Apolinario Mabini Day in Tanuan Date in the current year: July 23, 2024

Apolinario Mabini was born on July 23, 1864 in Tanuan, Batangas Province. His father was an illiterate peasant and his mother was a vendor at the local market; Apolinario was the second of their eight children. Despite his family being poor, Mabini was able to get educated in the neighboring municipality of Lipa at a school established by Father Valerio Malabanan, which accepted students based on their aptitude rather than their parents’ ability to pay. While studying in Lipa, Mabini met future fellow revolutionary Miguel Malvar.

Upon graduating from school, Mabini was granted a scholarship by the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, where he chose to study law because of his desire to defend the poor. It took Mabini six years to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree because his studies were periodically interrupted by a lack of funds. In 1888, he was admitted to the University of Santo Tomas Manila, from which he graduated with a law degree in 1894.

In 1894, Mabini joined La Liga Filipina, a secret society inaugurated by José Rizal, as it was being revived after Rizal’s arrest. Later on, Mabini was made the organization’s secretary. He was among La Liga’s conservative members who favored the support of La Solaridad, a patriotic organization that aimed to achieve political and social change through peaceful reforms rather than a revolution. In 1895, Mabini contracted polio, which eventually rendered him paraplegic.

Despite not being a staunch supporter of armed resistance, Mabini was arrested along with many other members of La Liga Filipina when the Philippine Revolution broke out in August 1896. However, the Spanish authorities released him upon realizing he was paralyzed. Mabini was sent to the hospital and spent the next couple of years seeking treatment.

During his period of convalescence, Mabini wrote two major works, El Verdadero Decálogo (“The True Decalogue”) and Ordenanzas de la Revolucion (“Rules of the Revolution”), that impressed revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo. In 1898, Aguinaldo sent for Mabini, asking him to serve as as advisor to the revolutionary cause.

While working with Aguinaldo, Mabini drafted various decrees and edited the constitution of the First Philippine Republic, known as the Political Constitution of 1899 or the Malolos Constitution. Following the promulgation of the constitution on January 21, 1899, Mabini was appointed as the first Prime Minister of the Philippines. He also served as the country’s foreign minister.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Philippine-American War, Mabini attempted to negotiate with the United States to achieve an armistice. However, the negotiations failed, so Mabini resigned from government on May 7, 1899 and fully supported the war. American troops captured Mabini in December 1899 and imprisoned him despite his poor health. When Mabini refused to pledge allegiance to the United States, he was exiled to Guam.

When the Philippines lost the war, Mabini agreed to take the Oath of Allegiance and returned from exile in February 1903. Shortly after his return, he contracted cholera and died on May 13, 1903. Mabini’s funeral was attended by about 8,000 people.