Gaudencio Embuscado Antonino (9 February 1909 – 13 November 1967) was a Filipino politician, civil engineer, and businessman who served as a member 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 ...

from 1961 until his death in a helicopter crash in 1967.

Early life and career

Gaudencio E. Antonino was born in

Jaen, Nueva Ecija Jaen, officially the Municipality of Jaen (, ), is a municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 79,189 people. History During the Spanish Era, the municipality was only a co ...

. He obtained his civil engineering degree at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

and placed 7th in the licensure examinations. He then worked as an assistant engineer in the bureau of Public Works from 1933 to 1936. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served in the

USAFFE United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) ( Filipino: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Estados Unidos sa Malayong Silangan''; Spanish: ''Fuerzas del Ejército de los Estados Unidos en el Lejano Oriente'') was a military formation of the United St ...

and later in the guerrilla movement as a 2nd lieutenant in the 101st Engineer Battalion and a first lieutenant in the Western Luzon sector in 1945. After the war, Antonino worked as a business executive, specializing in the lumber industry.

Senator

Antonino was elected to the Senate as a candidate 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. For example, while the political systems ...

in 1961 and became the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works and Communications and National Defense and Security. He became known for opposing a massive increase of allowances to congressmen in 1965 which generated a national scandal. He also introduced the insurance program for barangay officials and sat as a concurrent member of the monetary board of the

Central Bank of the Philippines The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on January 3, 1949, and then re-established on July 3, 1993 pursuant to the provision of Re ...

. He sought the presidential nomination of the

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...

for the

1965 Philippine presidential election The 1965 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on November 9, 1965. Incumbent President Diosdado Macapagal lost his opportunity to get a second full term as president of the Philippines to Senate President Ferdinand ...

but lost to

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

. He thereafter identified as an independent.

Personal life and death

Antonino died while campaigning for reelection in the crash of his personal helicopter in

Dolores, Quezon Dolores, officially the Municipality of Dolores (), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,514 people. It is located at the foot of Mount Banahaw. Etymology Dolores is ...

, a day before the

1967 Philippine Senate election A senatorial election was held on November 14, 1967, in the Philippines. The 1967 election for the members of the Philippine Senate were also known as the 1967 midterm election, as the date where the elected candidates take office falls halfway t ...

. Despite his death, he came out third in the balloting and was substituted by his widow, Magnolia (née Welborn), herself a Congresswoman of

La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union (; ; ; ; ; ), is a coastal province in the Philippines situated in the Ilocos Region on the island of Luzon. The province's capital, the San Fernando, La Union, City of San Fernando, is the most ...

's 1st district who filled out his term until the Senate was closed following the declaration of Martial Law in 1972. They had four children, including Gaudencio Jr., Rodolfo and Adelbert. Rodolfo served as the representative of Nueva Ecija's 4th congressional district from 2004 to 2013, while Adelbert served as the congressman for

South Cotabato's 1st congressional district South Cotabato's 1st congressional district is one of the two congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of South Cotabato. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives since ...

from 1987 to 1992, and as the

Mayor of General Santos The mayor of General Santos () is the head of the local government of General Santos in South Cotabato, Philippines. The mayor's term is three years. The Mayor is the executive head and leads the city's departments in executing city ordinances an ...

from 1992 to 1995 and from 1998 to 2001. Antonino's granddaughter Darlene Antonino Custodio is the daughter of Adelbert, and also served in the same positions as her father, both as representative for the first district of South Cotabato and as mayor of General Santos.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonino, Gaudencio 1909 births 1967 deaths Filipino civil engineers Independent politicians in the Philippines Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Politicians from Nueva Ecija Senators of the 5th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 6th Congress of the Philippines Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1967