao ), is a 3rd class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component ci ...

, where they embarked a

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

plane to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

via

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

(now

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

) and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Her husband, while in Japan, issued an Executive Proclamation on August 17, 1945, which declared the dissolution of the Second Philippine Republic.Molina, Antonio. ''The Philippines: Through the centuries''. Manila: University of Sto. Tomas Cooperative, 1961. Prin Her husband and son Jose III were later imprisoned in Japan from September 15, 1945, and would stay there until July 23, 1946. Mrs. Laurel and her other children were then brought back home to

on November 2, 1945.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurel, Prudencia 1889 births 1960 deaths Filipino Roman Catholics People from Batangas People from Paco, Manila Pacencia First Ladies and First Gentlemen of the Philippines Spouses of presidents of the Philippines