Antero Soriano


Antero Sosa Soriano was a Filipino lawyer and politician from Tanza, Cavite, who had served as congressman, senator, and governor of Cavite.

Early life

Antero Soriano was born in Santa Cruz de Malabon in Cavite to Adriano Soriano and Aurea Sosa on January 3, 1886. He studied in Liceo de Manila, graduating and receiving his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1904. He studied law in the famous Escuela de Derecho in Manila until September 1907, when he presented himself for examination with one hundred other students before an examining tribunal nominated by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Only five applicants passed and Soriano was one of them. He started practicing law immediately. He then became the lawyer of the Manila Railroad Company.

Political career

In June 1912, Soriano was elected governor of the province of Cavite at the age of 26. He was then re-elected in 1916. He was elected senator from the 5th District in 1919. He was the chairman of the committee on the Manila Railroad, chairman of the special committee on distribution of public work funds, and a member of the Senate committee on Agricultural and Natural Resources. He is also a member of a special committee appointed to investigate the alleged "land trust" in the Philippines. He lost his re-election bid in 1925 to former Interior Secretary Jose P. Laurel.
He was appointed member of the Philippine Independence Mission, and upon arriving in the United States, was made Chairman of a committee to investigate the Philippine Press Bureau in Washington, D.C. and recommended its continuance.
On August 15, 1925, Soriano was elected as a representative of the at-large district of Cavite through a special election. He filled the vacancy created by the death of representative Augusto Reyes on July 3, days before the opening of the 7th Philippine Legislature. He was then re-elected to a fresh full term in 1928.

Death

Soriano died in office on June 15, 1929.

Personal life

On December 5, 1907, Soriano married Gerarda Aquino but was widowed on July 12, 1914. He then remarried with Maximina Salud. He had 11 children.

Legacy

The Antero Soriano Highway, the road on the northwestern coast of Cavite, was named after him in accordance with Republic Act 5782 enacted on July 21, 1969.