Julio and Martin Llorente, the governor and mayor brothers of Cebu
Dons Julio and Martin Llorente hold the distinction as the only brothers who served Cebu as governor and mayor. Don Julio Llorente was appointed governor of Cebu by Governor General William Howard Taft on April 18, 1901. Don Julio is Cebu’s first civilian governor (the first Cebuano governor is General Arcadio Molero Maxilom) who was later admitted to the Philippine Bar on July 3, 1914. After serving Cebu as governor he was appointed governor of Samar and thereafter served as judge of the Court of First Instance which covered Samar. A town in Samar is named after him, so is a street in Cebu City (City Ordinance No. 635, renaming among others the flower-named streets, one of them was Adelfa renamed after him. The ordinance was enacted on September 10, 1968).
Don Julio’s younger brother, Martin, ran for municipal president of Cebu on November 5, 1907. In the election, Don Vicente Yap Sotto got the highest votes with 650 while Don Martin earned 483 votes but judge Adolph Wislizenus of the Court of First Instance of Cebu on July 4, 1908 disqualified Sotto as a candidate and his votes were voided. Don Martin was declared municipal president of Cebu.
Don Martin Llorente assumed the presidency of Cebu with Francisco Arias, the vice presidential tandem of Don Vicente Sotto, as vice president (it is today’s equivalent to the position of vice mayor). Llorente and Arias were, however, removed from their positions when they were suspended by Governor Dionisio Jakosalem and eventually approved and removed by the American governor general. Martin was removed as municipal president in an order dated October 26, 1909 while Arias was removed on October 29. Martin Llorente was replaced by Melchor Gonzalez as municipal president of Cebu.
The other officials of Cebu who had similar fates were Mariano Montejo, municipal president of Catmon who was removed from the office on October 30, 1909, and Juan Mercado, municipal president of Naga, was temporarily suspended in an order dated May 7, 1909.
Don Julio and Martin were the children of Ceferino Camara Llorente of Spain and Martina Perez Aballe of Cebu. They had the following children: Julio, Martin, Francisco, and Jacinta.
Martin Llorente married Margarita Hernandez Guivelondo and they had the following children: Trinidad (married Don Hospicio Orchotorena, of Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, a street is named after him), Pilar (married Anastacio Rama), Patrocinio (married Bernabe Midel), Margarita (married Petronilo Demecillo), Mercedes (married Jose Austria), and Consuelo.
(CEBUpedia extends gratitude to Dr. Harold Rodriguez Cagang of the Llorente Clan for providing the names of the children of Municipal President Martin Llorente)
- Latest
