Mariano Jesús Cuenco
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Mariano Jesús Diosomito Cuenco (January 16, 1888 – February 25, 1964) was a Filipino Cebuano politician and writer. He was the 4th President of the Senate of the Philippines.


Early life

Cuenco was born in
Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
,
Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
on January 16, 1888, to Mariano Albao Cuenco (1861–1909) and Remedios López Diosomito. He studied at the Colegio de San Carlos of Cebu, where he graduated in 1904 with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
. He finished law in 1911 at the Escuela de Derecho (later became the Manila Law School) and passed the bar examinations in 1913.


Political career

Cuenco entered
politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
in 1912 when he was elected to the
Philippine Assembly The Philippine Assembly (sometimes called the Philippine National Assembly) was the lower house of the Philippine Legislature from 1907 to 1916, when it was renamed the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The Philippine Assembly wa ...
representing the fifth district of Cebu. He was re-elected from 1916 to 1928. He ran for the
governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
of Cebu in 1931 and became the President of the League of
Provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...
Governors A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...
of the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. In 1934, he was elected delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he was chosen floor leader. Cuenco was Secretary of Public Works and Communications from 1936 to 1939. He was also appointed Acting Secretary of the agriculture, commerce and labor departments while serving as Secretary of Public Works and Communications in 1938. In 1941, Cuenco was elected
Senator of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives as ...
but the onset of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
prevented that Senate from going into session. After the Japanese Occupation, Cuenco was reelected to the Senate in 1946. From 1949 to 1951, he served as
Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...
and Chairman of the
Commission on Appointments The Commission on Appointments ( fil, Komisyon sa Paghirang, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by th ...
. His term paved the way for many reforms and his significant contributions resulted in a more efficient
legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
body. As a member of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
of incumbent President
Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidio Quirino y Rivera; ; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the sixth president of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino enter ...
, Senate President Cuenco was defeated in his bid for reelection in the
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 ce ...
shut-out during the
1951 Philippine general election A senatorial election was held in the Philippines on November 13, 1951. The election was known as a midterm election as the date when elected candidates take office falls halfway through President Elpidio Quirino's four-year term. Summary As the H ...
. He ran and regained his seat as a
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
once again in 1953 and 1959. He continued serving in the
Philippine Senate The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress of the bicameral legislature of the ...
until his death in office in 1964.


Writer

Cuenco was also known as a prolific writer. He was the publisher of the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
–language newspaper ''El Precursor'' of Cebu, a newspaper which ran from 1907 until the eve of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In 1947, he founded ''The Republic''. In 1926, he became a member of the Academia Filipina Correspondiente de la Real Española de la Lengua. He was honored by the Spanish government with the decoration Gran Cruz de Isabela la Catolica and by the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
with the decoration ''
Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice ''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy. History The medal was established by Leo XIII o ...
''. Cuenco also wrote in Visayan. ''Ang Republikang Pilipinhon'', ''Codigo'' and ''Roma'' are among his works. His pen name was "Lauro Katindog."


Personal life

He was married twice, first to Filomena Alesna, and years after she died, to Rosa Cayetano. Cuenco died on February 25, 1964 at the age of 76. The funeral service was held in
Manila North Cemetery The Manila North Cemetery (Spanish: ''Cementerio del Norte'') is one of the oldest cemeteries in Metro Manila, Philippines. The cemetery is owned by and located in the City of Manila, the national capital, and is one of the largest in the metropo ...
, in
Santa Cruz, Manila Santa Cruz is a district in the northern part of the City of Manila, Philippines, located on the right bank of the Pasig River near its mouth, bordered by the districts of Tondo, Binondo, Quiapo, and Sampaloc, as well as the areas of Grace P ...
.


References


See also

*
Cuenco family The Cuenco family is a well-known political family in Cebu Province, Cebu, Philippines. Since the 19th century, the Cuenco name has been part the colorful history and lore of this island in Southern Philippines. Members of the Cuenco family have be ...
*
List of Philippine legislators who died in office The following is a list of senators and members of the various editions of the lower house of the Philippine legislature who died while they were serving their terms. Senate Philippine Legislature (1907-1935) National Assembly (1935-1941) ...

A Website Dedicated for Mariano Jesús Cuenco
(And most of the Cuenco family clan during the 1900 era)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuenco, Mariano Jesus 1888 births 1964 deaths Governors of Cebu Mariano Jesus Presidents of the Senate of the Philippines Senators of the 5th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 4th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 3rd Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 2nd Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 1st Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 1st Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Cebu Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Secretaries of Public Works and Highways of the Philippines Secretaries of Transportation of the Philippines Nacionalista Party politicians Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians University of San Carlos alumni Burials at the Manila North Cemetery Quezon administration cabinet members Members of the Philippine Legislature