Pedro Guevara

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Pedro Guevara (1879-1938), was a Philippine soldier, lawyer and legislator who became Resident Commissioner from the Philippine Islands during the American colonial administration. Born in Santa Cruz, Laguna, Philippines on February 23, 1879, he attended the Ateneo Municipal and graduated from San Juan de Letran, Manila, in 1896. He joined the Filipino forces during the Philippine Revolution and assisted in promoting the peace agreement of Biak na Bato at San Miguel, Bulacan in 1897. He later rejoined the Filipino forces during the revolution, and also served throughout the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Later, he became a journalist for the Soberania Nacional and a municipal councilor of San Felipe Neri, Rizal in 1907. He studied law at La Jurisprudencia and became a lawyer in private practice. His political life started when became a member of the Philippine house of representatives from 1909 to 1912 and a member of the Philippine senate from 1916 to 1922. In 1921, Guevara was chair of the Philippine delegation to the Far Eastern Bar Conference at Beijing, China. He later was elected as a Nationalist Resident Commissioner to the House of Representatives to the Sixty-eighth Congress for a three-year term and four succeeding three-year terms (March 4, 1923-February 14, 1936). During this time, Guevara worked tirelessly for the approval of the Tydings-McDuffie Law which would establish the Philippine Commonwealth and eventually its independence in 10 years. Later, he served as delegate of Laguna during the Constitutional Convention of 1934 which framed the 1935 Philippine Constitution. His term ended on February 14, 1936 when a successor qualified in accordance with the newly established Commonwealth of the Philippines was selected.

Upon retirement, Pedro Guevara resumed his law practice. He died of a heart attack on January 19, 1938, in Manila, and was buried at the Manila North Cemetery.