Tribute to the Great Men of Bangued
(Editor's Note: The historical accounts here were recounted from memory by one of the legal luminaries in Bangued, Atty. Demetrio Pre who has expressed very keen interest in the formation of a Historical Society in Abra that would endeavor to compile the historical background, not of Bangued, but of the whole Abra.)
On this anniversary, which we, citizens of the capital town of Bangued traditionally refer to as "Washington Day" we pride ourselves on the fact that there were great men whose extraordinary accomplishments contrived our illustrious past. They were men of our own race, born of the same stock, and to that extent, at least we may feel that we have some significant part in the great development which our town owes to their genius, courage and love of country.
In that sense, we may look with peculiar pride and satisfaction upon this great anniversary commemoration.
And Bangued, being as it is now, has its own share of forebears that we all can be proud of.
The Villamor brothers are our take of point. They are Ignacio, Blas and Juan. A fourth, son of Ignacio, is Jesus.
Atty. Ignacio Villamor - First President of the University of the Philippines and Justice of the Supreme Court
Ignacio, a lawyer, was a member of the La Solidaridad movement of General Emilio Aguinaldo. He served in the early 1900s as a fiscal of the biggest province of the Philippines - Pangasinan. He was appointed by the US Governor General following the consolidation of power by the Americans here. It was also at this time that the American colonizers annexed Abra with Ilocos Sur. As a resulf of that action, Abra was down-graded into a sub-province of Ilocos Sur. This also rescinded the decision of the Spaniards in 1845 to wean away Abra from Ilocos Sur to become a full-fledged province. The shining moment came for Ignacio Villamor when he was appointed as the First President of the University of the Philippines. A committee put up by the US Governor General then was tasked to select a Filipino as UP President. Ignacio got the appointment. It didn't stop here. Ignacio went on to corner the appointment by no less than the President of the United States as one of the Justices of the newly organized Supreme Court in the Philippines. Anybody who would happen to drop by the UP Campus nowadays would hardly miss the Villamor Hall immortalizing Ignacio and as proof of his being the first president of the state university.
Colonel Blas Villamor - First Governor of the Mountain Provinces and Colonel of the Katipunan Army
Another member of the Villamor Clan is a Colonel in the Katipunan army. Col. Blas Villamor was second in command to Gen. Manuel Tinio who was sent to Ilocos by General Emilio Aguinaldo. When the Americans firmed up their hold over the country, they organized the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, and Kalinga into one region. It was then called Mountain Provinces or Montanosa. Colonel Blas Villamor served as the First Governor of the Mountain Provinces. You will note that Abra was not originally included in the provinces that composed the Mountain Provinces.
Juan Villamor - First Governor of Abra and Author of Abra's Separation from Ilocos Sur
The name, Juan Villamor would perhaps sound more familiar to most of us in Bangued. The Abra PNP Camp in Calaba, Bangued is his namesake as a tribute to his remarkable past. Juan was a member, just like his brother Ignacio, of the Katipunan during the revolution against the Spaniards. His name became eminent when he ran for governor in Ilocos Sur when Abra was still a sub-province. He won, besting other gubernatorial candidates from renowned clans of Ilocos Sur itself. During his incumbency, he vigorously lobbied in Congress for the separation of Abra from Ilocos Sur. His efforts bore fruit. A congressional bill was approved to make Abra a separate province. This separation is now commemorated as the Arya Abra by the province. Juan Villamor went on to serve in the Senate being one of the two representing the Ilocos provinces. At that time, senators were still elected by district. After his term in the Senate, he was appointed by President Manuel L. Quezon as head of the Philippine Veterans Office.
Jesus Villamor and Isidro Paredes - Fighter Pilots
A pilot in the US Army, Jesus Villamor was a scion of Ignacio. He served in the US Air Force together with the son of Don Quintin Paredes - Isidro. Isidro was later drafted into the Royal Air Force of Queen Elizabeth II. Accounts have it that Isidro died in a dogfight with Nazi jetfighters during a Nazi bombing run in London. His remains were brought back to Bangued and buried at the Catholic Cemetery. His exploits endeared him so much to the people of Bangued and made him a true and revered hero. His buddy, Jesus meantime, remained in the country. His exploits too made him a very famous Filipino pilot in the US Army in the battle against the Japanese Imperial Army. Jesus later became a consultant in the Pentagon, the Defense Planning Committee in the United States.
Don Quintin Paredes - Colossus of the North
Before he got his name "Colossus of the North," Don Quintin Paredes was first bestowed the proud reference "Molave of the North" by then President Manuel L. Quezon. Truly Don Quintin Paredes deserves both for obvious reasons. During the American Revolution, Don Quintin was a seminarian in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. The Americans who were relentlessly pursuing the Katipuneros in the Ilocos, which was then considered as the bastion of the Guerillas, were in need of an interpreter.
Don Quintin was chosen by the Americans. After the revolution, he continued and finished law at the Philippine Law School then called Escuela de Derechos in Manila. It was due to this American connection as an interpreter that he got his appointment as Provincial Fiscal of La Union. Later, the American Governor General appointed him First Filipino Fiscal of the City of Manila. One appointment led to the other, so to speak. Next was his appointment as Solicitor General and went on to become Secretary of Justice.
It was in 1929 that the political itch manifested in Don Quintin. He was eventually persuaded by the opposition in Abra to take a shot at the Congressional seat alloted for the province. He won but only by a slight margin over a Villamor.
Don Quintin made a good accounting of himself in Congress. As a result, he was pitted against Sergio Osmena in the battle for Speakership of the House which he won. It was during his tenure as Speaker that he initiated the Struggle for Philippine Independence that resulted in the passage of an independence bill - The Tydings-McDuffie Bill that would establish the Commonwealth Government in preparation for full Philippine Independence.
Under the Philippine Independence Law, the country was entitled to be represented in the US Congress. President Quezon thus appointed Don Quintin as representative with the title of Philippine Resident Commissioner in the US Congress.
In 1939, he was recalled from the United States when he ran for a Senate seat. He topped the Senatorial race. He served for three terms and became Senate President.
Don Quintin Paredes, Ignacio Villamor and son, Jesus Villamor were all honored by postage stamp in recognition of their unparalleled achievements.
Source: http://www.bangued.gov.ph