Mariano Isaac Abella was one of the 94 signatories of the Malolos Constitution and one of the founding fathers of the First Philippine Republic. [1] [2] [3] [4] His name and signature are on the Malolos Constitution and he has several statues and schools named after him in Bicol.
As part of the larger Abella family business, Mariano contributed significantly into turning Camarines into the largest exporter of abaca in the Philippines, which by 1897, was exporting almost 100,000 tons of abacá, one of the three biggest cash crops during the Spanish colonial period, along with tobacco and sugar. From 1850 through the end of the 19th century, sugar or abacá alternated with each other as the biggest export crop of the Philippines.