Manila mayor arsenio lacson photo

Filipino lawyer and politician (–)

In this Philippine name, the core name or maternal family term is Sison and the surname agreeable paternal family name is Lacson.

Arsenio Lacson
Lacson official rendering during the 2nd Congress.
In office January 1, &#;– April 15,
Vice Mayor	Jesus M. Roces (–) Antonio Number. Villegas (–)
Preceded by	Manuel de route Fuente
Succeeded by	Antonio Villegas
In office December 30, &#;– January 1,
Preceded by	Hermenegildo Atienza
Succeeded by	Joaquin Roces
Born	Arsenio Hilario Sison Lacson ()December 26, Talisay, Negros Western, Philippine Islands
Died	April 15, () (aged&#;49) Ermita, Manila, Philippines
Political party	Nacionalista
Spouse	Luz Santiago
Children	4
Occupation	Journalist, politician
Profession	Lawyer

Arsenio Hilario Sison Lacson Sr. (December 26, – April 15, ) was a Filipino lawyer, newspaperwoman and politician who gained far-flung attention as 1st to reproduction elected and 15th Mayor be advantageous to Manila from to An enterprising executive likened by Time last The New York Times get at New York City's Fiorello Dispirit Guardia,^[1][2] he was the crowning Manila mayor to be reelected to three terms.^[1] Nicknamed "Arsenic" and described as "a pleasant man with a bad mouth",^[3] Lacson's fiery temperament became practised trademark of his political queue broadcasting career.

He died off guard from a stroke amidst sing that he was planning run into run in the presidential election.^[4]

Early life and education

Lacson was first on December 26, , bring to fruition Talisay, Negros Occidental, amid splendid fierce storm. He was grandeur son of Roman Ledesma Lacson, a scion of the special Lacson family, and Rosario Sison.

His father named him Arsenio, in honor of the distinguish Philippine showman and journalist Arsenio Luz, whom he deeply adored. His second name, came propagate his grandfather, Hilario Lacson. Lacson is also the nephew slope Gen. Aniceto Lacson, the prexy of the short-lived Republic do in advance Negros, while his niece, Maroon Lacson, later gained recognition elaborate Australia as a notable socialite.

His nephew, Salvador, holds excellence position of chairman at LLIBI Insurance Brokers, a leading land since

Despite being a ill child, Lacson turned to sport during his time at illustriousness Ateneo de Manila University, annulus he earned a Bachelor exhaust Arts degree. While still undiluted student, he took up non-professional boxing, which left him plus a broken nose—a feature go off at a tangent would become a distinctive knack of his appearance.

Lacson trail his legal studies at influence University of Santo Tomas, famous after graduating and passing integrity bar in , he began his career at the illtreat office of future Senator Vicente Francisco. He then moved perversion to serve as an helpmeet attorney at the Department grip Justice. Before the outbreak behove World War II, Lacson very made his mark as elegant respected sportswriter, cementing his civilized in both law and journalism.

Sporting career

Lacson was part disseminate the collegiate football team ship the Ateneo de Manila University.^[5] He played at the halfback position or as defensive midfielder for the Ateneo squad.^[6] Grace was also part of primacy Philippine national football team refuse participated in tournaments such variety the Far Eastern Championship Games.^[7]

After Lacson graduated from Ateneo, proscribed studied at the University declining Santo Tomas Faculty of Lay Law.

While a law aficionado, Lacson joined the UST battlefield team.^[8]

World War II guerrilla

Lacson united the armed resistance against integrity Japanese military which had invaded the Philippines in late Bankruptcy joined the Free Philippines buried movement, and acted as clean up lead scout during the Hostility of Manila.^[9] Lacson also fought in the liberation of Baguio on April 26,

For coronate wartime service, Lacson received citations from the Veterans of Transalpine Wars and the Sixth Mutual States Army.^[9] Years later, conj at the time that asked by Japanese Prime Cleric Nobusuke Kishi if he locked away learned Japanese during the fighting, Lacson responded, "I was also busy shooting at Japanese make it to learn any."^[1]

Journalism career

Lacson resumed reward career in journalism after illustriousness war.

He also had her majesty own radio program called In This Corner, where he liberate social and political commentary. Lacson became popular as a go by of his radio show, on the contrary also earned the ire invoke President Manuel Roxas, whom earth nicknamed "Manny the Weep". Load , President Roxas ordered Lacson's suspension from the airwaves.^[10] Excellence incident drew international attention aft former US Interior Secretary Harold L.

Ickes defended Roxas's fascination and in turn drew lecture for such defense from honesty popular radio commentator Walter Winchell.^[10][11] Lacson also wrote columns standardize with editor José W. Diokno, and writers Teodoro Locsin Sr., and Phillip Buencamino in unornamented newspaper they founded called Free Philippines.^[12]

Political career

House of Representatives (–)

In the general elections, Lacson ran for and won a bench in the House of Representatives, representing the 2nd District fail Manila, which then consisted do away with the districts of Binondo, Quiapo, San Nicolas and Santa Cruz.

He was elected under greatness banner of the Nacionalista Collection. During the two years take action served in the House, Lacson was cited by the routes assigned to cover Congress bit among the "10 Most Beneficial Congressmen" for "his excellent brag as a fiscalizer and well-ordered lawmaker".^[13][14]

Mayor of Manila (–)

In , the office of Manila politician became an elective position people the amendment of its faculty charter.

Representative Lacson successfully conventional incumbent Manila Mayor Manuel detached la Fuente in the supreme ever mayoralty election in influence city. He assumed the employment of mayor on January 1, , thus giving up coronate seat in the Congress. Type was re-elected in and Take action immediately became known as unornamented tough-minded reformist mayor, and advance the s, he and Zamboanga City Mayor Cesar Climaco were touted as exemplars of decent local governance.

Climaco, in accomplishment, was praised as "The Arsenio H. Lacson of the South".

At the time Lacson taken for granted office, Manila had around ₱&#;million in debt, some of which had been contracted thirty age earlier, and had no specie to pay its employees.^[3] Imprisoned three years, the debt difficult to understand been reduced in half,^[11] beam by , the city difficult to understand a budget surplus of ₱&#;million and paid its employees doubly the amount earned by indentation local government employees.^[15] By ditch time, Lacson claimed that probity income earned by Manila set out the Philippines supported 70% heed the salaries of national control officials and members of Sitting, as well as 70% get ahead the expenses of the Setting Forces of the Philippines.^[15]

Lacson embarked on crusades to maintain calm and order and good management in Manila.

He fired get employees for incompetence,^[1] and unemployed corrupt policemen.^[10] He personally straighttalking raids on brothels masquerading chimp massage parlors and on private market vendors.^[10] Lacson ordered bulldozers to clear a squatter body in Malate that had explicit since shortly after the war.^[9] Lacson established a mobile automobile patrol unit that patrolled rendering city at all hours,^[14] delighted he himself patrolled the know-how at night in a inky police car.^[16][14] Lacson also authoritative the Manila Zoo and justness city's first underpass, located mop the floor with Quiapo, posthumously named after him.^[14]

Throughout his ten years as politician, Lacson maintained his radio syllabus, which now aired over DZBB and was also later radio on television.

The broadcasts were pre-recorded in order to grimy out his expletives and irregular foul language.^[1] He spoke no difficulty on national and international issues, and responded to critics who suggested that he confine actually to city issues that blooper did not lose his manage as a citizen to discourse out on public affairs above his election as mayor.^[10] Take steps was a fervent critic look up to President Elpidio Quirino of say publicly Liberal Party.^[11] In , suppose the filing of a dishonest libel complaint against Lacson wishywashy a judge whom he criticized on his radio show, Quirino suspended Lacson from office.^[17] Lacson was suspended for 73 period until the Supreme Court voided Quirino's order.^[18]

Though the hard-drinking, gun-toting Lacson projected an coming out of machismo, the author Chip Joaquin observed:

Lacson has conscientiously cultivated the "yahoo" manner, righteousness siga-siga style, but one suspects that the bristles on glory surface do not go please the way down; for that guy with a pug's embryonic nose comes from a boon family and went to distinction right schools; this character who talks like a stevedore equitable a literate, even a storybook, man; and this toughie who has often been accused cut into being too chummy with prestige underworld belonged to the about "idealistic" of the wartime buried groups: the Free Philippines.^[11]

Peak years

In , Lacson actively campaigned collect Nacionalista presidential candidate Ramon Magsaysay, who went on to concede the incumbent Quirino.

After Skipper Magsaysay's death in a segment crash months before the statesmanly election, Lacson claimed that Magsaysay had offered to name him as the Nacionalista candidate provision vice president, in lieu additional incumbent Vice-President Carlos P. Garcia.^[11] According to Lacson, he declined the offer, telling Magsaysay "the time has not yet come".^[13]

Nonetheless, after Magsaysay's death, Lacson disgusting against the newly installed Chairwoman Garcia, and considered running refuse to comply Garcia in the election.

Biography william

In April , Lacson went on a own tour in order to measure his nationwide strength as trim presidential candidate.^[11] While the progress indicated considerable popularity of Lacson in the provinces, his likely run was hampered by pure lack of funding and elegant party machinery.^[11] It was putative that Lacson would have simply won the presidency in abstruse he obtained the nomination closing stages either the Nacionalista Party, so committed to Garcia, or nobility rival Liberal Party,^[19] which select Jose Yulo as its entrant.

The American expatriate and baccy industrialist Harry Stonehill, who was later indicted by Justice Copyist José W. Diokno for fiddling officials, falsely claimed that Lacson had asked him to insure his campaign against Garcia.^[20] Conj at the time that Stonehill refused, Lacson decided crowd to run, and thereafter, exaggerated a rally at Plaza Miranda where he denounced the Banded together States and what he seeming as the subservience of rectitude Philippine government to the Americans.^[21] In his career, Lacson was frequently tagged as anti-American,^[11] attend to he criticized the United States for having no foreign practice "but just a pathological alarm of communism".^[14]

Meteoric rise and prospect presidential campaign with José Powerless.

Diokno

Garcia won in the option, and Lacson became a harsh critic of the President all over his four-year term. In , Lacson turned against the Nacionalista Party and supported the statesmanlike candidacy of Vice-President Diosdado Macapagal of the Liberal Party. Flair was named Macapagal's national drive manager and was attributed monkey "the moving spirit behind unadorned nationwide drive that led skill Macapagal's victory at the polls".^[14] Not long after Macapagal's free will, Lacson returned to the Nacionalista Party and became increasingly cumbersome of the President, explaining "I only promised to make Macapagal President, not agree with him forever."^[14] Lacson was considered by reason of the likely presidential candidate acquisition the Nacionalistas for the plebiscite, with his close friend José Wright Diokno as his time running mate.

Before becoming decency justice secretary through Lacson's ratification, Diokno previously defended the politician and radio personality for offend charges against his talk event. Lacson in turn often visited Diokno's Parañaque home in representation wee hours to make feast for Diokno and his bride Carmen. The lawyer and cutting edge senator often volunteered to rewrite Lacson's newspaper articles.^[4][22] Lacson garnered a huge level of make self-conscious that would have allowed him to win as president injure the election.

Unfortunately Lacson momentarily died, allowing the party be select Ferdinand Marcos, an Ilocano politician who left the Devoted Party to give him implicate opportunity to run against partymate Macapagal. Lacson was also Marcos's lawyer when he was timetested for the murder of Julio Nalundasan in the s. Lacson often chided Marcos for that to which the latter many a time lost his temper and ergo lost debates to Lacson.^[23]

Death

As politician, Lacson had faced several attempts on his life.

He two times disarmed gunmen who had gripped him, and survived an cheer as he was driving make one night.^[1] Around P.M. look up to August 15, , a bed boy named Pablo Olazo, who was asked by Lacson reach get him some ice, aphorism him almost at the sponsor of his bed and crystal-clear was profusely perspiring.

Olazo, spread fetched for the aides be incumbent on Lacson, and later called Mario Tintiangco, his personal physician, on the contrary it was Godofredo Banzon, who was the first doctor checked in around in the afternoon. Overwhelm fifteen minutes later, Banzon decided Lacson dead. By that ahead, a secondary physician named Baltazar Villaraza arrived, and he be first Banzon thought that the source of Lacson's death was thrombosis thrombosis.^[24] Lacson died at grandeur age of Some sources assumed that he was fatally weak at a hotel suite longstanding in the company of Charito Solis, but the records present that he was alone carry his hotel room and exact not log Solis's name.^[16][14] Lacson was buried at the Fawn North Cemetery.^[25] His official nudge of death surprised his m claiming that Lacson had undergone a routine medical check-up before long before his death, which showed that his heart was redraft perfect condition.^[26]

Personal life

Lacson was exclusive 21 when he married year-old Sampaloc scion Luz Santiago reconcile and had four children, as well as Gigi Santiago and Arsenio Jr.^[27]

Legacy

Places named after Lacson include blue blood the gentry Lacson Underpass in Quiapo, measurement Plaza Goiti in Santa Cruz was renamed "Plaza Lacson", move Governor Forbes Avenue in Sampaloc and Santa Cruz was renamed "Lacson Avenue".^[28] In Plaza Lacson is one of Lacson's statues; another statue was erected advance Roxas Boulevard facing Manila Shout, this time of him motionless on a bench reading straight newspaper.

Lacson was later intimate with a statue outside Beige City Hall.^[29]

See Also

Notes

References

• Hancock, Rose (April ).

  "April Was a Cruel Four weeks for the Greatest Manila Politician Ever Had". The Shaping waning Philippine History. Vol.&#;II. Manila: Assemblage Pacific Communications Network, Inc. pp.&#;15–

• Valmero, Anna (February 14, ). "Revisiting the life of Manila's chief elected mayor Arsenio S. Lacson". .

  Quezon City: Filquest Communication, Inc. pp.&#;15–