By Erwin Bonifacio
(This is a series of biographies of the Governors of Capiz from 1898 to 1988, some of whom were unrecorded, unrecognized, and unknown.)
Simplicio Jugo Vidal was born on February 26, 1861, in Capiz (now Roxas City), Capiz, to Ciriaco Jugo (Ong-Cochay), a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong, and Filomena Vidal, a Spanish mestiza from Capiz. His father was a trader of palay, bayones (woven large containers made of buri leaves), sugar, and livestock, shipping these goods to Manila.
He was married to Juana Serraller y Mañano of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. They were blessed with five children: Fernando, Rafael (who died in infancy in Madrid), Luz, Jose Maria, and Rafael.
Jugo Vidal completed his primary education at Ateneo Municipal (now Ateneo de Manila University) in 1874. He continued his studies at the same institution, excelling in his secondary education and graduating at the top of his class with a Bachiller en Artes degree with sobrasaliente (excellent) honors in 1879.
In July 1879, he departed Manila for medical studies in Madrid, Spain. He took preparatory courses at the Faculty of Exact, Physical, and Natural Sciences of the Universidad Central de Madrid and also enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine. Like many prominent propagandists of his time, Jugo Vidal was active in freemasonry. On June 24, 1887, he was one of the forty-four signatories from Los Comuneros de Castilla lodge and Juan de Padilla Chapter No. 80 who responded to a sermon by the Bishop of Oviedo. His masonic name was Servet, with a 9th-degree rank. In 1888, he was a member of Logia Joven Oriente under the Gran Oriente Nacional de España, and in 1889, he served on the committee accounting for the expenses of the Gran Oriente Español.
On May 13, 1888, a letter from concerned Spaniards and Filipinos advocating for the protection of Philippine interests appeared in Las Dominicales, signed by Don Miguel Morayta, Julio Llórente, Manuel Labra, Graciano López Jaena, Eduardo Lete, and Jugo Vidal. Later that year, Jugo Vidal was elected to the executive committee of the Asociacion Hispano-Filipina. This commission was instrumental in organizing six months of pre-inaugural activities. On January 12, 1889, Jugo Vidal was a founding member of the association, which successfully lobbied for several reforms.
Jugo Vidal founded a Filipino newspaper in Madrid, La Vanguardia Filipina, on April 27, 1889. Although not radical, it was the forerunner of the Filipino press in Madrid, preceding the relocation of La Solidaridad’s editorial office from Barcelona. Galicano Apacible, a co-founder of La Solidaridad, was among the first to subscribe to La Vanguardia Filipina, sending twenty-five copies to Rizal in Paris and asking him to contribute news about the international exposition held there. Despite its promising start, the paper only printed three issues and ceased operations on May 20, 1889.
After La Solidaridad moved to Madrid from Barcelona, Marcelo H. del Pilar sought the reorganization of the Asociacion Hispano-Filipina. On November 25, 1889, an election was held, reelecting Don Miguel Morayta while Del Pilar, Jugo Vidal, Jose Hernandez Crame, and Manuel Labra were elected to the executive commission.
In 1890, Jugo Vidal interned at the clinic of Dr. San Martin, who was practicing Robert Koch’s method for curing tuberculosis. Despite his involvement in the reform movement, he brought honor to the Filipino community in Spain by achieving a sobrasaliente (excellent) in his medical exams. La Solidaridad congratulated him in its June 30, 1890 issue. By January 1891, he had obtained three more sobrasalientes in medicine and was awarded the best student of the year by Filipino residents of Madrid for his outstanding academic performance.
In 1892, Jugo Vidal and his wife, Doña Juana Serraller, suffered the loss of their two young sons, Fernando and Rafael. In March 1893, he obtained his Licenciado de Medicina y Cirugía (Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery) from Universidad Central de Madrid (now Complutense University of Madrid).
On April 14-15, 1901, during a visit by the Philippine Commission led by William H. Taft, Jugo Vidal delivered a provincial address describing the condition of Capiz before, during, and after the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War. When Act No. 115 was enacted, establishing the Civil Government, Jugo Vidal was appointed and took the oath as the first governor of Capiz.
As Provincial Governor, Jugo Vidal faced numerous challenges. In his first year, the province endured a locust plague that destroyed half the crops, a rinderpest that killed about 95 percent of carabaos and other livestock, and a famine caused by poor nutrition and disease, leading to significant emigration. Despite these hardships, the insular government provided loans to construct roads and create emergency employment.
On February 3, 1902, Jugo Vidal was duly elected as Provincial Governor. Despite opposition from prominent Capisnon families and suspicions of pro-American sentiment, he received unanimous support from the consejales who voted for him. Understanding the importance of education, he vacated the Casa Real, renovated it, and handed it over to Miss Mary H. Fee, principal of Capiz High School, which opened on June 6, 1902.
In 1902, another animal plague devastated livestock, and a resurgence of Asiatic Cholera required the closure of contaminated wells. Jugo Vidal successfully negotiated the pardon and surrender of resistance leaders such as Donato Jamison of Sigma, Laureano Luces, and Maximo Lopez.
In 1903, pestilence affected provincial revenue, prompting an appeal to the Philippine Commission for a loan to pay employees. Despite further pestilence and natural disasters, the rice output doubled over the previous year. On February 1, 1904, Jugo Vidal was re-elected as Provincial Governor and negotiated the surrender of revolutionary leader Julian Vertuoso.
By 1905, wagon roads connecting the provincial capital with Dumarao, Tapaz, and Jamindan were reconstructed. However, in the provincial elections on February 5, 1906, without a political party to support his candidacy, Jugo Vidal placed second, and Antonio V. Habana of the Partido Modernista won the governorship.
In the July 30, 1907, election, Jugo Vidal ran as Deputy of the Second Legislative District of Capiz under the Partido Progresista but was defeated by Jose C. Altavas of the Partido Modernista. In 1909, he ran again as Assemblyman of the 2nd Legislative District, facing Leocadio Pajarillo of the Partido Nacionalista but was unsuccessful.
Governor Simplicio Jugo Vidal of Capiz died on August 24, 1910, in Capiz (now Roxas City). His life was cut short, depriving him of witnessing the progress of his beloved province after years of immense and selfless sacrifices.
