Jose Cortes Altavas (September 11, 1877 – August 21, 1952) was a Filipino politician, legislator and man of letters. He was a municipal councilman of Capiz (present day

Roxas City Roxas (, ), officially the City of Roxas (Capiznon language, Capiznon/; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Capiz, Philippines. According to the 2 ...

Capiz Capiz (), officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon language, Capiznon/Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the central part of the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines ...

), provincial board member (1906–1907), representative (1907–1909 and 1925–1928), governor of Capiz (1910–1916),

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

(1916 to 1922), and 1934 Constitutional Convention delegate.

Early life and education

Born on September 11, 1877, Jose Altavas was from the town of Balete, which was then part of the province of

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. His parents, Jose Altavas Sr. and Andrea Cortes, sent him to Ateneo de Manila for school and later at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

for his law degree. His studies were disrupted by 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), ...

of which he had an active involvement in his hometown under the command of Santiago Bellosillo. He was 20 years old at that time. When the revolution ended, he finished his studies and practiced law in Capiz on May 6, 1901, after passing the bar. He was also a newspaperman and writer who wrote Spanish poems and a 54-volume memoir that contained recollections of his life.

Political career

Altavas began his political career as an elected member of the Capiz (present day Roxas City) municipal council in 1903 and later as provincial board member from 1906 until 1907. From 1907 to 1909, he was voted as a legislator to the First Philippine Legislature for the 2nd district of the province. In 1910, he became governor of Capiz and served until 1916. It was during his term that the construction of the provincial capitol building, bridges, and roads between

Aklan Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital and largest town is Kalibo. The province is situated in the northwest portion of Panay, Panay Islan ...

and Capiz began. From 1916 to 1922, Altavas was elected senator during the Fourth Philippine Legislature and the Fifth Philippine Legislature, representing the 7th senatorial district that was composed of the provinces of Capiz,

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 ...

and

Romblon Romblon (, , ), officially the Province of Romblon, is an archipelagic province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. Its main components include Romblon, an archipelagic municipality of the same name that also serves as the provi ...

. By 1925, he again won as 2nd district representative, and his term ended in 1927. He was also voted to be the 1st district delegate to the 1934

Constitutional Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

Personal life

Jose Cortes Altavas historical marker 01

Altavas was married to Socorro Barrios Laserna and had seven children. On August 21, 1952, he died in Roxas City, Capiz. A historical marker was installed by the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP; ) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritage through research, dissemination, conservation, sites management ...

in his memory at the entrance of the Altavas municipal hall, and his bust can be found at the park outside the building.

References

1952 deaths Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Capiz University of Santo Tomas alumni 1877 births Governors of Capiz Ateneo de Manila University alumni 20th-century Filipino lawyers Members of the Philippine Legislature {{DEFAULTSORT:Altavas, Jose Senators of the 4th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 5th Philippine Legislature Provincial board members in the Philippines Politicians from Capiz Filipino city and municipal councilors Members of the Senate of the Philippines from the 7th district