LOCAL HEROES

On July 23, 1864, Apolinario Mabini, often referred to as the "Sublime Paralytic" and
known as the brains of the revolution, was born in Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas. He was
the second of eight children of Dionisia Maranan, a vendor in the Tanauan market, and
Inocencio Mabini, an unlettered peasant.

Apolinario Mabini y Maranan was a Filipino revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and
statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary
Government, and then as the first Prime Minister of the Philippines upon the
establishment of the First Philippine Republic. He is regarded as the "utak ng
himagsikan" or "brain of the revolution" and is also to be considered to be as a national
hero in the Philippines. Mabini's work and thoughts on the government shaped the
Philippines' fight for independence over the next century.

Mabini performed all his revolutionary and governmental activities despite having lost
the use of both his legs to polio[4] shortly before the Philippine Revolution of 1896.

Mabini's role in Philippine history saw him confronting first Spanish colonial rule in the
opening days of the Philippine Revolution, and then American colonial rule in the days
of the Philippine–American War. The latter saw Mabini captured and exiled to Guam by
American colonial authorities, allowed to return only two months before his eventual
death in May 1903.
On March 9, 1891, Jose P. Laurel, president of the Japanese-sponsored Republic of the
Philippines during World War II, from 1943 to 1945, was born in Tanauan, Batangas.

Laurel was instructed to remain in Manila by President Manuel L. Quezon, who were to
leave together with his family and key officials, including Vice President Sergio Osmena,
to Corregidor and later left for Australia then to the United States to establish a
government-in-exile there.Accordingly, Japan launched a surprise attack on the
Philippines on December 8, 1941 and battles continued until the final surrender of US-
Philippine forces on May 1942.Laurel, then acting Chief Justice, wanted to go with
Quezon to leave the country, but the latter restrained him and told him "that someone
will have to meet the Japanese".

His prewar, close relationship with Japanese officials (a son had been sent to study at
the Imperial Military Academy in Tokyo and Laurel had received an honorary doctorate
from Tokyo University), placed him in a good position to interact with the Japanese
occupation forces.Subsequently, the Japanese-sponsored Republic was proclaimed on
October 14, 1943 with Laurel inducted into office as President.

Throughout his stint as president, Laurel tried to solve the problems of the Philippines to
alleviate the people's sufferings. When Japanese surrendered to America on August 15,
1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur ordered his arrest for collaborating with the Japanese.In
1946, he was charged with 132 counts of treason, but was never brought to trial due to
the general amnesty granted by President Manuel Roxas in 1948.

In later years, Laurel ran and lost for presidential elections against Elpidio Quirino in
1949. He was elected to the Senate in 1951.During President Ramon Magsaysay's term,
he became head of a mission tasked with negotiating trade and other issues with United
States officials, the result of which known as the Laurel-Langley Agreement.He retired
from public life, concentrating on the development of the Lyceum of the Philippines
established by his family.Laurel died on November 6, 1959 at the age of 68.

REFERENCES

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apolinario_Mabini
https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1564/today-in-philippine-history-july-23-1864-
apolinario-mabini-was-born-in-talaga-tanauan-batangas
https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/991/today-in-philippine-history-march-9-1891-jose-p-
laurel-was-born-in-tanauan-batangas