Cebuano Senators in 100 years
The House of Senate was established in 1916 by virtue of the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916 more known as the Jones Law. This year is the 100 years of the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines.
The Jones Law mandated that the Philippines be divided into 12 Senatorial Districts, with Cebu as the 10th Senatorial District. From 1916 to 1935, there were five Cebuanos who represented the 10th Senatorial District. They were Don Celestino Rodriguez (1916 to 1925), Don Filemon Yap Sotto (1916 to 1922), Don Pedro Rodriguez (1925 to 1931), Don Sergio Suico Osmeña (1922 to 1935), and the Great Jurist, Manuel C. Briones (1931 to 1935).
The 1935 Constitution however abolished the Senate. It was restored when the Constitution was amended. The first senatorial election when it was restored was on November 11, 1941. This time the Senators instead of being elected by district were elected at large or the whole electorate of the country has to vote for them. There were two Cebuanos who won in that election with 24 seats contested. They were Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco and Don Vicente Rama.
The next election was held on April 23, 1946 (that was the first election after liberation from the Japanese) with 16 seats to be contested. Two Cebuanos won, they were Don Vicente Yap Sotto placing second, and Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco placing seventh. A year after an election was held for the expired term of eight senators, it was held on November 11, 1947. This time no Cebuano won. Two years after on November 8, 1949, with eight seats available, no Cebuano won.
The election of 1951 (November 13) abolished the block voting. This time a Cebuano won the coveted eight senatorial seats. He was Manuel C. Briones, placing third. The next election was held on November 10, 1953, Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco placed sixth among the eight winning candidates.
In the elections of November 8, 1955 and November 12, 1957, there was no Cebuano who got elected in the Senate. Two years after on November 10, 1959, two Cebuanos won, Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco (placed fifth) and Alejandro Almendras (Governor of Davao, originally from Danao, Cebu placed eighth, the last seat). There was a drought for a Cebuano Senator in the elections of November 14, 1961 and November 12, 1963. Dr. Manuel Cuenco (Governor of Cebu, Son of Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco who at that time was not physically capable of campaigning fielded his son) ran in 1963 but placed 13th of the eight available seats. It was redemption for the Cebuanos in the November 9, 1965 elections with Cebu's son, Mayor of Cebu City and Governor of Cebu, Sergio "Serging" Chiong Veloso Osmeña winning, who got the fourt spot and Alejandro "Landring" Almendras, the second spot. Cesar Climaco, the Mayor of Zambonga of Cebuano descent almost won having placed ninth with the eight contested seats.
In the November 14, 1967, Emmanuel Pelaez although had his residency in Mindanao was of Cebuano descent won placing sixth. The next election was held on November 11, 1969, a Cebuano bar topnotch and former Governor of Cebu, Builder of the Mactan Bridge won, his name, Rene Gandiongco Espina, placed seventh. In the pre-Martial Law election held on November 8, 1971, two Cebuanos won, Alejandro Almendras of the Nacionalista Party of President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos and John Henry Osmeña (placed third). The President's term as mandated by the 1935 Constitution is four years with one reelection, thus the Marcos presidency should have ended in 1973. This was not followed as Marcos declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972. Marcos padlocked the Senate and the House of Representatives. Marcos asserted his continued presidency based on the 1973 Constitution pretext on the Constitutional Convention of 1971. In the senatorial election of 1971, a Cebuana, Leonila Dimataga Garcia, the widow of President Carlos Polistico Garcia ran but placed 15th.
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