Espiridión Guanco y Cordero (29 December 1874 - 2 May 1925) was a Filipino politician during the American occupation. While serving for the Philippine senate, he was the Secretary to the Senate President

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...

. During the 1910s, Guanco lobbied the Philippine Legisture for the establishment of a national bank. This was to protect farmers in Negros Occidental. His advocacy for agricultural development continued as a senator. He died in 1925 due to a cerebral attack.

Biography

Guanco was born on 29 December 1874 to Agustin Guanco and Filomena Cordero in

Pototan, Iloilo Pototan (, , ), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,298 people. In December 1997, it was declared as ...

. He entered the seminary in Jaro at age seven. He then studied law and later worked as a teacher in a small village in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental. However, the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

against Spanish control began. During this event, Guanco joined the uprising in Hinigaran. After the revolution, he became a lawyer in 1900 and returned to Iloilo. He made his law office there. Along with his career as a lawyer, he also dedicated himself to teaching and became a faculty member of the Molo Institute, a Filipino school established by Ilonggo intellectuals. He co-founded the Filipino newspaper, ''El Pais'', over which the publication campaigned against the Americans. Guanco also managed a sugar mill in Hinigaran. He also owned a sugar plantation near Binalbagan.

Philippine Legislature

He was first 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 ...

as the representative of the 4th district of

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

from 1909 to 1912. As a member of the Philippine Assembly, he was appointed by the Speaker for the chairmanship of the irrigation committee.

Establishment of a national bank

During the 1910s, farmers in Negros Occidental were alarmed by the potential delay in the establishment of a national bank. Guanco, who used to serve as president of the first agricultural congress, feared this would lead to severe financial consequences, including the withdrawal of government funds consisting of two million pesos and the cessation of credit from British banks due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. To address this, the farmers sent representatives, which include Guanco, to Manila and lobby for the immediate passage of the national bank bill.

As senator

Upon the establishment of the

Philippine Senate The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives as the lower house. The Senate is composed of 24 senators who are elected at-large (the country f ...

in 1916, he was elected as the first representative of the 8th senatorial district composed of the

Negros Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Tr ...

provinces,

Antique An antique () 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 to describe any object that i ...

and

Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...

. In 1917, he became Secretary to the Senate President

. He also became a member of the Senate committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources, Elections and Privileges, Finance, and Relations with the Sovereign Country. During this period, he served as the chamber's first President pro tempore during the 5th Legislature from 1919 to 1922. He served three terms until his death in office on 2 May 1925. As a senator, Guanco advocated for the development of agriculture as a source of wealth in the Philippine Islands.

Death and legacy

In 1925, Guanco died at the

Philippine General Hospital The Philippine General Hospital (also known as University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital or UP–Philippine General Hospital), simply referred to as UP–PGH or PGH, is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated ...

because of a cerebral attack. A bridge in Hinigiran was named after him. The bridge was set for demolition by the

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for serving as the country's engineering and construction arm. It is tasked with implementing the government's policy to ...

in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guanco, Espiridion 1874 births 1925 deaths Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Iloilo Nacionalista Party politicians Senators of the 4th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 5th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 6th Philippine Legislature Members of the Senate of the Philippines from the 8th district