Nicolás Capistrano y Fernández (January 7, 1864 – unknown) was a Filipino lawyer, statesman and revolutionary general who fought against the Americans from 1899 to 1901 during the Philippine-American War and was later elected as a congressman and senator of the Philippines.

Early life and education

Nicolás Capistrano y Fernández was born on January 7, 1864, in

Angat Angat may refer to: * Angat, Bulacan, a first class partially urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines * Angat River The Angat River (also called Quingua River) is a river in the Philippines located in the province of Bulacan. ...

, province of

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

in Luzon, to Francisco Capistrano, a

gobernadorcillo The (, literally "little governor") was a municipal judge or governor in the Captaincy General of the Philippines, Philippines during the History of the Philippines (1565–1898), Spanish colonial period, who carried out in a town the combined ...

of that town, and Juana Fernandez. He was the third among 11 siblings. After his studies at the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (), also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. I ...

, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree 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 ...

. In 1893, he successfully completed a bachelor's degree in law at the same educational institution. In 1894, Capistrano became a member of the Philippine Bar. From 1890 to 1896, he was principal of a private school in Manila.

Military career

Fearing arrest by Spanish colonial authorities for his involvement in revolutionary activities, he moved to

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

some time after 1895, becoming the Registrar of Deeds of the province of Misamis. From 1899 until his surrender in April 1901, Capistrano led the revolutionary government and army in Misamis during the Philippine-American War, participating in several battles such as that of Cagayan de Misamis, Agusan Hill and Macahambus Hill. from his base in

Bukidnon Bukidnon (), officially the Province of Bukidnon (; ; ; Bukid language, Binukid and Higaonon language, Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindan ...

Political career

From 1901 to 1906, Capistrano was the prosecutor or fiscal for Misamis. From 1906 to 1907, he was appointed as a member of the board of the said province. In 1909, Capistrano was elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

as the representative of the Second legislative district of Misamis. He was re-elected to the same position in 1912. Capistrano was elected to 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 as one of the representatives of the eleventh senatorial district. Because he got fewer votes than

Jose Clarin Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean *Jose ben Halafta *J ...

in the said district, he served a three-year term from 1916 to 1919.

Relocation of poor Filipinos to Mindanao

Direct challenges to the

Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The First Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Pre ...

's authority regarding

continued without pause in the Philippine Assembly beginning in the late 1900s to the early 1910s. In 1910, Assembly Bill 181, aiming to promote migration to the island, was co-authored by Capistrano and Deogracias Reyes. This bill targeted the poor with property valued under 500 pesos, intending to enhance their welfare, specifically directing migration to Mindanao. The Committee on Affairs related to the Moro Province rejected the bill, noting it infringed on their jurisdiction. Despite this, Capistrano, a Misamis native and chair of the Committee for Mindanao Affairs, persisted in defending the bill, even questioning the Philippine Organic Act of 1902.

Personal life

Capistrano married Cecilia Trinidad of

Santa Cruz, Manila Santa Cruz is a district in the northern part of the Manila, City of Manila, Philippines, located on the right bank of the Pasig River near its mouth. It is bordered by the districts of Tondo, Manila, Tondo, Binondo, Manila, Binondo, Quiapo, Ma ...

in 1895 and had nine children. He resided at a seaside hacienda in Gusa,

Cagayan de Oro Cagayan de Oro (abbreviated CDO and officially the City of Cagayan de Oro; ; Bukid language, Binukid: ''Ciudad ta Cagayan de Oro''; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippi ...

Legacy

A street in Cagayan de Oro was renamed in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capistrano, Nicolas 1864 births Year of death missing Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni 20th-century Filipino lawyers Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Misamis (province) Nacionalista Party politicians People from the Spanish East Indies Politicians from Bulacan Senators of the 4th Philippine Legislature University of Santo Tomas alumni Members of the Senate of the Philippines from the 11th district