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.)
Part I
On April 21, 1891, at a small dancing party in Panay, Capiz, two guardia civils murdered 25-year-old Don Gerardo Roxas, the son of Don Antonio Roxas. Eight months later, on January 1, 1892, his widow, Doña Rosario Villaruz Acuña, gave birth to their second child in Capiz (now Roxas City). She named him Manuel Acuña Roxas. After her husband’s death, the 22-year-old Rosario returned to her father’s home. Don Eleuterio Acuña stood as a father to his orphaned grandchildren, Mamerto and Manuel.
The young Manoling, as his family called him, studied in primaria enseñanza at a public school in Capiz, but his teacher reportedly mistreated him, prompting his grandfather to transfer him and Mamerto to a private school owned by Don Miguel de Lara y Herrera, a peninsular telegraph chief.
When the Americans opened a primary school in Capiz, Manuel was among the pupils who attended classes under Private First-Class George T. Shoens of the 18th US Infantry. In 1904, his grandfather sent him to Hong Kong to learn English, and he enrolled at St. Joseph’s College, run by the De La Salle Brothers. Although he excelled academically, Manuel experienced racial discrimination from his white classmates. At the end of the school year, he returned to Capiz without waiting for his grandfather’s decision.
Unknown to many historians, Manuel studied at Capiz High School (now Capiz National High School) and spent his first and second years there. However, during his time, the school did not yet offer a third year, which was only introduced in 1911. Consequently, he transferred to Manila High School (now Araullo High School), where he graduated in 1909 with high honors.
After graduation, Manuel studied at a private law school founded by George A. Malcolm with assistance from the YMCA. This institution later became the College of Law of the University of the Philippines. He was among its pioneering graduates in 1913. That same year, he took the bar exam and earned the highest score among the examinees.
Impressed by Manuel’s academic record, Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano offered him a position as his private secretary, which Manuel gladly accepted. He also became a professor at the Philippine Law School and supplemented his income by conducting classes at his brother Mamerto’s law firm, where many aspiring lawyers attended.
In 1917, following the death of his grandfather, Don Eleuterio, Roxas resigned from his position in Manila and returned to Capiz. Shortly after his grandfather’s burial, a vacancy on the municipal council of Capiz opened due to the death of a member. Governor Jose C. Altavas offered the position to the young lawyer. Though an appointed member, Manuel was soon recognized as the council’s leader.
In 1919, during the political convention of the Partido Nacionalista, Roxas was chosen as the party’s gubernatorial candidate over his uncle, Judge Conrado Barrios. The rival Democratas also nominated Barrios. After a long campaign, Roxas, then 27, won the election, defeating Barrios in all but one municipality, where Barrios won by 60 votes.
As governor, Roxas focused on education. In his first year, he and the Provincial Board secured a loan of ₱50,000 to rebuild the Capiz High School, which had been destroyed by fire in 1918. The following year, they secured another loan of ₱73,500 to complete the school’s construction. By 1921, the Capiz High School building plan No. 20 (Gabaldon) was completed.
In September 1921, a 12.85-kilometer first-class road between Navas, Capiz, and Pandan, Antique, was completed and opened to traffic. Additionally, the Pilar-Balasan Interprovincial Road, connecting Capiz to Iloilo through Pilar, was completed in 1919, serving as a feeder road to the railroad at Panitan station.
In 1921, Roxas gained national recognition during a convention of 39 provincial governors in Manila. His report to the Secretary of the Interior on the activities and problems of Capiz, along with his solutions, was so well-written that it was circulated among all provincial governors as an example of an exemplary governor’s report. At the convention, Roxas was elected president by his peers.
Later that year, Roxas married 18-year-old Trinidad de Leon, daughter of Senator Ceferino de Leon of Bulacan. They had two children: Rosario (Ruby), named after her grandmother Doña Rosario Acuña, and Gerardo (Gerry), named after his grandfather Don Gerardo Roxas.
In 1922, Roxas was convinced by Senator Altavas to run for the First District Representative seat instead of seeking re-election as governor. He ran under the Nacionalista (Collectivista of Quezon) and won the election by a wide margin. He vacated his gubernatorial post on June 15, 1922, and was succeeded by Pastor Vidal.
During the Sixth Legislature (1922-1925), Roxas was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by both President Manuel Quezon and Sergio Osmeña after political negotiations. In 1923, Roxas, along with Quezon, resigned from the Council of State in protest against Governor-General Leonard Wood’s policies.
Roxas was re-elected as Speaker of the House in 1925 and again in 1928, solidifying his leadership in the lower house. He also led missions to Washington to oppose the Timberlake Bill and later advocated for Philippine independence.
In 1930, after returning from another successful mission to Washington, Roxas launched “Ang Bagong Katipunan,” a movement promoting Filipino products and pride in Malay racial identity.
By 1933, Roxas was involved in negotiating for the passage of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act, which would grant Philippine independence after a ten-year transition.
Then-Senate President Manuel L. Quezon was not only satisfied with rejecting the HHC Law but also sought revenge on his party mates who had refused to follow his instructions. On July 20, 1933, after five hours of intense debate, a resolution was moved to declare all positions in the House of Representatives vacant. After his ouster as House Speaker, 6,000 students converged at the University of the Philippines, then marched to his residence on Taft Avenue, carrying him on their shoulders to Luneta Park, where demonstrators denounced Quezon and House Speaker Quintin Paredes. In Capiz, 7,000 Capisnons took to the streets with placards, decrying the ouster of their representative.
In the 1934 election, Capiz was divided between the Pro-HHC faction, led by ex-Speaker Manuel A. Roxas, 2nd District Rep. Jose A. Dorado, and 3rd District candidate Juan M. Reyes, and the Anti-HHC faction, led by ex-Senators Jose C. Altavas, Antonio V. Belo, former Judge of the First Instance Gervacio Diaz, and 3rd District Rep. Rafael Tumbokon. The intense political rivalry saw the Antis controlling 21 municipalities, while the Pros had only six. In the uphill battle, Roxas managed to obtain 3,136 votes, while Judge Diaz garnered 2,056 votes.
After the Philippine Legislature ratified the Tydings-McDuffie Law, a constitutional convention was announced. Roxas ran and was elected as one of the delegates in the drafting of the Constitution. On February 8, 1935, the Commonwealth Constitution was finally adopted. Delegate Roxas was designated to go to Washington to present the important documents to President Roosevelt for approval. The President of the United States signed it on March 23, 1935, officially beginning the Commonwealth of the Philippines. During this period, the Pros and Antis mended ties after years of intense political bickering.
In the 1935 First National Assembly elections, Roxas ran under the Nacionalista Democrata-Pro Independencia (NDPI) and garnered an overwhelming 8,490 votes, while Esteban A. Alcazar, the son of former Capiz Municipal President Pastor Alcazar, received only 289 votes. Later, the severed ties with Quezon improved, and in 1937, Roxas was appointed by President Quezon as a member of the Joint Preparatory Committee on Philippine Affairs. In 1938, Quezon appointed him Secretary of Finance, where he also acted as concurrent Chairman of National Development Co., National Economic Council, National Food Products Corporation, National Rice and Corn Corporation, Insular Sugar Refining Co., Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and a member of the University of the Philippines Board of Regents.
In 1941, with the restoration of the bicameral legislature and the abolition of the National Assembly, Roxas planned to run for Senator.
In August 1941, he tendered his resignation as Secretary of Finance in preparation for the November senatorial elections. Although Roxas no longer held a key position, he was among the first to be notified of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On that same day, Roxas, a reserve officer, reported to the USAFFE and was given the rank of Lt. Colonel. He was assigned as an aide to General Douglas MacArthur.
Bataan fell on April 9, 1942, leaving Corregidor as the last bastion, but Roxas and Gen. William F. Sharp knew it was only a matter of time before the combined American and Filipino forces would capitulate. Their strategy was to resist large-scale landings expected in Mindanao for as long as possible and withdraw to the hills of Bukidnon and Lanao for guerrilla warfare. However, this plan did not materialize when Sharp surrendered early, before they could mount the guerrilla warfare through the interior.
On May 9, 1942, Brigadier Gen. Roxas and his aides entered the Malaybalay prison camp, where they found Gen. Sharp. During that time, the Imperial Japanese Army was searching for a certain “Colonel Rokashu,” a misspelled version of Roxas’ name. Roxas’ identity was revealed when Mr. Sato, one of many Japanese civilians inspecting the camps, recognized him as someone he had socially met years before the war.
Roxas was transferred to Davao, where he met Col. Nobuhiko Jimbo, a Japanese officer tasked with convincing him to join the Japanese cause. For a short period, Roxas won Jimbo’s favor, and Jimbo traveled to Manila to plead for Roxas’ life before Commander-in-Chief Masaru Homma. However, while Jimbo was away, Roxas was seized by the dreaded Kempetai, the Japanese military police, in Davao. They locked him in a small cell, forcing him to sleep on the cement floor without a mat, blanket, or mosquito net, clearly attempting to break his spirit. During this ordeal, Roxas lost 30 pounds. Fortunately, Jimbo returned in time to save his friend, and Roxas was transferred back to the Malaybalay prison camp. In November, with Jimbo’s help, Roxas was flown back to Manila and reunited with his family.
In 1943, Roxas was appointed a member of the Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence and Vice Chairman of the Central Committee for Inauguration. On April 8, 1944, by virtue of Executive Order No. 46, President Jose P. Laurel created an Economic Planning Board and appointed Roxas as its Chairman. In the same month, Roxas was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Bigasang Bayan (BiBa), or the National Rice Granary, which was responsible for food administration.
When Congress convened on June 6, 1945, Brigadier General Roxas was elected Senate President, while Representative Jose C. Zulueta from Iloilo was chosen as House Speaker. Congress passed a law calling for national elections on April 23, 1946. Roxas ran under the Nacionalista (Liberal Wing) and defeated the incumbent President Sergio Osmeña. He assumed office on May 28, 1946, as the last Commonwealth President of the Philippines. On the morning of July 4, 1946, a large crowd in Luneta witnessed the inauguration of the Third Philippine Republic.
On April 13, 1948, Roxas was conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by his alma mater, the University of the Philippines.
Two days later, he delivered a speech at Clark Air Base, receiving great applause from American officers and enlisted men at the Colin Kelly Theater. However, the heat inside the building was overwhelming, and after stepping outside to get some fresh air, Roxas fell ill. He complained of dizziness and chest pain, and despite the efforts of doctors, Roxas died at around 9:25 PM on April 15, 1948, due to coronary thrombosis. He was 56 years old.
At least 1 million people paid their last respects to President Manuel Roxas when he was laid to rest in the North Cemetery on April 25, 1948. His funeral, one of the most impressive state ceremonies seen in Manila for decades, was attended by American and British naval personnel, with squadrons of Philippine and American Air Force planes flying overhead, dropping flowers near his mausoleum, which had cost $100,000.
