Aurelio Tolentino

Aurelio Tolentino y Valenzuela (October 15, 1869 – July 5, 1915) was a Filipino playwright, poet, journalist, and revolutionary. His works at the turn of the 20th century depicted his desire for Philippine independence from its colonizers. He was arrested on several occasions between 1896 and 1907, by the Spaniards and later by American authorities.

Early life and career Tolentino was born in Santo Cristo, Guagua, Pampanga, he was the third and youngest child of Leonardo Tolentino and Patrona Valenzuela. Tolentino, in his autobiography, described his life as "poor and unhappy". He stopped his education after his father's death.

Tolentino was arrested shortly after the start of the war and was detained for nine months. He took part in the revolutionary campaigns of Gen. Vicente Lukban after his release.

Arrests during American rule

When Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States, Tolentino formed Junta de Amigos, a secret organization composed of former Katipuneros to fight for independence from the Americans. Later, he attempted to reorganize the Revolutionary Army but was unsuccessful, in part due to the surrender of Emilio Aguinaldo.

I was processed in the Office of the Chief of Police [of Manila], conducted to Bilibid prison, and much later sentenced to two years of hard labor, and a fine of 2,000 dollars for the crime of sedition. I appealed this sentence and in December of the same year 1903 I was released on bail of 7,000 pesos. — Aurelio Tolentino (1908)

Later years

After his release, he continued to write for the theater. Among his later works is Ang Bagong Cristo, a proletarian interpretation of the story of Christ. Some of his Kapampangan works were later translated to Tagalog, thereby reaching a wider audience. Kapampangan works include novels Ing Buac Nang Ester, published in three parts from 1911 to 1915, later translated to Tagalog as Ang Buhok ni Ester. His novel Buhay (1909), which was previously titled as Mutya, was originally written in Kapampangan.

Financial difficulties After his first imprisonment in 1896, Tolentino had been suffering financially and made it even more complicated by his arrests in 1903 and 1904. His financial suffering is reflected on his novels. In his work Maring (1913), Maring only received a meager wage as a housemaid from his American employer while in Ang Buhok ni Ester, Gerardo, as an estate administrator, only received a hundred-peso monthly salary which the character considered as generous from his uncle-employer.

Death Tolentino died on July 5, 1915, in Manila. He was buried in the Manila North Cemetery. His remains were transferred to his hometown in Guagua in 1921, where it is interred under a commemorative monument.