Ponciano A. Bernardo (December 2, 1905 – April 28, 1949) was a Filipino engineer and politician who served as mayor of

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, holding the position from 1947 until his death in 1949. It was during his tenure that Quezon City was designated as the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...

of the Philippines.

Personal life

Ponciano A. Bernardo was born in

Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija Santa Rosa, officially the Municipality of Santa Rosa ( Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Santa Rosa'') is a 1st class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 75,649 people. Santa Rosa ...

. His father was a son of

Pandi, Bulacan Pandi, officially the Municipality of Pandi ( tgl, Bayan ng Pandi), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 155,115 people. The municipality of Pandi lies north ...

Province who had migrated to

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province ...

with his cousin rancisco Bernardo Oliverosof Papaya, Nueva Ecija whose two sisters were left behind in Pandi uisa Bernardo Oliveros-Cruz and Rosenda Bernardo Oliveros-Contrerasas well as the rest of the family and their cousins ariano Bernardo, Catalino Bernardo, Valentina Bernardowhose sons and grandson became mayors of

Bocaue, Bulacan Bocaue, officially the Municipality of Bocaue ( tgl, Bayan ng Bocaue), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 141,412 people. With the continuous expansion of Met ...

tty. Matias Bernardo Ramirez

Balagtas, Bulacan Balagtas, officially the Municipality of Balagtas ( tgl, Bayan ng Balagtas), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 77,018 people. With the continuous expansi ...

amerto Carpio Bernardo Pandi, Bulacan tty. Jose Espina Bernardo and Mamerto Carpio Bernardo, 'The Father of Pandi, Bulacan'and

Angat, Bulacan Angat, officially the Municipality of Angat ( tgl, Bayan ng Angat), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,617 people. Etymology The Town of Angat got its n ...

enito Bernardo Cruz Bernardo married Josefina Bernardo (nee Martinez), and the couple had eight children: Carrie, Josefina, Ponciano Jr., Noli, Juliet, Marichu, Sonny and Cherry. Bernardo finished his primary and secondary education in

Cabanatuan City Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 peo ...

, and entered the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...

as a civil engineering student. He graduated from there in 1927.

Professional life

After graduation, Bernardo joined the Bureau of Public Works -

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways ( fil, Kagawaran ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan}), abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government solely vested with the Mandate to “be the State's engineering ...

. In 1929, he was named as an assistant provincial engineer of Tayabas, the home province of Manuel L. Quezon, who would become president in 1935. Bernardo also held various provincial posts as a government engineer in

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

and

Antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

. In 1940, President Manuel L. Quezon appointed him as vice-mayor and city engineer of the newly established Quezon City. On December 24, 1946, Bernardo was appointed mayor of Quezon City by President

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; 9 September 1878 – 19 October 1961) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fourth president of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was vice president under Manuel L. Quezon. Upon Quezon's sudd ...

. He was sworn into office on January 1, 1947. During his tenure, in 1948, that

became the capital of the Philippines in lieu of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

. Under Bernardo's leadership, a city police force -

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currentl ...

was constituted and a new city hall was constructed in

Cubao Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

. Funds were also allocated for the construction of a park later named '' Bernardo Park'', a market in

Galas In Greek mythology, Galas (; Ancient Greek: Γάλας ''Gálas'') was the eponymous founder of the Gauls. He was the son of Polyphemos and Galatea and the brother of Illyrius and Celtus In Greek mythology, Celtus (; grc, Κέλτος ''Kel ...

, and a public high school.

Death

On April 28, 1949, Bernardo, along with former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

Aurora Quezon Aurora Antonia Quezon ( Aragón y Molina; February 19, 1888 – April 28, 1949) was the wife of Philippine President Manuel Luis Quezon and the First Lady of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. Although she is recognized as the second First La ...

and several others, were killed in an ambush in

Bongabon, Nueva Ecija Bongabon, officially the Municipality of Bongabon ( ilo, Ili ti Bongabon; tl, Bayan ng Bongabon), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,839 people. It ha ...

. They were en route to President Quezon's hometown of

Baler A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are configu ...

to dedicate a hospital in memory of the late President.

Legacy

An elementary school and a high school in Quezon City have been named in memory of Ponciano A. Bernardo: Ponciano Bernardo High School in Barangay Kaunlaran, Cubao, Quezon City, as well as Bernardo Park.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardo, Ponciano 1905 births 1949 deaths Assassinated Filipino politicians Deaths by firearm in the Philippines People from Nueva Ecija University of the Philippines alumni People murdered in the Philippines Mayors of Quezon City