Aguedo Velarde

(1857 - 1913)

Aguedo Velarde was the 11^th of the twelve children of Pedro Velarde and Maxima Malcon. He was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila on February 5,1857.

He was the first tutored by a Don Lazaro and finished the first two years of Segunda ensenanza under Catalino Sanchez. Then it was San Juan de Letran for the Bachelor of Arts and the University of Santo Tomas for law and theology.

After receiving his Licenciado en Jurisprudencia from UST in March 1885, he was named substitute notary public in the juzgado de ascenso of Tayabas. His next appointment was that of judge of the peace in one of the towns of Bulacan. As he was practicing in Bulacan, it was natural for him to be registrar of deeds of the province. This was followed by a stint as prosecuting attorney of Nueva Ecija, from which position he was promoted temporary judge of the court of first instance of Bulacan.

He was suspected of complicity in the revolution of 1896. He was imprisoned first in the provincial jail, thrown into Fort Santiago and then transferred to Bilibid prison. After the signing of the Pact of Biak na Bato he was released.

In the phase of the Revolution, he was mostly in jail; in the second, he was more active. He was appointed to represent Albay in the Malolos Congress. He was a candidate for the vice-presidency, but lost to Benito Legarda. He was however one of the seven members of the Comision de Justicia on September 17, 1898, as provided for in the executive order of June 23, 1898. in the Universidad Literaria de Filipinas, he was named professor of notarial law. After the fall of the Mabini Cabinet, he accepted the position of secretary under the Paterno Cabinet and was chosen one of the members of the Consejo de Guerra.

He was a member of the board of directors of the Asociacion de Paz, formed by a group of politicians and ex-revolutionists led by Paterno.

He accepted in 1903 the position of examiner of the titles of property in Manila, a position which he held until 1907. at the same time he taught civil law in the Escuela de Derecho, and economics in the Colegio Mercantil and Liceo de Manila. Running under the Nationalista ticket, he was elected member of the First Philippine Assembly against Hermogenes Reyes in the third legislature. In the first and third assembly he was the chairman of the Committee on the revision of laws. He was the author of several measures amending codal provisions. He showed a deep interest in the agricultural and industrial development of the country, anf sought to establish an agricultural bank. He died in the office on December 22,1913.

By his first wife, Inocencia Castaneda, whom he married in 1881, he had seven children, one of whom, Miguel, was a physician. He married Simeona Castaneda, sister of his wife, on January 12, 1901, and by her had six children.

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