c. 1890 |
|
| Don Bonifacio Arevalo y Flores | |
|---|---|
| Dentist/Sculptor/Patriot | |
| + | |
| Born/Died | 14 May 1850/13 December 1920 |
| Parents | Justo Arevalo, Esperanza Flores-Arevalo |
| Spouses | Trinidad Arevalo, Benita Ocampo |
| Children | Juan Arevalo via Trinidad |
| Below text | |
Don Bonifacio Flores Arevalo (14 May 1850 - 13 December 1920) was a Filipino ilustrado, dentist, sculptor, propagandist, and an ardent patron of music and theater. He was the treasurer of La Liga Filipina and the founder of the Sociedad Dental de Filipinas, which is now known as the Philippine Dental Association.[1]
Contents |
Bonifacio Flores Arevalo(I) first learned sculpting and then studied dentistry. He first learned sculpting at age seven when he was placed under the care of his uncle, Don Jose Arevalo (town captain of Biñan, Laguna in 1833), also known as "Capitan Cheng-Cheng" (a sculptor and a dentist) when his father Justo Arevalo (who was also a sculptor) died. Cheng-Cheng studied dentistry under a French dentist who was called Petri. Artistry seems to run in the family, as Capitan Cheng-Cheng's wife Eulalia Asuncion, was also a skilled woodcarver. He learned dentistry from his uncle. Later he trained at the San Juan De Dios Hospital(Philippines).
*Note: There seems to be a confusion as to which Bonifacio Arevalo was buried at The Manila North Cemetery. To clarify, it is Bonifacio Basa Arevalo (II) and Bonifacio Ordax Arevalo (III).
In July 1892 he became the treasurer of La Liga Filipina, an organization founded by Jose Rizal, under the aim of supporting the Propaganda Movement's publication, La Solidaridad.
After Jose Rizal was deported to Dapitan, La Liga was disbanded and in August 1894 Arevalo joined a new association called the Cuerpo de Compromisarios, that chose to carry on the peaceful reforms rather than support a revolution or the radical organization (Katipunan) of Andres Bonifacio (former La Liga member) that wanted Philippine Revolution separation from the Spanish Empire. Nevertheless, they were still associated to the organization that when the arrests were made to capture the members and supporters of the Katipunan, Arevalo was one of captives and was imprisoned for nine months.
After his release in 1898, he was appointed to the Asamblea Consultiva together with C. Arellano, Pedro Paterno, and Isaac de Rios under the its aim of convincing the revolutionaries to support Spain's war against the Americans. He was designated colonel of the militia of the revolutionary army and detailed in Sampaloc, Manila, by General Emilio Aguinaldo. He had been serving as the intendente of the second zone of operations of the revolutionary army until the early part of the Philippine-American War when he was jailed by the American forces.
When he was released he decided to lead a quiet life and dedicated himself to his dental practice and other concerns such as business. Aside from practicing dentistry, he also engaged in cultural activities as a sculptor and a patron of the arts. He tried to engage in business by establishing a number of small Sari-sari stores or retail stores that would try to compete with the more established stores of Chinese merchants. This venture failed within a short time. Later, he intended to erect a textile factory patterned after the factories he saw in Japan. On September 27, 1909 Arevalo went to Japan to study the operation of a textile factory preparatory to the proposed acquisition of machinery for his planned establishment of a textile plant in the Philippines. The plan never materialized. In the same year he formed an organization of hatmakers and local weavers.
His skill in dentistry was passed to him by his foster parent, his uncle Don Jose Arevalo. In 1876, Bonifacio opened a dental clinic in Quiapo, Manila. In 1908, he founded the Sociedad Dental de Filipinas, now known as the Philippine Dental Association. He was one of the very few licensed dentists of Manila during that time.
As a sculptor, his works mainly fall into one of three categories: those with religious subjects or motifs; tipos del pais (country genre) on pieces depicting local customs, scenes, and occupations; and portraits. He mostly worked with wood. His favorite medium was the santol wood. He trained Mariano Madriñan of Paete, who gained fame through his participation in the Amsterdam Exposition in 1882 where his Mater Dolorosa won raves.[4] Bonifacio Arevalo won the Gold Medal from the 1895 Exposición Regional de Filipinas, and in 1902 the Hanoi Exhibition Awards.
As a patron of music and theater. In 1890 his lucrative practice of dentistry allowed him to save the Pasig Bandfrom being dissolved. He reorganized the group, bought new instruments, and hired Marcelino Asuncion, the former director of a Spanish military band, to lead it. It was later known as the "Banda Arevalo". It was one of the bands that performed for the Revolutionary Government of the First Philippine Republic in Malolos. It served as the official band of the Revolutionary Government in 1898. Arevalo also managed an Italian opera company during its tour in the country. As a patron of the theatre arts he organized an actor’s company and regularly staged productions of the then very popular moro-moro plays, like “Ibong Adarna,” “Jason at Medea,” and “Juan Tiñoso.” Some of the actors he trained, and who were truly in need of a benefactor such as himself, were Julio Mariano, Ildefonsa Alianza, Felisa Cleofas, and Pantaleon Aldana.[5]
Publications, 1955.