Román Ongpin y Tanbensiang (February 18, 1847 – December 10, 1912) was a

Chinese Filipino Chinese Filipinos (sometimes referred as Filipino Chinese or Chinoy/Tsinoy in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent with ancestry mainly from Fujian, but are typically born and raised in the Philippines. Chinese Filipinos are one ...

businessman and philanthropist who aided Filipino revolutionaries against the Spanish and American colonial administration in the Philippine islands.

Early life

Ongpin was born in

Binondo Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...

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 ...

on February 28, 1847 to Simón Ongpin and Sinfrosa Tanbensiang. His father Simón (; hispanicised as "''Ongpinco''", ; later shortened to become "''Ongpin''", )Toward a History of Chinese Burial Grounds in Manila during the Spanish Colonial Period
/ref> was among those who left mainland China for the Philippines to do business, which he had learnt at a young age.

Career

Ongpin established his own business in 1883 which he named "''El 82''" to symbolise the colony’s rebirth from the

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

epidemic the year before. Ongpin's business was a success, and his wealth and social standing improved. He pioneered the use of fixed pricing and the

double-entry accounting system Double-entry bookkeeping, also known as double-entry accounting, is a method of bookkeeping that relies on a two-sided accounting entry to maintain financial information. Every entry to an account requires a corresponding and opposite entry to a ...

. Among the exclusive wares he sold at ''El 82'' were art supplies; Ongpin's wife, Pascuala Domingo, was a descendant of Filipino painter

Damián Domingo Damián Domingo y Gabor (February 12, 1796 – July 27, 1834) was the father of Philippine painting. Domingo established the official Philippine art academy in his residence in Tondo in 1821. Biography Damian Domingo was born in Tondo, Manila, an ...

, noted for his more secular subjects. Through this, Ongpin also got involved with the '' Illustrados''. Ongpin eventually became a financier of the

Katipunan The Katipunan (), officially known as the (; ) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, an ...

, letting the revolutionary organisation use his store as one of its many hideouts. Ongpin also provided cash and food to the movement until the end of the

Spanish colonization of the Philippines Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. Ongpin once again aided Filipinos in the ensuing

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 ...

, and was jailed by American forces in December 1900. Despite his release in March 1901, Ongpin remained staunchly opposed to the United States' occupation of the islands. He expressed this by not catering to Americans, and teaching his children to be self-sufficient without help from foreigners. Ongpin was also involved in civic organizations and held several positions in these. He was the ''Teniente Primo de Mestizos'', president of ''Casa Asilo de Inválidos Filipinos de Guerra'' (an institution for war veterans formed by Pascual Poblete) and treasurer of the '' Unión Obrera Democrática Filipina'' formed by labour activist

Isabelo de los Reyes Isabelo de los Reyes y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (July 7, 1864 – October 10, 1938), was a prominent Filipino patriot, politician, writer, journalist, and labor activist in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was the original founder a ...

. He was also a member of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce.

Death and legacy

Ongpin died on December 10, 1912, due to heart ailment. Before his death, he requested his family to dress his remains in a

barong tagalog The barong tagalog, more commonly known simply as barong (and occasionally baro), is an Embroidery, embroidered long-sleeved formal shirt for men and a national dress of the Fashion and clothing in the Philippines, Philippines. Barong tagalog ...

. He was interred at the North Cemetery of Manila. The street Calle Sacristia in Manila was renamed as Ongpin Street on September 17, 1915 and a monument of Ongpin was built near the

Binondo Church The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, also as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish and commonly known as Binondo Church, is located in the district of Binondo, Manila fronting Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz, in the Philippin ...

and the Plaza de Binondo (now Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ongpin, Ramon 1847 births 1912 deaths Filipino people of Chinese descent People from the Spanish East Indies 19th-century Filipino businesspeople Filipino philanthropists People from Binondo People of the Philippine Revolution People of the Philippine–American War Burials at the Manila North Cemetery 19th-century philanthropists