Pablo Tecson


Pablo Ocampo Tecson was an officer in the Revolutionary Army serving under Gen. Gregorio del Pilar and a representative to the Malolos Congress. He was elected the Governor General of Bulacan immediately following the Philippine–American War. Tecson later served as Insular Secretary of the Philippine Bureau of Agriculture.

Early life and education

Pablo Tecson was born July 4, 1859, in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan, Philippines; the son of Tiburcio Tecson and Paula Ocampo. He studied in San Miguel and later, at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila, where he finished his Bachelor of Arts program.

Early career

Tecson worked as a writer for a Spanish-era magazine, the Catholic Periodical Guide, in Malolos, the county seat of Bulacan; its initial publication being in April 1890.

Military action against Spain

When the revolution against Spain broke out, Tecson was an officer in the Spanish Civil Guards in San Miguel.

Background

In 1896, Tecson co-founded the Arao branch of a secret society-turned-revolutionary government, the Katipunan, which operated out of San Miguel.
On December 14, 1897, the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, was signed in Tecson's residence. It called for a truce between Spanish Colonial Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera, and insurgent leader, Emilio Aguinaldo, to end the Philippine Revolution. Aguinaldo and his fellow revolutionaries were given amnesty and money and agreed to go into voluntary exile in Hong Kong. Following Aguinaldo's return from exile in Hong Kong, Tecson defected from the Civil Guards and joined Aguinaldo's Republican Army as a captain.
Following the Cry of Nueva Ecija, he fought alongside General Manuel Tinio and General Francisco Macabulos. He himself was eventually ranked brigadier general under del Pilar.

Battle of San Miguel

On May 24, 1898, Tecson launched attacks on the Spanish Civil Guard garrisons in San Miguel and San Rafael, Bulacan ; which ended with the Spanish force's surrender on June 1, 1898.

Wartime politics

In 1898, Tecson represented the province of Cagayan at the Malolos Congress a few months before the outbreak of the war with America. He cast the deciding vote which addressed the constitutional provision of the separation of church and state.

Military action against the United States

Battle of Quingua

The Battle of Quingua was fought on April 23, 1899, in Quingua, Bulacan, which resulted in a rout of the Filipinos by their former allies, the United States.

Career and politics following the war

Tecson was elected governor general of Bulacan—the first accepted under American rule, serving from 1902–1906. In 1904, he was named as a delegate of the Philippine's Worlds Fair Commission. Tecson resigned from government service in 1906 and went into farming. He was one of the first to promote the silk culture industry in the Philippines. He returned to government service in 1907, becoming the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

Philanthropy, legacy and death

Tecson died on April 30, 1940 and is buried in San Miguel. Before his death, he donated land for a public burial ground for Filipino patriots. A Philippine Army camp is named after him and is currently the headquarters of the First Scout Ranger Regiment, a unit that specializes in anti-guerilla warfare, direct action, reconnaissance, and other forms of special operations.