León Gawaran Guinto Sr. (June 28, 1886 – July 10, 1962) was a

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

from the Commonwealth period up to the post-war era, best remembered as the war-time Mayor of the

City of Greater Manila Greater Manila, officially the City of Greater Manila and sometimes referred to as the Greater Manila Area (GMA), was a chartered city that existed during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, from 1942 to 1945. Governed ...

in the Philippines.

Early life

Guinto was born to Juan P. Guinto and Pia Gawaran in the village of San Nicolas in

Bacoor Bacoor (), officially the City of Bacoor (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 664,625 ...

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 ...

province. He completed his early education from his home town and earned his college degree from the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (), also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. I ...

. He first got work at the Weather Bureau, married Marta Montes from

Atimonan Atimonan, officially the Municipality of Atimonan (), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,260 people. Etymology There are three plausible origins of the name of t ...

Tayabas Tayabas, officially the City of Tayabas (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 112,65 ...

Province (now Quezon). The union produced three sons and two daughters. By 1916, Guinto left his job at the Weather Bureau to pursue law studies at the old Escuela de Derecho and by 1920, after completing his law studies and qualifying as a bona fide lawyer, Guinto was employed as private secretary to the then Senate President,

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...

Government service

Pre-World War II

Guinto, after serving briefly as private secretary to Senate President

, launched his political career in 1922 by running as member of the Provincial Board of the then Tayabas Province, the home province of his wife Marta Montes. By 1925, he pursued the position of representative of the 2nd district of Tayabas under the

Lower House A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Philippine Legislature The Philippine Legislature was the legislature of the Philippines from 1907 to 1935, during the American colonial period, and predecessor of the current Congress of the Philippines. It was bicameral and the legislative branch of the Insular ...

. He held the post of legislator for six years until 1928. He was elected provincial governor of Tayabas in 1928 but his term was cut short when he was appointed as Commissioner of Public Safety by then American

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, ...

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Theodore Roosevelt III ( ; September 13, 1887 – July 12, 1944), often known as Theodore Jr.,Morris, Edmund (1979). ''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt''. index.While it was President Theodore Roosevelt who was legally named Theodore Roosevelt Jr ...

In the later part of 1933, Governor-General

Frank Murphy William Francis Murphy (April 13, 1890July 19, 1949) was an American politician, lawyer, and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving ...

named undersecretary of the Interior Department. By 1934, the Departments of Interior and Labor were merged and Guinto continued to serve as undersecretary. In 1940, Guinto was appointed Secretary of Labor in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

government of President Manuel L. Quezon.

Greater Manila's war-time mayor

By 1942, Guinto was appointed by

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 an ...

, the then incoming chairman of the Japanese-created government structure called the

Philippine Executive Commission The Philippine Executive Commission (PEC; Tagalog: ''Komisyong Tagapagpaganap ng Pilipinas'') was a pro-Axis government set up to govern the Philippine archipelago during World War II. It was established with sanction from the occupying Imp ...

, to assume the position of mayor of

and look after the city's administration during the Japanese occupation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Guinto's close relations with the labor sector proved useful to his administration of Greater Manila, of which a number of labor leaders served as heads of the city government departments. He held the position until 1944, a year before the city was officially disestablished. In 1945, Guinto was indicted as a war criminal for collaborating with the Japanese forces. A blanket amnesty was issued before the granting of

Philippine Independence The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

on July 4, 1946, sparing the former Manila mayor of a war crimes trial.

Post-World War II

Guinto went into the private sector, taught in the academe and even served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of the

Lyceum of the Philippines University Lyceum of the Philippines University (), also referred to by its acronym LPU, is a private, non-sectarian, coeducational higher education institution located at Intramuros in the City of Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1952 by José P ...

. In 1955, Guinto returned home to Quezon Province and was elected governor, only to lose re-election in 1959.

Death

Guinto died in 1962 at the age of 76 in Manila, Philippines.

Legacy

Leon Guinto Street (formerly Pennsylvania Street), which runs through the

Ermita Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...

and

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...

districts, was renamed in his honor.

References

External links

The City of Manila
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Guinto, Leon 1896 births 1962 deaths Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni Mayors of Manila Lyceum of the Philippines University Governors of Quezon Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Quezon Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Manila Secretaries of labor and employment of the Philippines People from Bacoor Burials at the Manila South Cemetery Quezon administration cabinet members Nacionalista Party politicians Members of the National Assembly (Second Philippine Republic) Members of the Philippine Legislature