Pedro Abad Santos

Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition):

JANUARY 31, 1940

Around 30,000 workers staged a huge parade in San Fernando, Pampanga to celebrate the 64th birthday of Pedro Abad Santos and to show support to President Manuel L. Quezon’s labor policies. 

Earlier, a reform program was formulated by the administration to address the social problems in the country. 

Quezon planned to launch it in San Fernando. Pedro’s group was asked to organize the farmers and workers for that purpose. 

Santos, who was popularly known as Don Perico introduced Quezon as a "Friend of the masses and of the poor” and told the audience to "plant in your hearts what he will say" but before Quezon’s speech, Don Perico laid out the peasants' grievances, accused the judges and fiscals of working for rich landowners, then turned to his brother Jose Abad Santos who was sitting beside Quezon and challenged him, as Secretary of Justice to clean up the courts. 

Jose Abad Santos would later become Supreme Court Chief Justice. 

Pedro Abad Santos (January 31, 1876 - January 15, 1945), was the eldest of the 10 children of wealthy couple Vicente Abad Santos and Toribia Basco. 

He completed his secondary education at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Santo Tomas and topped the medical board examinations. 

He studied law all by himself and took the bar exams (this was allowed at the time ), which he topped in 1906. 

Santos was a major under General Maximino Hizon during the Philippine-American War. 

He was captured, charged and found guilty for his guerrilla activities and allied crimes but was later pardoned by US President Theodore Roosevelt. 

He founded the Partido Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PSP) in 1929. 

Luis Taruc, the founder of the guerrilla force Hukbalahap (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon), was his protege and right hand man. 

Pedro Abad Santos died on January 15, 1945 at a guerrilla base in Minalin, Pampanga due to complications of his stomach ailment.

(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan Uy) All rights reserved

Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org