Sotero Julao Baluyut (born Sotero Baluyut y Julao; January 3, 1889 – January 6, 1975), also known as Sotero Baluyot, was a Filipino politician and civil engineer. He served as Governor of Pampanga from 1925 to 1931 and 1938 to 1941, Secretary of Public Works and the Interior and

Senator of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives as the lower house. The ...

from 1931 to 1935.

Early life, education, and career

Sotero Baluyut was born on January 3, 1889, in San Fernando,

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

. His parents were Leoncio Baluyut and Casimira Julao. In 1904, Baluyut was given the opportunity to study at the expense of the government in the United States. After he studied in Santa Ana Central and High School in California and the University Summer School of Illinois, he obtained a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. In 1911, Baluyut returned to the Philippines, where he went to work for the Office of Public Works as an assistant engineer in the provinces of Pampanga and Cavite. Afterwards, from 1912 to 1919, he was district engineer for the provinces of Isabela, Antique, Ilocos Norte, Bulacan and Pangasinan. He also worked on the San Jose-Santa Fe Road. In 1920, he became an engineer for the Pampanga Sugar Development Corporation.

Political career

In 1925, Baluyut was elected governor of the province of Pampanga. He was re-elected three years later. During his term of six years as governor, he was responsible for the construction of many schools, hospitals, roads and bridges. One of the larger projects that was realized in his term was a long paved road straight through the province. After his second term, Baluyut was elected in 1931 and re-elected in 1934 as a member of Senate from 3rd Senatorial District. In the Senate, among other things, he enacted the law which led to the establishment of National Electric Power and Development Corporation. At the end of 1937, Baluyut was elected governor of the province of Pampanga for a third term. He was appointed as Secretary of Labor from 1938 to 1940 while serving as governor. He became Secretary of Public Works and Communications from 1951 to 1952.

Personal life

He was married to Encarnacion Lopez and had a son with her. He has also daughter with Maria Lopez.

Death

Baluyut died at The Medical Center in

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 ...

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 January 6, 1975, at the age of 86.

References

External links

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Senator Sotero Baluyot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baluyut, Sotero 1889 births 1975 deaths Quezon administration cabinet members Quirino administration cabinet members Secretaries of labor and employment of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino engineers Filipino Roman Catholics Filipino collaborators with Imperial Japan Filipino expatriates in the United States Senators of the 9th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 10th Philippine Legislature Secretaries of public works and highways of the Philippines Secretaries of the interior and local government of the Philippines People from San Fernando, Pampanga Governors of Pampanga University of Iowa alumni Nacionalista Party politicians Members of the Senate of the Philippines from the 3rd district