José Tria Fuentebella (June 17, 1883 – July 25, 1982), widely known as "Pepe", was a Filipino politician. He is the first Fuentebella to foray into the national arena of politics.

Early life and education

Fuentebella studied at Colegio de San Buenaventura in Albay. He finished his

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 yea ...

Ateneo de Manila , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

in 1902, obtained his

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

from Escuela de Leyes in 1905 and passed the bar in 1906. José practiced law for three years before entering politics at the age of 26.

Political and Professional Career

He was elected representative of

Ambos Camarines Ambos Camarines ( es, ambos, meaning "both"; commonly known as Camarines), officially the Province of Ambos Camarines, was a historical province in the Philippines found on the northern end of the Bicol Peninsula. It now exists as two separate ...

's 3rd district for the Second Philippine Legislature in 1909. He also served in the Third Philippine Legislature until 1916. He convinced his father,

Mariano Fuentebella Mariano Benitez Fuentebella (died 1916) was the Governor of Ambos Camarines from 1912 to 1916. He is considered as the "Patriarch" of the Fuentebella family clan of Camarines Sur. Early life and education Mariano Fuentebella was born and educate ...

, to run for governor of

in 1912. Together they formed a powerful tandem and were able to obtain benefits for the province from the colonial government. When his father died, although he was in a higher office as a representative, José accepted the appointment as governor to finish his father's term and implement their joint projects. In 1916, he returned to private practice. But in 1931, he made his return to the Senate as a 6th district senator in 1928 and served two terms (1928-1931 and 1931-1934). The Senate was abolished in 1935. In the legislative polls later that year, Fuentebella won a seat in the unicameral National Assembly and served two terms until 1941. Although the Senate was restored in 1941, Fuentebella ran for a seat in the Lower House in the November polls. However, the

1st Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines The First Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines ( fil, Unang Kongreso ng Komenwelt ng Pilipinas), also known as the Postwar Congress, and the Liberation Congress, refers to the meeting of the bicameral legislature composed of the Senate ...

did not seat until 1945 as

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

came to 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 ...

. During the Japanese Occupation, from September 1943 to December 1944, Fuentebella was appointed Commissioner of the 5th Military District comprising the entire Bicol Region. After consulting guerilla leaders, he accepted the appointment from the

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (m ...

government reluctantly and only to prevent more Japanese atrocities. After the war, he finished his term as representative and successfully defended himself from accusations that he had collaborated with the Japanese. Fuentebella was appointed Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia by then

Philippine President The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Ramon Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automo ...

. He exercised deft democracy from 1955 to 1961, a crucial time in Philippine and Indonesian relations. Subsequently, Philippine President

Ferdinand E. Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

appointed him Presidential Adviser on

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

. Fuentebella was an ardent nationalist and founder of 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 ...

in Bicol. He is one who espoused the "Filipino First" policy of then Philippine President Carlos Garcia. One of his greatest achievements as a politician was the extension of the

Philippine National Railways The Philippine National Railways (PNR) ( fil, Pambansang Daang-Bakal ng Pilipinas and es, Ferrocarril Nacional de Filipinas) is a state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Metro Manila an ...

to Bicol, establishing

Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges The Polytechnic State University of Bicol, also referred to by its acronym PSUB, is a state university in the Bicol Region, Philippines. It is mandated primarily to provide higher technological, professional and vocational instruction and train ...

in Naga City, and being the author of the "Flag Law".

Death

He died on July 25, 1982.

Legacy

The Governor Jose T. Fuentebella National Highway was named after him through Republic Act No. 7786 in August 8, 1994.

References

* Building Institutions: The Fuentebella Legacy by Coylee Gamboa {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuentebella, Jose 1982 deaths 1883 births Governors of Camarines Norte Governors of Camarines Sur Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Camarines Sur Senators of the 9th Philippine Legislature Filipino diplomats KALIBAPI politicians Nacionalista Party politicians People from Camarines Sur Advisers to the President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos administration personnel

Jose Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilea ...

Ateneo de Manila University alumni Members of the Philippine Legislature Members of the National Assembly of the Philippines Members of the National Assembly (Second Philippine Republic) Senators of the 8th Philippine Legislature