1910 La Laguna's 1st Philippine Assembly district special election

1910 La Laguna's 1st assembly district special election

←  1909 December 10, 1910 (1910-12-10) 1912  →
La Laguna's 1st district seat in the Philippine Assembly
Candidate Marcos Paulino Serviliano Platon Party Progresista Nacionalista Popular vote 1,491 1,008 Percentage 59.66% 40.34%
Delegate before election Potenciano Malvar Nacionalista Subsequent delegate Marcos Paulino Progresista

A special election (known elsewhere as "by-elections") for the seat of La Laguna's 1st district in the Philippine Assembly, the lower house of the Philippine Legislature of the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, was held on December 13, 1910. This was triggered due to the appointment of the incumbent delegate Potenciano Malvar as the governor of La Laguna (now called simply as Laguna). Marcos Paulino won the special election, defeating Serviliano Platon, a flip from the Nacionalista Party to the Progresista Party.

Background

La Laguna's 1st district composed of the province's western municipalities of Bay, Binang, Cabuyao, Calamba, Calauang, Los Baños, Pila, San Pablo, San Pedro Tunasan, and Santa Rosa. Although legally part of San Pablo at the time, Alaminos was listed separately.

Juan Cailles, a Progresista Party stalwart, was to retire as governor of La Laguna. In the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, the Nacionalista Party's Domingo Ordoveza won, but Governor-General William Cameron Forbes, upon the advice of vice governor Newton W. Gilbert, was convinced that Ordoveza bought votes and refused to seat him nor Cailles, and will appoint someone from the Nacionalista Party instead. ^[1] On September 22, 1910, Forbes appointed Potenciano Malvar, the younger brother of Miguel Malvar and incumbent delegate from La Laguna's 1st district, as governor, succeeding Cailles. ^[2] La Democracia newspaper had opposed Malvar's appointment, pointing out that he was ineligible for the post as a sitting member of the Philippine Assembly. ^[3] La Democracia is the official organ of the Progresistas. ^[4] A day later, the Philippine Commission approved the appointment of Malvar as provincial governor. ^[5] On October 4, Forbes scheduled the special election for the vacant assembly seat on December 13. ^[6]

Candidates

A total of two persons ran to fill the vacant seat, namely:

• Marcos Paulino (Progresista), municipal president of San Pablo (1902–??)
• Serviliano Platon (Nacionalista), former revolutionary captain and law graduate

Results

Marcos Paulino of the Progresista Party defeated Servillano Platón of the Nacionalistas. ^[7] The latter carried Calauang, Los Baños, Santa Rosa and San Pedro Tunasan, Binang saw a tied result, and the former won in Alaminos, Bay, Calamba, Cabuyao, Pila and San Pablo. Paulino's win increased the number of opposition Progresistas in the assembly during the 2nd Philippine Legislature. ^[8] Paulino took his oath of office at the Ayuntamiento de Manila on December 20, 1910. ^[9]

1910 La Laguna's 1st Philippine Assembly district special election

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Marcos Paulino	Progresista Party	1,491	59.66
	Serviliano Platon	Nacionalista Party	1,008	40.34
Total			2,499	100.00
Majority			483	19.33
	Progresista Party gain from Nacionalista Party
Source: The Cablenews-American [8]

Per town

Town	Paulino		Platon		Total
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Alaminos [a]	200	74.07%	70	25.93%	270
Bay	76	50.33%	75	49.67%	151
Binang	106	50.00%	106	50.00%	212
Cabuyao	91	60.26%	60	39.74%	151
Calamba	107	66.46%	54	33.54%	161
Calauang	33	45.21%	40	54.79%	73
Los Baños	21	30.88%	47	69.12%	68
Pila	64	51.61%	60	48.39%	124
San Pablo	725	67.32%	352	32.68%	1,077
San Pedro Tunasan	35	43.75%	45	56.25%	80
Santa Rosa	33	25.00%	99	75.00%	132
Total	1,491	59.66%	1,008	40.34%	2,499

Notes

1. Alaminos was part of San Pablo from 1903 to 1916 but was grouped separately during the 1910 tally. ^{[8] [10]}

Aftermath

Platon won the district's seat in the 1912 general election, then became a judge of the court of first instance in Tayabas during the 1930s. Paulino later became governor of Laguna from 1914 to 1916.

References

1. "Ordoveza not to be Governor of Laguna". The Cablenews-American. 1910-09-20. p. 2.
2. "Malvar succeeds Cailles". The Cablenews-American. 1910-09-23. p. 5.
3. "Selection don't suit Democracia". The Cablenews-American. 1910-09-23. p. 7.
4. Bonifacio, Erwin (2021-11-10). "Gubernatorial elections in Capiz (1907)". The Capiz Times. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
5. "Malvar confirmed as governor". The Cablenews-American. 1910-09-24. p. 6.
6. "By Governor-General of the Philippine Islands, A Proclamation". The Cablenews-American. 1910-10-06. p. 10.
7. "Progresista wins in Laguna province". The Cablenews-American. 1910-12-15. p. 3.
8. "Progresista wins by big majority". The Cablenews-American. 1910-12-20.
9. "Assembly notes". The Cablenews-American. 1910-12-21. p. 8.
10. Act No. 939 (October 12, 1903), An Act reducing the thirty municipalities of the Province of La Laguna to nineteen , retrieved July 10, 2023