Jose Zulueta
Encyclopedia
Jose Zulueta was a Philippine senator who was elected as Senate President. He is also a renowned scholar, bibliographer, lawyer, librarian, and journalist who documented the military activities during the Philippine revolution.
Zulueta was accused of collaboration, along with Jorge Vargas
, Jorge Bocobo, and Manuel Roxas
, being the first to respond General Homma's order to form an Executive Commission. After the establishment of the Philippine Republic in 1946, the Department of Interior was restored and Zulueta was appointed by President Manuel Roxas
once again to head the agency until 1948. Zulueta's term was marked by heightened tensions with the Hukbalahap
movement, with Zulueta instituting a pass system that was required of Central Luzon residents wishing to travel outside their towns. Like his mentor Roxas, he adopted a hardline attitude toward the Huks, declaring in 1947 that the Huks faced only two choices: surrender or annihilation. He gave carte blanche to the Philippine Constabulary
in all their operations against "dissidents". He was in charge of negotiating several times with its leaders, including Luis Lava, Luis Taruc
, Juan Feleo, and Jose de Leon.
In 1946 Zulueta was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives in the inaugural session of the Congress.
He became Senator (1951–1957), representing the Liberal Party
and was briefly elected the Senate President in 1953. He became Provincial Governor of Iloilo in 1959.
During the Marcos
regime, he was made the Presidential Consultant on Local Government.
He is among the few Filipinos included in the World Biography, 1948 edition and in the International Who’s Who, 1952 edition.
Zulueta was married to Soledad B. Ramos.
Early life
Orphaned as an infant in Paco, Manila, Zulueta was adopted and raised by loving and warm hearted parents who nicknamed him Peping. He began schooling in the College of San Antonia de Padua. Eventually, he left for the Ateneo Municipal. His scholarly prowess first manifested itself with small academic groups that he formed with friends to discuss topics ranging from mathematics and ethics to philosophy and poetry. After his stay in the Ateneo Municipal, he went to the University of Santo Tomas to study law. While in the UST, he was recognized as a poet whose Spanish works earned awards from the Academic Bibliografico Mariana of Spain.Career
Zulueta was the fourth Secretary of the Interior during the Commonwealth period, succeeding Rafael Alunan. During the Japanese OccupationJapanese Occupation
Japanese Occupation may refer to:*Occupation of Japan, the occupation of Japan by United States forces following World War II*Japanese occupation of Burma*Japanese occupation of Cambodia*Japanese occupation of Guam*Japanese occupation of Hong Kong...
Zulueta was accused of collaboration, along with Jorge Vargas
Jorge Vargas
Jorge Vargas may refer to:*Jorge B. Vargas , Filipino lawyer and youth advocate*Jorge Vargas González, Chilean politician, mayor of Pichilemu 1997-2007*Jorge Alberto Vargas, Ecuadorian football player*Jorge Francisco Vargas, Chilean footballer...
, Jorge Bocobo, and Manuel Roxas
Manuel Roxas
Manuel Acuña Roxas was the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines and fifth president overall. He served as president from the granting of independence in 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948...
, being the first to respond General Homma's order to form an Executive Commission. After the establishment of the Philippine Republic in 1946, the Department of Interior was restored and Zulueta was appointed by President Manuel Roxas
Manuel Roxas
Manuel Acuña Roxas was the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines and fifth president overall. He served as president from the granting of independence in 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948...
once again to head the agency until 1948. Zulueta's term was marked by heightened tensions with the Hukbalahap
Hukbalahap
The Hukbalahap , was the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines , formed in 1942 to fight the Japanese Empire's occupation of the Philippines during World War II. It fought a second war from 1946 to 1954 against the pro-Western leaders of their newly independent country...
movement, with Zulueta instituting a pass system that was required of Central Luzon residents wishing to travel outside their towns. Like his mentor Roxas, he adopted a hardline attitude toward the Huks, declaring in 1947 that the Huks faced only two choices: surrender or annihilation. He gave carte blanche to the Philippine Constabulary
Philippine Constabulary
The Philippine Constabulary ' was the oldest of four service commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was a gendarmerie type para-military police force of the Philippines established in 1901 by the United States-appointed administrative authority replacing the Guardia Civil...
in all their operations against "dissidents". He was in charge of negotiating several times with its leaders, including Luis Lava, Luis Taruc
Luis Taruc
Luis Taruc was a Filipino political figure and communist insurgent. He was the leader of the Hukbalahap rebel group between 1942 and 1954. His involvement with the movement came after his initiation to the problems of agrarian Filipinos when he was a student in the early 1930s...
, Juan Feleo, and Jose de Leon.
In 1946 Zulueta was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives in the inaugural session of the Congress.
He became Senator (1951–1957), representing the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
and was briefly elected the Senate President in 1953. He became Provincial Governor of Iloilo in 1959.
During the Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
regime, he was made the Presidential Consultant on Local Government.
He is among the few Filipinos included in the World Biography, 1948 edition and in the International Who’s Who, 1952 edition.
Zulueta was married to Soledad B. Ramos.
Library work
After his stint in journalism, Zulueta returned to academic work and focused on librarian tasks. He travelled the world and met famous collectors including Wenceslao Retana. He collaborated with bibliographers and historians such as James Alexander Robertson and Emma Helen Blair who needed references for work such as The Philippine Islands, 1493 to 1898. He also visited Spain to study the 1887 Exposicion General de Filipinas, and Cambridge to study the Vocabulario Tagalo. In manila, he created archives and texts to collate the various historical sources for creating the Philippine’s history, using both local and foreign sources.Reference
- List of Iloilo 1st District RepresentativesLegislative districts of IloiloThe Legislative Districts of Iloilo, namely the first, second, third, fourth and fifth districts, are the representations of the Province of Iloilo in the Philippine House of Representatives. The province has been divided into five congressional districts since 1907. Minor adjustments were made to...
- Philippine Senate bio of Jose C. Zulueta, the first parts of which have been erroneously conflated with the life of the bibliographer Clemente Jose Zulueta (1876-1904), December 24, 2009).
- Deparatment of Interior and Local Government History, accessed December 24, 2009
- William Pomery, The Philippines, pp, 117 and 153 (Accessed on December 24, 2009)
- Benedict Kerkvliet, "The Huk Rebellion", p. 189, 190 (Accessed on December 24, 2009)