Ramón Avanceña y Quiosay (April 13, 1872 – June 12, 1957) was a

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines The chief justice of the Philippines () presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Supreme Court and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines. As of April 5, 2021, the position is currently held by Alexander ...

. He served from 1925 to 1941, when he resigned at the beginning of the

Japanese occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas''; ) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan, Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during Wo ...

during

World War II 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 was from Arevalo, Iloilo City.

Early life and education

Avanceña was born on April 13, 1872 to Lucas Avanceña and Petra Quiosay in

Molo, Iloilo City Molo () is a district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is the most densely populated district in the city. According to the 2020 census, Molo has a population of 76,393 people, making it the second-most populous district, after Jaro. Molo is o ...

, but grew up in Arevalo, Iloilo City. He earned his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

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 ...

and

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

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 ...

Legal career

Ramón Avanceña served as a legal adviser to the Federal State of the Visayas, the revolutionary government of

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

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 was chosen to negotiate with the American forces on

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...

during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. During the

American Colonial Era The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen Colonies, Thirteen British Colonies and creation of the United States in 17 ...

, he was appointed as assistant attorney in the Bureau of Justice. In 1905, he was appointed auxiliary judge. He was Attorney General of the Philippines from 1914 until 1917, when he was appointed to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

as an

Associate Justice An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...

. Upon the death of Manuel Araullo in 1924, he succeeded as Chief Justice, but he had to wait until 1925 to be formally appointed. He was supposed to join Philippine Commonwealth

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 ...

in exile during the onset of the Japanese Occupation, but worried that he would not be together with his family, so he decided to stay put.

Personal life

His sons José, Alberto, and Jesús became practicing attorneys. The Ramon Avanceña National High School in Arevalo, Iloilo City and Ramon Avanceña High School in

Quiapo, Manila Quiapo () is a district of the city of Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Known as the “Old Downtown of Manila", the district’s most famous landmark is Quiapo Church, a Basilicas in the Catholic Church, minor basilic ...

are named after him.

References

* Cruz, Isagani A. (2000). ''Res Gestae: A Brief History of the Supreme Court''. Rex Book Store, Manila {{DEFAULTSORT:Avancena, Ramon 1872 births 1957 deaths Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni Ramón Avanceña Filipino collaborators with Imperial Japan People from Iloilo City Unofficial vice presidents of the Philippines University of Santo Tomas alumni Visayan people Associate justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines People from the Spanish East Indies