| Felipe Gonzáles Calderón y Roca | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 4, 1868 Santa Cruz de Malabon, Cavite, Philippines |
| Died | July 6, 1908 (aged 40) Manila, Philippines |
| Occupation | Writer, Politician and Revolutionary leader. |
Felipe Gonzáles Calderón y Roca (April 4, 1868 – July 6, 1908) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, and intellectual, known as the "Father of the Malolos Constitution".
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Calderón y Roca was born in Santa Cruz de Malabon (now Tanza), Cavite, to Don José Gonzáles Calderón and Doña Manuela Roca. He studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila for his primary and secondary courses and was granted a scholarship. He received high honors in a Bachelor of Arts degree, later working in the newspaper industry writing for several newspapers. He later enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas and completed his studies in 1893. After graduation, he participated in the law office of Don Cayetano Arellano.
During the Philippine Revolution, he ardently supported the revolutionary movement, an organization that aimed to gained independence from Spain. Thus, his activities caused him imprisonment from the Spanish colonial authorities.
In September 1898, after the return of Emilio Aguinaldo to Cavite from Hong Kong, he accepted Aguinaldo’s appointment as a representative of the first district of Paragua in the Revolutionary Congress in Malolos, Bulacan. After the Spanish-American War, the República Filipina (Philippine Republic) were formed during the Malolos Constitution on January 25, 1899.
When the Philippine-American War began, he traveled to Manila where he appeared before the Schurmann Commission on April 27, offering suggestions for the restoration of peace. He was requested to draft rules for the Philippine government of the first municipalities during the war with the United States.
In 1899, Calderón y Roca founded two law universities. These are the Colegio de Abogados de Manila (School of Lawyers of Manila) and the Escuela de Derecho (School of Duties). He taught in both institutions. In 1904, he was appointed member of a commission to draft a proposed Penal Code. He also organized the La Protección de la Infancia, (The Protection of Infants), an institution that established humanitarian institution to protect and care for disadvantage people.
Calderón y Roca died on July 6, 1908.