Filipino Hero: Jose Abad Santos
Born: February 19, 1886
Died: May 7 1942
Jose Abad Santos was born in San Fernando, Pampanga on February 19, 1886. His parents were Vicente Abad Santos and Toribia Basco.
Jose began studying in his home town. In 1904, he was sent to America as a student pensionado of the Philippines. He went to school in Sta. Clara, California. He resumed his studies in university of Illinois, where he finished law. He also studied in North Western University. In George Washington University, he obtained his master of laws. He qualified in the board examination in 1911.
He was married to Amanda Teopaco in whom he had five children. They were Jose, Osmundo, Luz, Amanda and Victoria.
Jose Abad Santos handled many responsible positions. He bacame a Secretary of Justice. In 1926, he headed an educational mission to the United States. In 1932, he became magistrate of the Supreme Court. When the war broke out in 1941, he became the head of supreme court and one of the advisers in dangerous problems of the country. He was with Quezon, Osmena, and Roxas in Corregidor. From Corregedor he went to Cebu with his son. Even if he was becoming weak in body, he still continued to work.
When Quezon left for the United States, Abad Santos was left here to perform the duty of the president. To him was entrusted the Philippine government.
On April, Abad Santos was captured with his son Jose by Japanese in Carcar, Cebu. He was ordered to make Manuel Roxas surrender. "That I cannot do," said Abad Santos. "I cannot break my promise to be true to America," he said bravely.
They took Abad Santos and his son to Mindanao. When they got off at Cotabato, they met a group of USAFFE that bombarded them. The Japanese soldiers lay down but Abad Santos remained standing alone. He showed no signs of fear.
On May 7, 1942, Abad Santos was called by a Japanese interpreter. When he came back he revealed to his son that he was sentenced to die for his refusal to cooperate with the Japanese. Junior cried, but Abad Santos, the father laughingly told his son. "Why son, do not shed tears for this is an unusual opportunity given to me to die for our country. Not everybody is given such an opportunity as this."
After sating this, both father and son knelt and prayed together. They embraced each other. After a few minutes the father was taken out and was shot. When the interpreter Kerji Fukui came back to Junior's cell he said, "Your father had a pleasant death".
President Quezon said, "To me, Abad Santos had a more honorable, cleaner, and more able way of serving the Filipino People."
Mr. Willian Alexander Sutherland who was a superintendent of the pensionados to the United States gave his own version about Santos. This was what he said, "If America had great patriots in the persons of Washington and Lincoln, the Philippines had equally great patriots like Rizal and Abad Santos."
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