Wenceslao Vinzons

Wenceslao "Bintao" Quinito Vinzons (born Wenceslao Quinito

The Honourable
Vinson;[1] September 28, 1910 – July 15, 1942) was a Filipino
patriot and leader of the Philippine armed resistance against the
Wenceslao Q. Vinzons
Japanese invasion in World War II. He was the youngest delegate
to the 1935 Philippine Constitutional Convention. For leading
demonstrations as a student leader, he was dubbed the "Father of
Student Activism in the Philippines".

Vinzons was among the first Filipinos to organize a guerrilla

movement at the onset of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines
in 1941.[2] In the course of the resistance, he was captured and
executed by the occupying Japanese military.

Contents
Early life and education
Political career
Vinzons on a 2010 stamp of the
Guerrilla activities and execution Philippines
Tributes Member of the Philippine House
Notes of Representatives from
Camarines Norte's Lone District
References
Died before taking office
Governor of Camarines Norte
Early life and education In office
1940 – December 30, 1941
Vinzons was born in the town of Indan, Camarines Norte to Member of the 1934 Philippine
Gabino Vinzons y Venida and Engracia Quinito y Elep. His Constitutional Convention from
Camarines Norte
paternal grandparents were Serafín Vinzons, a Chinese Filipino,
and Baldomera Venida. His maternal grandparents were Rosalío In office
Quinito and Cipriana Elep. He was baptized on October 5, 1910, July 10, 1934 – November 15, 1935
by Fr. Marciano Bamba at the Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Personal details
the same town, and his godfather was Ángel Anz.[3] He graduated
Born Wenceslao Quinito
valedictorian from his local high school, and proceeded to study at
Vinson
the University of the Philippines in Manila.[4]
September 28, 1910
While at the university, Vinzons gained fame as a student leader. A Indan, Camarines
fellow of Upsilon Sigma Phi, Vinzons would be elected president Norte, Philippine
of the student council and editor-in-chief of the Philippine Islands[1]
Collegian.[5] He was also known for delivering an oratorical Died July 15, 1942
address entitled Malaysia Irredenta, where he advocated the
(aged 31)
unification of Southeast Asian nations with a common Malay Daet, Camarines
origin.[6] The piece won him the Manuel L. Quezon Gold Medal Norte, Philippines
for Excellence.[4] Political Young Philippines
party
Vinzons obtained his law degree from the University of the
Philippines College of Law in 1932, and placed 3rd in the bar Spouse Liwayway Custodio
examinations the following year. Gonzales
Children 5
Political career Parent(s) Gabino Vinzons
(father)
After graduation, Vinzons, along with Narciso J. Alegre and Engracia Quinito
Arturo M. Tolentino (a future senator and Marcos-era unofficial
(mother)
vice-president) founded a political party, Young Philippines, which
advocated the granting of Philippine independence from American Occupation Politician
rule. Profession Lawyer, activist

After the passage in 1934 of the Tydings–McDuffie Act which Known for "Father of Student
laid the groundwork for independence, Vinzons successfully Activism in the
sought election that same year as a delegate, together with Philippines"
Baldomero M. Lapak, to represent Camarines Norte in the
1935 Constitutional Convention. As a member of the
Convention, he was instrumental in prescribing Tagalog as an
official language of the Philippines. At 24, he was the
youngest delegate, and the youngest signer of the 1935
Constitution.

During the 1935 presidential elections, Vinzons actively

campaigned for the presidential bid of Emilio Aguinaldo,
former president of the Philippine Revolutionary Government,
the main challenger to then-Senate President Manuel L.
Quezon. Vinzons' efforts helped Aguinaldo carry Camarines
even though Quezon won the presidency. Following
Aguinaldo's defeat, Vinzons put on hold his political career,
opting instead to become the president of a mining corporation
based in his home province.
Vinzons monument in front of provincial
Vinzons resumed political life in 1940, when he was elected capitol of Camarines Norte
governor of Camarines Norte. The following year, he
successfully ran for election to the House of Representatives,
representing the lone district of Camarines Norte. However,
his service in the legislature was delayed by the Japanese
invasion of the Philippines in December 1941.

Guerrilla activities and execution

Within days following the arrival of the Japanese Occupation
forces in the Philippines, Vinzons began to organize armed
resistance in the Bicol region against the invading army, which Ancestral house of the Vinzons family in
had reached the region on December 12, 1941. He Daet, Camarines Norte
commandeered the rice warehouses in Camarines Norte, and
ordered the confiscation of explosives used in the province's
gold mines for use against the Japanese forces.[7]

By December 18, 1941, he would lead a raid against a troop of Japanese soldiers in Basud, Camarines
Norte. His guerrilla recruits soon grew to around 2,800 strong, and in May 1942, Vinzons would lead these
forces to successfully liberate the provincial capital of Daet. It is said that between December 1941 and
May 1942, Vinzons' troops, armed with poisoned arrows among other weapons, were able to kill around
3,000 Japanese soldiers. Henceforth, the capture of Vinzons became a prime objective of the Japanese
army.

Through the traitorous collaboration of a renegade guerrilla-turned-informant, Vinzons was seized by the
Japanese military together with his father on July 8, 1942. He refused to pledge allegiance to his captors,
and was brought to a garrison in Daet. It was there, on July 15, 1942, that Vinzons was bayoneted to death
after refusing one final entreaty to cooperate with the Japanese forces. Shortly thereafter, his father, wife,
sister and two of his children were also executed by the Japanese.[8]

Tributes
Vinzons is hailed as the "Father of Student
Activism in the Philippines".[9]

Vinzons' hometown of Indan was renamed

Vinzons, in his memory, as was an elementary
school in Manila. The student activity center of
the University of the Philippines campus in
Diliman was named Vinzons Hall in 1959.
Vinzons Hall also houses the offices of the
Philippine Collegian. Senator Richard Gordon,
an admirer of Vinzons, commissioned sculptor
Juan Sajid Imao for a bust in his honor at
Vinzons Hall as part of rehabilitation efforts by
the UP Diliman University Student Council in
2009.[10]
Vinzons Hall, at the University of the Philippines, Diliman
Several of Vinzons' relatives embarked on
political careers. Fernando Vinzons Pajarillo
was related to Wenceslao and had been elected congressman and governor, for many terms. Wenceslao's
son was a one-time governor. His daughter Rannie Vinzons-Gaite was once member of the Provincial
Council.

The current lone legislative district of Camarines Norte is currently served by a descendant, former BIR
commissioner and now Representative Liwayway Vinzons-Chato.

A three-act musical on Vinzon's life, entitled "Bintao", was staged at the University of the Cordilleras in
January 2008.[11][12] For its centennial anniversary in November 2018, the Upsilon Sigma Phi also staged
"Bintao" under the direction of Tony Mabesa and Alexander Cortez.[13]

Notes
1. Wenceslao Vinzons obtained a copy of his birth certificate while applying for marriage
license in Cavite, Cavite in 1932. "Philippines Civil Registration (Local), 1888-1984 Image
Philippines Civil Registration (Local), 1888-1984; ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G1RR-SDYX —
 FamilySearch.org" (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G1RR-SDYX). Retrieved
February 18, 2016.
2. Filipinos in History Vol. II. Manila, Philippines: National Historical Institute. 1990. p. 267.
3. "Film # 007776740 Image Film # 007776740; ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSMV-W3DS —
FamilySearch.org" (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSMV-W3DS-NX).
Retrieved April 8, 2017.
4. Filipinos in History Vol. II. Manila, Philippines: National Historical Institute. 1990. p. 266.
5. Filipinos in History (https://books.google.com/books?id=oGIKAQAAIAAJ&q=Wenceslao+Vi
nzons+upsilon). National Historical Institute. 1989. p. 266. ISBN 9789715380034.
6. Perez, Jose B. (December 13, 2007). "More on Vinzons" (http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/20
07/dec13/selda.html). Bicol Mail Online. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
7. Perez, Jose B. (November 29, 2007). "Vinzons" (http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2007/nov2
9/selda.html). Bicol Mail Online. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
8. Filipinos in History Vol. II. Manila, Philippines: National Historical Institute. 1990. p. 268.
9. Icatlo, Abel C. (October 1, 2019). "Wenceslao Q. Vinzons, Filipino exemplar" (https://opinion.
inquirer.net/124327/wenceslao-q-vinzons-filipino-exemplar). INQUIRER.net. Retrieved
June 23, 2020.
10. Domini Torrevilas (April 29, 2009). "A bust for Wenceslao Vinzons" (https://www.philstar.co
m/opinion/2009/04/21/459263/bust-wenceslao-vinzons). The Philippine Star.
11. Elizabeth Lolarga (January 5, 2008). "The short, short life of Bintao Vinzons" (http://newsinf
o.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080115-112612/The-short-short-life-of-Binta
o-Vinzons). Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
12. Mari-An C. Santos (February 15, 2008). "REVIEW: "Bintao" recalls the struggles of
revolutionary leader Wenceslao Vinzons" (http://www.pep.ph/guide/1601/REVIEW:-Bintao-r
ecalls-the-struggles-of-revolutionary-leader-Wenceslao-Vinzons). Philippine Entertainment
Portal. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
13. "Bintao: Ang Buhay at Kabayanihan ni Wenceslao Q. Vinzons" (https://manilastandard.net/s
howbitz/celebrity-profiles/281196/bintao-ang-buhay-at-kabayanihan-ni-wenceslao-q-vinzon
s.html). Manila Standard. Retrieved June 23, 2020.

References
Filipinos in History Vol. II. Manila, Philippines: National Historical Institute. 1990. p. 267.
Perez, Jose B. (November 29, 2007). "Vinzons" (http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2007/nov2
9/selda.html). Bicol Mail Online. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
Perez, Jose B. (December 13, 2007). "More on Vinzons" (http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/20
07/dec13/selda.html). Bicol Mail Online. Retrieved January 6, 2008.

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