Eulogio Rodriguez

Eulogio "Amang" Adona Rodriguez, Sr. (January 21, 1883 – December 9, 1964), nicknamed Yoyong, was a Filipino politician who twice served as President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1952 to 1963. He also served in various positions in government prior to the Japanese invasion in World War II: as the municipal president of Montalban, Rizal from 1906 to 1916, as the governor of Rizal, as the mayor of Manila, as representative of Rizal's 2nd district, and as secretary of agriculture and commerce.

He was known for vehemently confronting corruption during the administration of Carlos P. Garcia, alleging he held a list of corrupt officials close to the president which the media dubbed the "White Paper".

Early life and education Eulogio Rodriguez was born on January 21, 1883, in Montalban (now Rodriguez), to Petronilo Rodriguez and Monica Adona. Eulogio's paternal grandfather Pablo was a Marikina resident who had moved to Montalban, while according to Eulogio's descendants, Monica's father likely had Chinese blood. At the time of his birth, Montalban was part of the province of Manila but it was later renamed Rodriguez in his honor. Rodriguez's mother was noted to be an "old-fashioned" disciplinarian.

Rodriguez grew up playing cara y cruz with other children and riding horses, with his father gifting him a colt that he closely raised and rode around.

Political career

Rodriguez first served as Municipal President of Montalban, Rizal from 1906 to 1916 and became Governor of Rizal from 1916 to 1919 and from 1922 to 1923. He was appointed mayor of Manila by Governor General Leonard Wood on July 23, 1923, and later appointed as Representative of Nueva Vizcaya from February 1924 to May 1925. He became the elected Representative of the Second District of Rizal from 1925 to 1928 and from 1931 to 1935.

He was also appointed Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce by Governor-General Frank Murphy on July 26, 1934, re-appointed by President Manuel L. Quezon on November 15, 1935, and served as such until 1938. After his resignation as Mayor of Manila, which he held once again from 1940 to 1941, he campaigned for a seat in the Senate and was elected senator in 1941. However, he would begin serving his first Senate term in 1945 due to Imperial Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II. In the middle of his first Senate term, he ran for Vice President in 1946 as the running mate of President Sergio Osmeña, but lost to fellow Senator Elpidio Quirino. He initially lost his Senate re-election bid in 1947, but was proclaimed winner due to an electoral protest filed against Carlos Tan. He returned to the Senate in 1949, re-elected in 1953 and 1959, and served until his death in 1964.

His grandchildren include former Rizal congressman Isidro S. Rodriguez, Jr. and great-grandchildren Eulogio L. Rodriguez, III.

Rodriguez was the older brother of lawyer and Davao City's last-appointed mayor Julian Rodriguez, who became a successful landowner in that city where he migrated in 1919, when it was still a booming town. Julian was also a technical assistant to the Mindanao and Sulu Commission prior to his mayorship.

The sudden death of Rodriguez, president of the Nacionalista Party for the past 18 years, marked the “passing of a great tradition,” quoted President Diosdado Macapagal. Many came to visit the funeral of the man they called "Don Yoyong". Macapagal declared on December 9 until his burial a period of national mourning, where all flags would be flown at half-staff. Rodriguez's remains were laid to rest at a cemetery behind his rest house in Montalban.

Legacy

After Rodriguez's death, the 'Amang' Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, a public hospital in Marikina, was named after him upon its opening in 1966. Rodriguez became famous for his malaprops, and it raised his reputation as a beloved everyman of the people.

Eulogio Rodriguez Vocational High School (now Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology) was established in 1945 and was named after him. The Amang Rodriguez Elementary School in Malabon, Eulogio Rodriguez Integrated School in Mandaluyong, and Eulogio Rodriguez Sr. Elementary School in Quezon City are also named after him. The aforementioned cities were formerly part of Rizal province, where Rodriguez served as its governor.

España Boulevard Extension in Quezon City and an avenue between barangays Rosario and Dela Paz in Pasig were renamed in his honor, as well as the municipality of Montalban.