Felipe Buencamino
Felipe Siojo Buencamino Sr. (August 23, 1848 – February 6, 1929) was a Filipino lawyer and politician. He fought alongside the Spaniards in the Philippine Revolution but later switched side joined Emilio Aguinaldo’s revolutionary cabinet. He was a member of the Malolos Congress and co-authored the Malolos Constitution. He was also appointed as Secretary of Foreign Relations in the cabinet of Aguinaldo. After he left the revolutionary government, he co-founded the Federal Party and the Philippine Independent Church. Early life. Felipe Buencamino was born on August 23, 1848, in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan to Victor  Buencamino and Petrona Siojo. In 1859, he moved to Manila, where he completed high school and took up a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Santo Tomas. Career. In 1884, he earned his law degree and went to work for the Manila Audencia (court). In 1886, he was appointed fiscal and then judge of Batanes, and in 1888, he was appointed judge of Tayabas. During the revolution, he fought under the Spanish flag, rising through the ranks to become a colonel in the Spanish army. However, after the failed Pact of Biak-na-Bato and the resumption of the  revolution, he switched sides and even managed to land a position in Aguinaldo's revolutionary cabinet. When 270 Spanish navy infantry prisoners were handed to General Aguinaldo at Teatro Caviteño following the Battle of Alapan at Imus on May 28, 1898, he was being held in the tower of the Osorio family estate in Cavite Puerto for being accused of being a spy. He was present when the Philippine flag was first unfurled. General Tomas Mascardo stayed in charge of Buencamino until June 6, 1898. However, he was present for the declaration of Philippine independence in Kawit on June 12 , 1898. He later served as a delegate to the Malolos Congress and was appointed by General Aguinaldo as Secretary of Public Development (Formento) on September 26, 1898. The First Philippine Republic was inaugurated on January 23, 1899. By February, Filipinos found themselves at war with their erstwhile American ally. The war was triggered by the February 4 killing of a Filipino corporal in Santa Mesa, Manila by an American sentry and the massive attack against Filipino troops the next day. He investigated the incident through the orders of Aguinaldo. His report put the blame squarely on the occupying American forces . Yet by May 1899, Buencamino was among those lobbying for the acceptance of American rule. United States Secretary of State John Hay had sent a telegram to the Schurman Commission enabling it to offer the Filipinos autonomy under American authority, but Mabini was against it and favored independence under American protection. Buencamino, Paterno, and other powerful Malolos Congress members passed a resolution requesting that Aguinaldo disavow Mabini's position and remove him as prime minister. Under duress, Aguinaldo formed a new cabinet. Paterno replaced Mabini, while Buencamino was promoted as Secretary of Foreign Relations. In one of their cabinet meetings , General Antonio Luna allegedly slapped Buencamino. He and Luna had another confrontation in Cabanatuan on June 5, 1899, just before Luna and his aide Colonel Francisco Roman were killed. When Buencamino and Paterno formed a group known as the "Pacificados" and organized the Asociación de Paz (League for Peace), the Philippine–American War was still raging. The goal was to aid General Elwell Otis' pacification campaign and clear the way for American authority. Among its prominent members were Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Leon Ma. Guerrero, Cayetano Arellano, Rafael Palma, Tomas del Rosario, Justo Lukban and Pascual H. Poblete. In December  1900, the league changed its name to Partido Federal whose aim was statehood for the Philippines. The party dominated politics for a while until 1907 when their opponents, the Nacionalistas who advocated independence took control of the Philippine Assembly. Buencamino died on February 6, 1929. Personal life. Buencamino was married to Juana Arnedo and had ten children. After she died in 1883, Buencamino married Guadalupe Abreu, who had three sons, Victor, Felipe Jr., and Philip.