Alejo R. Mabanag (born July 14, 1886 – ?) was a Filipino politician born in San Fernando,

La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union ( ilo, Probinsia ti La Union; Kankanaey'': Probinsyan di La Union;'' Ibaloi'': Probinsya ne La Union;'' pag, Luyag/Probinsia na La Union; Tagalog'': Lalawigan ng La Union),'' is a province in th ...

, to Liberato Mabanag of Calamanugan,

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, coverin ...

and Manuela Ragojo of Bangar,

Education

Mabanag supported himself while getting his higher education. He was clerk in the defunct Executive Bureau from 1903 to 1912 and finished his Bachelor of Arts at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

in 1908. He was senior clerk when he obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from La Jurisprudencia in 1912 and passed the bar examinations the same year. He opened his law firm in

Lingayen, Pangasinan Lingayen, officially the Municipality of Lingayen ( pag, Baley na Lingayen; ilo, Ili ti Lingayen; tgl, Bayan ng Lingayen), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...

and attracted big clients in the province.

Political career

His popularity and his ability became his qualifications for a three-year service as Lingayen municipal councilor from 1916 to 1919. He ran for Senator and won overwhelmingly to represent the Second Senatorial District in 1922 and re-elected in 1931. Upon the establishment of the Commonwealth government on November 15, 1935, President Manuel L. Quezon appointed him Judge of the Court of First Instance of

Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...

up to 1938 and later named as city fiscal 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 ...

until 1945. He ran anew for the Senatorial election and won in 1946 but he lost in the 1949 election. As a distinguished Senator he became the chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee from August 1952 to August 1953 and in the 1953 elections he ran and won again as Senator under

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party ( Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ...

ticket. He was also member of the following committees; Corporations and Franchises, Codes and Constitutional amendments, Government Reorganization, Investigation, Justice, Labor and Immigration, National Defense and Security, National Enterprises, provincial and Municipal Governments and Cities, Transportation and Public Service.

Family

He is a father of 13. Some of them named: Ramon Mabanag, Alfredo Mabanag, Jose Mabanag and Antonio Mabanag. He never stole from the people and raised his family with dignity. He has this saying in Pilipino "Mabuti nang mahirap ka, basta hindi ka nandaraya." translated in English "Its better to be poor and not cheat". This saying was passed on from him, to his children, to his grandchildren and up to now – to his great grandchildren.

External links

Official Website of the Senate of the Philippines
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mabanag, Alejo 20th-century Filipino lawyers Senators of the 6th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 7th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 9th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 10th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 1st Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 3rd Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 4th Congress of the Philippines People from San Fernando, La Union 1886 births Nacionalista Party politicians Year of death missing University of Santo Tomas alumni Secretaries of Justice of the Philippines Garcia administration cabinet members