Tomás N. Alonso

Tomás Noel Alonso (December 29, 1881 – June 16, 1962) is a well-known Cebuano Visayan writer and politician. He published the first complete Cebuano translation of Jose Rizal's El filibusterismo. He also translated the Mi último adiós. He was a columnist with Bag-ong Suga and editor of the Spanish publication La opinión.

Biography Tomas Alonso was born in Asturias, Cebu in December 29, 1881. In his early life, he got his primary and secondary education at Colegio Seminario de San Carlos in Cebu. During the Philippine-American War, he served as a soldier under General Juan Climaco. He later studied in Manila to pursue a career in law after the war ended. He received his law degree in March 1907.

In Cebu, Alonso was elected member of the Provincial Board from 1908 to 1909. He was elected Deputy for the Seventh District of Cebu in 1914 and was elected again in 1916 obtaining a majority vote of 1,419 votes against Ramon Villaceran, which obtained 983 votes.

During World War II, he was arrested by the Japanese military forces. He was released in 1945 as the war ended.