Epifanio de los Santos

Collections A statue of Epifanio de los Santos in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. Epifanio de los Santos traveled extensively, searching for rare Philippine documents. He amassed a collection of nearly 200 paintings and sculptures, musical literature, opera records, printed materials, documents and manuscripts related to the revolution and historical pictures. His Filipiniana collection was highly regarded. In Europe, he was recognized as a philologist and biographer of Philippine subjects.

Some documents and printed matter in his collection are considered unique.

Other interests He was also known as a skilled guitarist.

There is an anecdote about de los Santos and Clemente Jose Zulueta having a disagreement, with Antonio Luna offering his guitar to whoever won the argument. De los Santos reportedly won and received Luna's guitar.

Public service

Epifanio de los Santos was elected to the Malolos Congress in September 1898, serving as one of three representatives from Nueva Ecija until November 1899. He wrote "Electoral Fraud and its Remedies" (Fraudes Electorales y Sus Remedios) in 1907 for the Philippine Assembly. He also dedicated time to research in Philippine history and literature. Some of his collection was destroyed by fires at his house in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. According to Agoncillo and Palma, his primary interest was not in politics. In 1918, he was appointed assistant technical director of the Philippine Census by Governor General Francis Burton Harrison. He was also elected as the third President of the Philippine Library Association (now Philippine Librarians Association, Inc.), the first Filipino of native parentage to hold this position.

Death and legacy

de los Santos died in office on April 18, 1928. Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the main road through Metro Manila, is named after him. Several schools, streets, a college, a hospital, a printing press and an auditorium in the National Library of the Philippines are also named in his honor.