Galicano Apacible

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Apacible Antonio and the second or maternal family name is del Castillo.
The Honorable
Galicano Apacible
Apacible on his U.S. passport application in 1919
Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources
In office
January 11, 1917 – October 31, 1921
Preceded byPost created
Succeeded byRafael Corpus
Member of the Philippine Assembly from Batangas's 1st district
In office
October 16, 1909 – October 16, 1916
Preceded byFelipe Agoncillo
Succeeded byRamón Diokno
5th Governor of Batangas
In office
1907–1909
Preceded byJosé Lozada
Succeeded byPablo Borbon
Personal details
BornGalicano Apacible Antonio y del Castillo
(1864-06-25)June 25, 1864
Balayan, Batangas, Captaincy General of the Philippines
DiedMarch 22, 1949(1949-03-22) (aged 84)
Manila, Philippines
Resting placeManila Memorial Park - Sucat, Parañaque City
PartyNacionalista
SpouseConcepcion Castillo
OccupationPolitician

Galicano Apacible Antonio y del Castillo (June 25, 1864 – March 22, 1949) was a Filipino physician and politician from Balayan Batangas. A cousin to José Rizal, he co-founded La Solidaridad and the Nacionalista Party.

Early life and education

Apacible was born in Balayan, Batangas on June 25, 1864. He was the youngest of three children of Vicente Apacible and Catalina Castillo. He completed his elementary education in Batangas before moving to Manila to take secondary studies at a private school owned by Benedicto Luna and later the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. During this time, he lived with his older brother Leon and cousin, Jose Rizal, in a rented accommodation in Intramuros. He pursued a degree in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but decided to continue his studies in Spain after a dispute with a Dominican priest. He received a bachelor's degree at the Instituto del Tarragona and a licentiate in medicine and surgery from the University of Barcelona in 1889.[1] He pursued a doctorate in medicine from the Central University of Madrid but did not complete his course.[2]

Career

Apacible on a 1977 stamp of the Philippines
Historical marker installed in 2003 in Balayan, Batangas

Apacible participated in political movements in Spain and became president of the Filipino reformist organization La Solidaridad.[2] He was suspected by the Spanish colonial government in Manila of subversion over his political activities and Freemasonry. After returning to the Philippines in 1892 and learning that his brother Leon had been exiled to Lepanto while his cousin Rizal was sent to Dapitan, he fled to Hong Kong with Rizal's family to avoid arrest.[1]

During the Philippine Revolution he served as an advisor to the Alto Consejo de los Revolucionarios and became administrator of the Comite Central Filipino. In 1899, the Philippine revolutionary government sent him and Rafael del Pan to the United States to negotiate with the US government.[1] He wrote a piece titled To the American People, an Appeal, in which he tried to plead with the people of the United States to pressure its government not to invade his newly independent country.[3] He also pleaded the cause of Philippine independence in his travels to the United Kingdom and Canada and frequently met with groups opposed to the US annexation.[2]

After the Philippine-American War, Apacible returned to the Philippines and practiced medicine in Manila. From 1906 to 1907, he worked at the San Lazaro Hospital.[1]

In 1907, he entered elected politics and was elected as governor of Batangas from 1907 to 1909 and representative of the First District of Batangas to the Philippine Assembly from 1909 to 1916. He was then named Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 1917,[4] serving until 1921 when resigned due to illness.[1] He also served as vice president of the Nacionalista Party.[1]

Later life and death

Apacible was severely injured in an accident in 1944 and went blind in 1947. He died on March 2, 1949 and was buried at the La Loma Cemetery[1] and eventually transferred to the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Galicano Apacible". CulturEd: Philippine Cultural Education Online (in Filipino). Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Museo ni Leon at Galicano Apacible". NHCP. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  3. ^ To the American People, an Appeal
  4. ^ Bell, Diane (April 25, 2016). "Museum memorializes grandfather of Encinitas woman". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 20, 2022.

Further reading


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