GREGORIO
S. ARANETA
(1869-1930)
Don Gregorio Araneta y Soriano, legal luminary, businessman, nationalist
and patriot, served his country and people under three regimes. The fifth son
and sixth of the seventeen children of Don Felix and Pat Soriano y Dytching, he
was born in Mole, Iloilo on April 19, 1869. His brothers and sisters were
Leopoldo, Angel, Isabel, Pablo, Marciano, Anastacio, Maria, Filomena, Rosario,
Lina, Jose, Concha, Candelaria, Encarnacion, Felicito and Remedies.
In 1880, at the age of 11, Gregorio was
sent to study at the Ateneo Municipal. In 1884, he completed his studies at the
Ateneo not only with excellent grades but also with high honors. Thereafter, he
enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas where, in the language of Justice
Villamor, "he gave evidence of outstanding intellect and unusual
application to the study of metaphysics." He won prizes in private and
public debates. While still a pre-law student, his entry entitled
"Darwinian Transformation" won first prize in a contest held on the
occasion of the elevation of Father Ceferino Gonzales to the Cardinalate.
In 1891, he graduated from the
University of Santo Tomas with the degree of Licenciado en Derecho. He also
managed to finish a course in surveying, passing the bar, he joined the law office of Don Jose Ycaza, appointed
Registrar of Deeds of the South District of Manila prior to his appointment as
prosecuting attorney of the city. He was later prmoted to Justice of the Royal
Audiencia in mid 1899.
The young lawyer was awakened to the
injustices and abuses of the Spaniards when, in 1891, he was beaten up by the
guardia civil for discourtesy.
Bloodied in the face and body, he was accompanied by Attorney Ycaza to Malacañang to file a complaint. Araneta's prominence
in legal circles earned for him an apology which led the Governor-General to immediately disband the guardin civil detachment.
Goyo, as he was fondly called by his
friends and classmates, besides being the most eligible bachelor in Manila, was
much sought after by clients. He took up the defense of Don Francisco Roxas who
was accused of giving financial support to the Katipunan. But since only military
lawyers could defend an accused according to the Council of War rules, he could
not appear on behalf of Don Francisco. However, he presented a well-reasoned
brief to the military tribunal. He also defended the Salvadors, one of whiom
was found guilty of rebellion and executed with Don Francisco at Bagumbayan in
January, 1897. In the case of Don Ambrosio, Salvador's father, Araneta was able
to persuade the court to exile him to Bontoc in lieu of a heavier sentence.
As Spanish sovereignty in the
philippines was drawing to a close, General Basilio Agustin formed the
Consultative Council to rally the Filipinos against the Americans in 1898.
Araneta was appointed a member of this 27-man assembly.
Aguinaldo, having heard of the prestige
of Araneta, appointed him a member of
the mission headed by Felipe Buencamino whose task was to negotiate the entry
of Filipino troops to the city in August 1898. The mission failed because
General Thomas Anderson had already occupied Manila.
To strengthen his revolutionary forces,
Aguinaldo invited all segments of society to join him in the war against the
Americans. Araneta was called to Malolos and made a member of the Malolos
Congress. He became its secretary and participated in the drafting of the
Constitution. In November, he was made a member of the Committee on Diplomacy
which was charged with the organization of missions to foreign` countries for
the recognition of the Philippine Republic. On the advice of Mabini, he was
also made member of the group tasked to negotiate with the American troops
under the command of General Wesley Merritt. He however resigned from all these
positions to concentrate on his work as Secretary of Justice, a new position to
which he was appointed.
Sometime in January 1899, after the
Treaty of Paris had been concluded, he left for Manila. He clearly foresaw that
a bloody struggle was not the best means to gain Philippine freedom and
independence in the face of a much more superior foe.
In Manila, the Americans revived the
Royal Audiencia. General Elwell Otis appointed Araneta to that tribunal,
together with Cayetano Arellano, Florentino Torres, Manuel Araullo, Julio
Llorente, And Dionisio Chanco.
Araneta was appointed Solicitor
General, to replace Attorney Libbeus Wifley, an American who retired from the
service. On July 1, 1908, Araneta was appointed Secretary of Justice and
Finance, the first Filipino to hold that executive portfolio. As a high-ranking
justice official he issued many legal opinions which later became part of administrative
law. They were written so concisely and clearly that many American lawyers held
him in high respect.
Though he was already receiving a
substantial salary estimated at P32,000 per annum, he chose to retire from
government service in 1913. He went into private practice with Salvador
Zaragosa. In 1916, he ran For senator for the fourth district but lost to
Rafael Palma.
Twice he prevailed on the Supreme Court
to reverse its decisions. Twice too, he was offered the bench but refused it.
He taught civil law in the University of Santo Tomas in the 1920’s, in keeping
with his concern for the education of the youth. Typical of this concern were the
thoughts he expressed at a commencement address he delivered in 1924: "A
man is like a tree. If the tree starts to grow crooked, it will always be
crooked. But a tree that starts straight remains straight throughout its
life." In 1923, his son Salvador joined his law office. His prestige grew
so much that some American lawyers were moved to comment that "the
judiciary in the Philippines during his time was better than that in the United
States."
In private life Don Gregorio was a
quiet and reserved man. He loved music.
He would visit his relatives, to whom he was deeply atteched, and his friends
or invite them to his residence along Calle Sebastian. His house was a gathering place for prominent persons and government circles, both local and
foreign.
As a businessman, he was astute but
also kind and accommodating. Once, to settle the debt of a friend, he paid from
his own pocket 600 as a guarantee.
A loving and thoughtful father, he would fetch his children from school
whenever his office hours allowed. He would take them to the beach for their
relaxation and health and he would rent houses in the suburbs for their safety
and well-being. Those responsibilities were shared by his wife Carmen Zaragosa,
faithful, religious and dutiful, whom he married on March 7, 1896. His children
were Carmita, Jose, Salvador, Consuelo, Pat, Rosa, Antonio, Teresa, Ramon, Vicente,
Conchita, Margarita, Luis and Francisco.
Don Gregorio was also a devout
Catholic. A holder of the Pro Ecelesia et Pontifice cross awarded by
Pope Plus XI, he seldom missed the observance of holy days of obligation with
his family. He reared his children in the Christian virtues. Often, he would
sit in his lounging chair and read a significant passage from the Bible to his
children. Though wealthy, he did not spoil them. When any of his children did wrong,
he would not hesitate to use the slippers to discipline them.
After his retirement from active law
practice, he would take long walks along Dewey Boulevard with his son Salvador
to burn the excess sugar in his blood since he was a diabetic. Then he built a
summer home for his family in Baguio and acquired a considerable farm area in San
Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.
On May 8, 1930, while inspecting his
farm with his son Antonio, he was seized with a massive heart attack. Rushed to
the Singian Clinic, then the best in Manila, he never recovered. He passed away
the next day. On May 10, his remains were interred at La Loma Cemetery.