Victorino Montaño Mapa (February 25, 1855 – April 12, 1927) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and later, as the second

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 ...

under the American colonial

Insular Government The Philippine Insular GovernmentThis form of the name appeared in the titles of US Supreme Court cases, but was otherwise rarely used. See Costas v. Government of the Philippine Islands, 221 U.S. 623, 1911. The Administrative Code of the Phil ...

Career

He was

homeschool Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...

ed during his childhood. Later, he earned his Bachelor of Arts from

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 his degree of Bachelor of Laws and Jurisprudence from 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 ...

at the age of 25. He was appointed an associate justice of the newly created

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...

in 1901, together with

Cayetano Arellano Cayetano Simplicio Arellano y Lonzón (March 2, 1847 – December 23, 1920) was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines under the American Civil Government. Cayetano Arellano had occupied a high position in Aguinaldo's go ...

and Florentino Torres. He left the Supreme Court to be Secretary of Finance and Justice in 1913 during which he also served on 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 ...

, the upper house of the

Philippine Legislature The Philippine Legislature was the legislature of the Philippines from 1907 to 1935, during the American colonial period, and predecessor of the current Congress of the Philippines. It was bicameral and the legislative branch of the Insular ...

. Upon Arellano's retirement in 1920, he was appointed the second Chief Justice. His tenure was brief, as his frail health forced him to retire early on October 31, 1921. He died on April 12, 1927. On April 29, or 17 days later, his fellow retired justice, Florentino Torres, also died.

Legacy

Victorino Mapa High School,

Victorino Mapa Street Victorino Mapa Street, also known by its short form V. Mapa Street, is the main north–south road in the district of Santa Mesa, Manila, Santa Mesa in Manila, Philippines. The street, including its eastern extension, runs for from the junction ...

, and the nearby V. Mapa LRT Station, all in Manila, are named after him.

References

Bibliography

* Cruz, Isagani A. (2000). ''Res Gestae: A Brief History of the Supreme Court''. Rex Book Store, Manila *Philippine Reports, Volume 49 (In Memoriam) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mapa, Victorino Chief justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Secretaries of finance of the Philippines Secretaries of justice of the Philippines Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni People from Aklan 1855 births 1927 deaths Burials at La Loma Cemetery Members of the Philippine Commission Associate justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines People from the Spanish East Indies