Jose Abad Santos

Nationalist Martyr

February 19, 1886 - May 2, 1942

     Jose Abad Santos was born on February 19, 1886 in San Fernando, Pampanga to Vicente Abad Santos and Toribia Basco.

     As a young boy, he went to a school owned by Roman Velez in the nearby town Bacolor. He also studied at a school established by Americans in San Fernando.

     In 1904, he was sent to the United States for his high school at the College of Santa Clara in San Jose, California. He took up college in the University of Illinois. He transferred to the Northwestern University were he finished Law on June 4, 1908. He got his Master of Law from the George Washington University on June 19, 1909.

     When he returned to the Philippines, he work as a clerk in the Archives Division of the Executive Bureau. He was appointed clerk at the Bureau of Justice and Later worked as court transcriber. He passed the Bar on October 12, 1911. He became a lawyer in that office in 1914 and in 1918, was a lawyer of the Philippine National Bank.

     He returned to the Bureau of Justice in 1919. He was one of the six technical advisers of the first Independence Mission of the United States. When he returned to the Philippines, He quit his job as PNB lawyer and attorney at the Bureau of Justice.

     On January 1922, he was appointed Undersecretary of Justice. Later, he became its Secretary until June 1932. He served as its Secretary on December 1938 to August 1941. Thereafter he was appointed Chief Magistrate of the Supreme Court. When the Second World War began, President Manuel L. Quezon appointed him Secretary of Justice and temporary Secretary of Finance, Agriculture and Commerce. When President Quezon escaped the Japanese and went to Australia in 1942, Abad Santos was one of the highest ranking official left in the Philippines. He was captured by the Japanese in Carcar, Cebu, and incarcerated for the three weeks. The Japanese tried to force him to renounce his loyalty to the United States. He refused and declared that he would rather die than be a taritor. 

     He was taken to Parang, Cotabato, then to Mabolong, Lanao del Sur. In the afternoon of May 2, 1942, he was executed by firing-squad. Before he was shot, he told his crying son that it was good to die for the sake of of the country.

     He was married to Amanda Teoparo, his province mate. 

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(Tagalog version)

     Si Jose Abad Santos ay isinilang noong Pebrero 19, 1886 sa San Fernando, Pampanga kina Vicente Abad Santos at Toribia Basco. 

     Ginugol niya ang mga unang taon niya sa paaralan ni Roman Velez, sa karatig-bayan ng Bacolor. Nag-aral din siya sa paaralang itinatag ng mga Amerikano sa San Fernando.

     Noong 1904 ay ipinadala siya sa Estados Unidos upang mag-hayskul sa Kolehiyo ng Santa Clara, San Jose, California. Nag kolehiyo siya sa Unibersidad ng Illinois. Lumipat sa Northwestern University at doon tinapos ang abogasiya noong Hunyo 4, 1908. Kinuha ang Masters of Laws sa George Washington University noong Hunyo 19, 1909.

     Pagkabalik sa Pilipinas, nagtrabaho siya na kawani sa Archives Division ng Executive Bureau. Nahirang din siyang kawani ng Bureau of Justice at kinalaunan ay naging tagasalin sa korte. Nakapasa siya sa Bar noong Oktubre 12, 1911. Noong 1914 ay naging abogado siya sa tanggapang iyon, at noong 1918, sa Philip[pine National Bank.

     Bumalik siya sa Bureau of Justice noong 1919. Isa siya sa anim na tagapayong teknikal ng Unang Misyong Pangkalayaan sa Estados Unidos. Pagbalik niya sa Pilipinas ay nagbitiw siya bilang tagapayo ng PNB at abogado sa Bureau of Justice. 

     Noong Enero 1922, nahirang siyang Pangalawang Kalihim ng Katarungan, di nagtagal ay naging Kalihim hanggang Hunyo 1932. Muli siyang naglingkod na Kalihim noong Disyembre 1938 hanggang Agosto 1941. Noong Disyembre 1941, hinirang siyang Punong Mahistrado ng Korte Suprema. Nang sumiklab ang Pangalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig, ginawa siya ni Pangulong Manuel L. Quezon ng kalihim ng Katarungan at pansamantalang Kalihim ng Pananalapi, Agrikultura't Komersyo. Nang tumakas sa mga Hapon si Quezon at pumuntang Autralia noong 1942, si Abad Santos ang isa sa matataas na opisyal na naiwan sa Pilipinas. Nahuli siya ng Hapon sa Carcar, Cebu, at ipiniit nang tatlong linggo. Pinilit siyang talikuran ang Estados Unidos. Siya'y tumanggi at sinabing pipiliin pang mamatay kaysa magtaksil.

     Dinala siya sa Parang, Cotabato, tapos ay sa Mabolong, Lanao del Sur. Nang hapon ng Mayo 2, 1942 ay binaril siya ng mga Hapon. bago siya barilin, sinabi sa umiiyak na anak na mainam ang mamatay para sa kapakanan ng bansa.

     Siya ay kasal kay Amanda Teoparo, kanyang kalalawigan.