Felipe Gonzáles Calderón y Roca, also known as Felipe G. Calderon (April 4, 1868 – June 6, 1908) was a Filipino

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, politician, and intellectual, known as the "Father of the

Malolos Constitution The Political Constitution of 1899 (), informally known as the Malolos Constitution, was the constitution of the First Philippine Republic. It was written by Felipe Calderón y Roca and Felipe Buencamino as an alternative to a pair of prop ...

Early life

Calderón was born in Santa Cruz de Malabon (now

Tanza Tanza, officially the Municipality of Tanza (), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 312,116 people. It has a land ar ...

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...

, to José Gonzáles Calderón and Manuela Roca. He studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila for his primary and secondary courses and was granted a scholarship. He received high honors in a Bachelor of Arts degree, later working in the newspaper industry writing for several newspapers. He later enrolled at 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 ...

and completed his studies at Licentiate in Law in 1894. After graduation, he participated in the law office of

Cayetano Arellano Cayetano Simplicio Arellano y Lonzón (March 2, 1847 – December 23, 1920) was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines under the American Civil Government. Cayetano Arellano had occupied a high position in Aguinaldo's go ...

Involvement in the Philippine Wars for Independence

During the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

, Calderon ardently supported the revolutionary movement, an organization that aimed to gain independence from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. For his activities he was imprisoned by the Spanish colonial authorities. One school in Tondo, Manila was named after him. In September 1898, after the return of

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

to Cavite from

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, he accepted Aguinaldo’s appointment as a representative of the first district of Paragua in the Revolutionary Congress in Malolos,

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

. After the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, the República Filipina (Philippine Republic) was formed during the

on January 25, 1899. The constitution was drafted by Calderon together with Pedro Paterno and

. When the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

began, he traveled to Manila where he appeared before the

Schurman Commission The Schurman Commission, also known as the First Philippine Commission, was established by United States President William McKinley on January 20, 1899, and tasked to study the situation in the Philippines and make recommendations on how the U ...

on April 27, 1899, offering suggestions for the restoration of peace. He was requested to draft rules for the Philippine government of the first municipalities during the war with the United States. In 1899, Calderon founded two

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

universities. These are the ''Colegio de Abogados de Manila'' (School of Lawyers of Manila) and the ''Escuela de Derecho'' (School of Duties). He taught in both institutions. In 1904, he was appointed member of a commission to draft a proposed Penal Code. He also organized the ''La Protección de la Infancia'', (The Protection of Infants), an institution that established humanitarian institution to protect and care for disadvantaged people.

Death

Calderon died on June 6, 1908, at the Saint Paul Hospital. His death was caused by intestinal obstruction while his body was weakened due to working long hours.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Johnny Barnes in the 2012 film, '' El Presidente''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calderon, Felipe 1868 births 1908 deaths People from Tanza, Cavite People of the Philippine Revolution 19th-century Filipino lawyers Ateneo de Manila University alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni Members of the Malolos Congress People from the Spanish East Indies

Early life

Involvement in the Philippine Wars for Independence

Death

In popular culture

Further reading

References