HUGO SALAZAR (1858-1931)
A NATIVE of San Roque, Cavite, Hugo Salazar stepped into the limelight as a result of an incident with Manuel L. Quezon, the fiery majority floor leader of the Philippine Assembly. Salazar had just arrived in his office as editor of La Democracia, official organ of the Partido Progresista (Progressive Party), the successor to the pro-American Federalista Party, on the morning of January 8, 1909, when Quezon, resenting some, “personal remarks” about him in the papers issue the day before, assaulted the editor.
“ The scene,” says a story published in the Cable news American, ”was like the acrobatic feats of a cut shut up in a kitchen with a parrot thrown in.”
“The result, ”the paper adds, “was a severe drubbing of Hugo Salazar, the editor of the La Democracia, to the complete satisfaction of the aggressor (Quezon). Casualties: none killed, one wounded:
“This morning there occurred in our office an event that cannot be qualified and that has no precedent.
“About half past ten Sr. Quezon appeared here for the purpose of speaking with our editor, Sr. Salazar, Dr. Alemany happened to be present and received Sr. Quezon, telling him that Sr. Salazar would be in shortly. And so it happened.
“Our editor arrived and while he was talking with Sr. Quezon, Dr. Alemany was conversing with Sres. Villamor and Lerma. Suddenly during the conversation that passed between Sr. Quezon and Sr. Salazar, our director (Salazar) was seen fall to the floor, chair and all, brutally attacked by Sr. Quezon.
“Dr. Alemany Separated them and led Quezon out of the room. The question arose out of an article that appeared in our column yesterday (January 7, 1909), which Sr. Quezon believed to be an insult. We have nothing but words of protest against those who seek redress in this manner instead of taking their differences to the court…”
Commenting on the La Democracia version, Quezon denied that he assaulted Salazar. “I have not attacked the managing editor of La Democracia,” he said, “ but that all I did was to resent his provocation…I respect the right of criticism of the press…but that I condemn those who use this privilege to indulge in spiteful and rancorous personal attack.”
Although a well-known journalist like Pascual H. Poblete and Carlos V. Ronquillo, there is unfortunately a death of biographical data about Salazar. That he was the editor of La Democracia, organ of one of the two major political parties at that time, is something to commend him to any historian of Philippine Journalism. A prudent man, Salazar did not retaliate Quezon’s assault. Nor did he use his paper to condemn Quezon. It was the American-owned Cable news-American that came out with sarcastic remark, to wit; “Can it be…that while the third most powerful man in the Philippines (Quezon-ABS) was supposed to have been poring over volumes at the library in New York, he was instead occupying a front seat beside the padded ring, and cheering on the champion with the Tagalog for ‘Hit him in the slat!”
Because Salazar kept his cool, he won the admiration of the press and the educated public.
[Sources: (1) Leopoldo R. Serrano, “The Quezon-Salazar Incident” Historical Bulletin, 1962, Vol. VI, No. 3; and (2) Carlos Quirino, Quezon: Paladin of the Philippine Freedom, Manila, Filipiniana Book Guild, 1971.]