Paulino Gullas

Paulino Arandia Gullas (29 April 1891 – 1945) was a Filipino Visayan lawyer, newspaper publisher, and legislator from Cebu, Philippines. He was the founder of The Freeman, Cebu's longest-running newspaper, served as member of the 7th Philippine Legislature for Cebu's 2nd district (1925–1927), Delegate to the 1934 Constitutional Convention, and member of the National Assembly during World War II.

Education and personal life Paulino Gullas was born in the then-town of Cebu on 29 April 1891. He was the son of Heminigildo Gullas and Necifora Arandia. He is the younger brother of Vicente Gullas and uncle of Eduardo and Jose Gullas. He attended Cebu Primary School, Colegio de San Carlos, Cebu Normal School, Cebu High School, and Manila High School.

He was known to be an orator during his student days at the University of the Philippines When he passed the bar exams in 1916, he earned the highest marks among all examinees,

Married to Gilda Kilayko from Bacolod, Negros Occidental, he had three children namely Mary, Cecilia and Victoria.

He is the founder of The Freeman, Cebu's longest-running newspaper. Its maiden issue was printed on 10 May 1919. The newspaper stopped circulation on the outbreak of World War II. Jose Gullas, revived the periodical in 1965 as a weekly magazine and then to a daily English newspaper in 1969.

Education From 1918 until 1919, he was chosen as the first registrar of the University of the Philippines Cebu. He was also the president of the Visayan Institute, which was composed of Cebu City and the towns of Mandaue, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, Cordova and Opon. He wrote the paper, "The Delicate Japanese-Filipino Problem", where he advised the Japanese to refrain from slapping Filipinos as slap to the face was considered abusively demeaning. Moreover, he intervened and helped release Irish confreres of the Redemptorists.

Additionally, he was a delegate to the National Assembly formed in 1943, representing the city of Cebu.

Historical commemoration

The University of Visayas College of Law was renamed Gullas Law School in his honor. On 4 April 1960, the street known previously as Calle Nueva was renamed Don Paulino Gullas Street in his honor by virtue of City Council Ordinance No. 285.