Apolinario Mabini

 Born - Died

Apolinario Mabini y Maranan was a Filipino revolutionary.

Mabini was born on July 23, 1864 in Barangay Talaga, Philippines. Because his family was poor he started his education informally. Mabini exhibited extraordinary intelligence and was sent to a regular school where he would work for his education by taking odd jobs.

In 1881, Mabini received a scholarship to Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila. An anecdote from his education at the school was that a professor, seeing his shabby clothes, saw him as poor. When the professor started to pick on Mabini he was able to answer a series of questions from the professor with ease. Mabini would be in and out of school due to a chronic lack of funds. He would generally earn money by teaching younger students. Mabini would earn the title of Professor of Latin from Letran.

Mabini would go on to the University of Santo Tomas where he would receive his law degree in 1894. Mabini would never go on to practice law though. He would put his education to work for the Philippine Revolution and later the Filipino-American war.

In 1893, Mabini joined La Liga Filipino which was founded by José Rizal. The group was created to get the Filipino people involved in the reform of their country. It would be the first explicitly patriotic group that Mabini would join. Before long some of the more radical members of Liga thought that reform would not come without more aggressive tactics. Liga split into two groups the moderate Cuerpo de Compromisarios and Katipunan. Mabini went with the more moderate Cuerpo de Compromisarios. After Rizal was executed in December of that same year, Mabini changed his mind and gave the revolution his wholehearted support.

In 1895 Mabini was struck with Polio and in January of 1896 lost the use of both of his legs. Also in 1896, Mabini as well as 13 other members of Katipunan were arrested. The 13 members of La Liga Filipina who were arrested with Mabini were all executed, they would be known as the "Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite". Mabini was spared, since he was already crippled by Polio he was seen as no real threat to the Spanish.

Mabini would be hospitalized in poor health until 1898 when he came to the attention of Emilio Aguinaldo, the leader of the Filipino Revolution. Aguinaldo would put Mabini to work having him help to write decrees in the beginnings of the new Republic of the Philippines. In January of 1899, Aguinaldo would appoint Mabini as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

As Foreign Minister Mabini with negotiate with the Americans. Mabini would negotiate for a peaceful end the contentious and sometimes violent conflict between the Philippines and the United States. When the negotiations failed, Mabini would back the call for war.

On December 10th, 1899, Mabini would be exiled. He would not return to the Philippines until February 1903.

On May 13th, 1903, Mabini would pass away from Cholera in Manila.

Mabini was a member of Logia Balgatas No. 149.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.