José Cándido Alejandrino y Magdangal (December 1, 1870 – June 1, 1951) was a Philippine Republican Army

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

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), ...

and 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 ...

. He was also a

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

from the Twelfth Senatorial District of the Philippines.

Early life

Alejandrino was born to a wealthy family from Arayat, Pampanga, on December 1, 1870 in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. He initially studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, and his contemporaries there included

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...

, Juan Araneta,

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 ...

, and

Apolinario Mabini Apolinario Mabini y Maranán (; July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary, revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and Politician, statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Philippine Revolution# ...

, among others. He acquired his Bachelor of Arts degree 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 pursued studies in

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 ...

and at the

University of Ghent Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

, where he graduated with a degree in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

Propaganda Movement

While in Spain, he was one of the members of the Propaganda Movement which demanded equality, especially equal opportunities in the colonial administration, for Spaniards and Filipinos. He was also a contributor to '' La Solidaridad'', an organization composed of Filipino liberals living abroad since 1872, mostly attending different universities across Europe. The group aimed to increase Spanish awareness of the needs of its colony, the Philippines, and to foster a closer relationship between the archipelago and Spain. Alejandrino helped José Rizal in correcting errors in the '' El filibusterismo'', which was published in

Ghent, Belgium Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

. He also helped distribute copies of the said manuscript. When Aguinaldo accepted the offer, Alejandrino proceeded to

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 ...

, where he helped organise the ''Consejo Revolucionario'' along with Felipe Agoncillo, José Maria Basa and

Mariano Ponce Mariano Ponce y Collantes (; March 22, 1863 – May 23, 1918) commonly known as just Mariano Ponce was a Filipino physician, writer, statesman, and active member of the Propaganda Movement. In Spain, he was among the founders of ''La Solidarid ...

. Later, he became part of the group in the Hong Kong Committee, which included Agoncillo and Galicano Apacible, who was the head of ''La solidaridad'', which advocated Philippines independence, as opposed to the circle led by Basa and Doroteo Cortes, who were for annexation by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In February 1897, Alejandrino went to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in hopes of acquiring more weapons for the revolutionaries. He was with Aguinaldo when the latter was exiled to Hong Kong in accordance to the

Pact of Biak-na-Bato The Pact of Biak-na-Bato, signed on December 14, 1897, created a truce between Spanish colonial Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera and the revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo to end the Philippine Revolution. Aguinaldo and his fellow re ...

, which was signed on December 14, 1897.

Philippine–American War and postwar life

In 1898, Alejandrino served in the

Malolos Congress The Malolos Congress (), also known as the Revolutionary Congress () and formally the National Assembly, was the legislative body of the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. From 1898 to 1899, prior to the Philippine Declaration of I ...

, becoming a member of the two committees that drafted 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 ...

. On 26 September, he was given the post of Director of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce. Later, Aguinaldo designated Alejandrino chief of the engineers of the Army, and he directed the building of trenches in several areas, including

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 ...

and

Caloocan Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan (; ), is a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most populous city in the Philippines. Caloo ...

. Alejandrino and his friend, General

Antonio Luna Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipinos, Filipino army general and a pharmacist who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination on June 5, 1899, at the age ...

, suggested to President

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 ...

that they build a defensive line from

Novaliches Novaliches is a place that forms the northern areas of Quezon City, and encompasses the whole area of Caloocan, North Caloocan. Etymology The name Novaliches came from the name of the small village of Novaliches in the town of Jérica in Spai ...

to Caloocan to delay the northward advance of American troops intent on capturing the railway. This was however not implemented, as General Luna was murdered by troops loyal to Aguinaldo. The president was later captured and unconditionally surrendered to General

Frederick Funston Frederick Funston (November 9, 1865 – February 19, 1917), also known as Fighting Fred Funston, was a General officer, general in the United States Army, best known for his roles in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American ...

on April 29, 1901. On April 12, 1901, Alejandrino married Adela Chuidian, daughter of the reformist Telesforo Chuidian. In August of the same year, Alejandrino accepted an offer to serve as the second city engineer of Manila. In 1925,

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Leonard Wood Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, List of colonial governors of Cuba, Military Governor of Cuba, ...

made him senator of the Twelfth Senatorial District of the Philippines. He died on June 1, 1951.

Gallery

File:José Alejandrino and Adela Chuidian's passport application.jpg, Alejandrino and his wife on their U.S. passport application in 1921 File:Honorable Jose Alejandrino (Delegates from the Philippines).jpg, Alejandrino as a delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention, published by Benipayo Press () File:FvfArayat7393 07.JPG, Monument of José Alejandrino in Arayat, Pampanga

Written works

* " Nuestra patria", anticolonial song composed during the

* ''La senda del sacrificio'' (1949)

Media portrayals

* Portrayed by Alvin Anson in the film, '' Heneral Luna'' (2015), and its sequel, '' Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral'' (2018).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alejandrino, Jose 1870 births 1951 deaths Filipino generals Filipino propagandists People of the Philippine–American War People of the Philippine Revolution Senators of the 7th Philippine Legislature Kapampangan people Governors of Pampanga People from Pampanga Politicians from Manila Military personnel from Manila Nacionalista Party politicians Secretaries of agriculture of the Philippines Aguinaldo administration cabinet members University of Santo Tomas alumni Ghent University alumni Members of the Malolos Congress People from the Spanish East Indies Members of the Senate of the Philippines from the 12th district Democrata Party politicians Popular Front (Philippines) politicians