CLARO M.

RECTO

FILIPINO FIRST –
CHAMPION OF FILIPINO NATIONALISM
 CLARO M. RECTO JR.
Claro Mayo Recto Jr. was a
Filipino statesman, jurist,
poet and one of the
foremost statesmen of his
generation.

He is remembered for his

nationalism, for "the
impact of his patriotic
convictions on modern
political thought".
 Claro Recto Jr. y Mayo
Born: February 8, 1890 in Tiong, Quezon
●

●
Died October 2, 1960 at the age of 70 years old in Rome, Italian
Republic
Parents:
●

–Don Claro Recto Sr. of Batangas

–Doña Micaela Mayo of Lipa
Spouses:
●

–Angeles Silos
–Aurora Reyes
Children: 6
●
 EARLY LIFE
●
He studied Latin at Instituto de Rizal in Lipa, Batangas, from
1900 to 1901
●
He continued his education at Colegio del Sagrado Corazón of
Don Sebastián Virrey
●
He moved to Manila to study at Ateneo de Manila where he
consistently obtained outstanding scholastic grades, graduating
with a Bachelor of Arts degree maxima cum laude
●
He received a Masters of Laws degree from University of
Santo Tomás
●
He later received his Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) honorary
degree from Central Philippine University in 1969.
 Politician
●
In 1916, Recto launched his political career as a legal
adviser to the first Philippine Senate.
●
In 1919, Recto was elected representative from the
2nd district of Batangas. He served as minority floor
leader for several years until 1925.
●
In 1924, Recto traveled to the United States as a
member of the Independence Mission and was
admitted to the American Bar. Upon his return, he
founded the Partido Democrata.
●
In 1928, Recto temporarily retired from active politics
and dedicated himself to the practice and teaching of
law.
●
●
In 1934, He ran and won a senate seat and was
subsequently elected majority floor leader.
●
In July 3, 1935 – November 1, 1936, He was
appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
As a jurist, Recto debated against U.S. President
●

Dwight D. Eisenhower's Attorney General Herbert

Brownell Jr. on the question of U.S. ownership of
military bases in the Philippines.
●
In 1934 - 1935, Recto presided over the assembly
that drafted the Philippine Constitution in accordance
with the provisions of the Tydings–McDuffie Act
and a preliminary step to independence and self-
governance after a 10-year transitional period.
Tydings–McDuffie Act was written to replace the
Hare–Hawes–Cutting Act which, through the urging of
Manuel L. Quezon, was rejected by the Philippine Senate.
The consensus among many political scholars of today
judges the 1935 Constitution as the best-written
Philippine charter ever. Its author was mainly Claro M.
Recto.
●
In 1941, Recto ran and reaped the highest number of
votes among the 24 elected senators.
●
In 1949, He was re-elected as a Nacionalista Party
candidate.
In 1955, as a guest candidate of the Liberal Party.
●

●
In 1953 and 1955 elections, Recto denounced the
influence and coercion of the Catholic Church on
voters' decisions.
●
In 1958 article in "The Lawyer's Journal," Recto
suggested a constitutional amendment to make the
article on Separation of Church and State clearer and
more definitive.
●
In 1957, he ran the presidential election against then
President Carlos Garcia.
●
In 1991, Philippine president Corazon Aquino
initially fought for the continuation of the Republic of
the Philippines - U.S Bases Treaty, but ultimately
acquiesced to the will of the people, and the
Philippine Senate rejected its renewal.
●
In September 1991, by a slim majority led by
Senator Jovito Salonga, the lawmaking body
rescinded the agreement, effectively ending U.S.
military presence in the Philippines.
●
Recto also served as:

●
Commissioner of Education in (1942 –
1943)
Minister of Foreign Affairs in (1943 – 1944)
●

●
Cultural Envoy with the rank of
Ambassador on a cultural mission to Europe
and Latin America (1960)
Recto the Jurist:
●
Recto was known as an abogado milagroso (lawyer
of miracles), a tribute to his many victories in the
judicial court
He was known for his flawless logic and lucidity of
●

mind in both undertakings

●
He served the wartime cabinet of President José P.
Laurel during the Japanese occupation
●
In his defense, in his treatise entitled "Three Years of
Enemy Occupation" (1946), he convincingly
presented the case of patriotic conduct of Filipinos
during World War II.
Recto as Poet, Playwright,
Essayist:
●
In 1911, Recto initially gained fame as a poet while a
student at University of Santo Tomás when he published a
book Bajo los Cocoteros (Under the Coconut Trees) a
collection of his poems in Spanish.
●
A staff writer of El Ideal and La Vanguardia, Recto wrote a
daily column, Primeras Cuartillas (First Sheets), under the
nom de plume "Aristeo Hilario.
●
Among the plays he authored were La Ruta de Damasco
(The Route to Damascus, 1918), and Solo entre las sombras
(Alone among the Shadows, 1917),
●
Recto is considered the "finest mind of his generation".
●
He left a mark on the patriotic climate of his time and a
lasting legacy to those who succeeded him.
●
His critics claim that Recto's brilliance is overshadowed by
his inability to capture nationwide acceptance.
●
One possible explanation as to why Recto was never able to
capture full national acceptance was because he dared to
strongly oppose the national security interests of the United
States in the Philippines, as when he campaigned against the
US military bases in his country.
●
Recto's wit, irony, and sharp analytic powers exposed the
duplicity of the diplomatic agreements with the United States
and revealed the subservience of Filipino opportunists to the
dictates of American policy makers.
Recto opposed President Ramon Magsaysay on a
number of fundamental issues, among them are:

●
The Philippine relations with the Chiang Kai-shek
regime in Taiwan
The Ohno-Garcia reparations deal
●

The grant of more bases to the United States

●

The American claim of ownership over these bases

●

●
The question of expanded parity rights for Americans
under the Laurel-Langley Agreement
●
The premature recognition of Ngo Dinh Diem's South
Vietnam government.
Recto's Death:

●
Recto died of a heart attack in Rome, Italy, on
October 2, 1960, while on a cultural mission, and en
route to Spain, where he was to fulfill a series of
speaking engagements.
●
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is suspected of
involvement in his death.
●
United States government documents later showed
that a plan to murder Recto with a vial of poison was
discussed by CIA Chief of Station Ralph Lovett and
the US Ambassador to the Philippines Admiral
Raymond Spruance years earlier.
 “So long as our economic policies remain
dependent primarily on foreign “aid” and
investments, and our policy-makers remain
habitual yes-men of foreign advisors, this
“aid,” investment and advice, will be
directed toward the retention of the
economic status quo.”
– Claro M. Recto (1890-1960)

This message was delivered by Recto on the eve of

the election of 1957 when he ran as the presidential
candidate of the Lapiang Makabansa (Nationalist-
Citizens Party).
THANK YOU!! :)