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President Carlos Polestico Garcia
8th President of the Philippines, March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961

1st President of the 1971 Philippine Constitutional Convention

4th Vice President of the Philippines, December 30, 1953 – March 18, 1957

Secretary of Foreign Affairs, December 30, 1953 – March 18, 1957

Senator of the Philippines, 1941, ~ May 25, 1946 – December 30, 1953

Governor of Bohol, October 16, 1934 – August 29, 1941

Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Bohol's 3rd District, 1925–1931

Supreme adviser and “Commander in Chief” of the “Bohol Legion of Liberty”, Guerrilla Provincial Government of Bohol during World War II

Carlos P. Garcia, poet, philosopher, teacher, reporter, parliamentarian, executive, legislature, constitutionalist, philologist, orator, lawyer, diplomat, statesman, patriot, military leader, and a father of one, was born in sitio Loy-a, in barangay San Agustin, Talibon, Bohol, on Tuesday, November 4, 1896. Carlos was the second child of the six siblings. The names of the Garcia children in the order of their birth dates were:

1. Leoncio, 1894. He became a capataz or a road foreman, and mayor of Alicia, Bohol. He was the oldest of the children.

2. Carlos, 1896. He rose from the ranks, from representative, governor, senator, vice president of the Philippines and concurrent secretary of foreign affairs, eighth president and fourth president of the third Republic of the Philippines, first president of the 1971 Constitutional Convention.

3. Primitiva, 1898. The beloved sister of Carlos.

4. Cosme, 1900. He became a lawyer finishing his LLB from the Philippine Law School like his brother, Carlos. He was once a municipal judge of Jagna, Bohol. He was elected representative of the third district of Bohol. A career diplomat, he was Minister in the Department of Foreign Affairs. He became an author of law books and one of the leading law practitioners in Manila during his lifetime.

5. Cipriano, 1902. He died at the age of 21 years. His untimely death prevented the holding of party in honor of CPG's graduation from the College of Law.

6. Lucio, 1904. He was one year old when he died. He was the youngest of the Garcia children.

CPG's father was Policronio Garcia, a sailor and farmer who became municipal mayor of Talibon for fifteen consecutive years. Manoy "Coni," as CPG's father was fondly called never had any formal schooling but he was a man with a strong personality and disposition. Both as a family man and as public servant, he was noted as a disciplinarian. He was born a leader of men whose life was fully dedicated to public service.

CPG's mother was Ambrosia Polestico, a prototype of the humble and homely Filipina of yesteryears. A devout Catholic and an exemplary housewife, "Manding Butay," as the barrio folks and townspeople fondly called her, was proficient in leading the novena or prayers for the patron saints. She came from a family of substantial farmers. As a matter of fact, most of CPG's landholdings came from his mother's inheritance from her parents - Carino Polestico and Ramona Clara Evalaroza.

Mariano Garcia, CPG's grandfather, was also a town official, a cabeza de barangay, during the Spanish regime. It was his duty to collect taxes from the people of Talibon, which he later turned over to the Castilian authorities. Whenever he failed to collect the exact amount he was supposed to accumulate from the taxpayers within his jurisdiction, the Spanish officials would compel him to make up the difference himself. Hence, while it was an honor to be a cabeza de barangay in those days, at the same time it was a financial burden.

Mariano's wife, Maria Evardo, was simple and industrious woman who devoted herself to the rearing of children and to the home chores. CPG's birthplace was typical of the simplicity and humility which have characterized them, - a remote one, decidedly rural which is seven and a half kilometers away from the poblacion.

When the cholera epidemic broke out in 1911 which killed hundreds of people in Talibon and in order to avail of more medical care and attention, the Garcia family moved from sitio Loy-a to Balico, in the vicinity of Poblacion, Talibon. That was the time the "biggest house" was constructed. It was made of wood, bamboo, nipa, and galvanized iron roofing. It used to be the "biggest house" in Poblacion, Talibon. However, it was burned to the ground by the Japanese on July 4, 1943 when they were informed that CPG was a leader of the resistance movement of Bohol.

CPG's books and poems, his philosophical studies in the Visayan dialect, and his historical account of the Boholano hero, Francisco Dagohoy, were all destroyed. His old pictures which he treasured very much were all reduced to ashes.

CPG pursued the primary course in the Talibon Central Elementary School during the school year 1903-1904. He completed his elementary education in Talibon graduating at the head of his class in 1910. He then studied in the Cebu High School (now Abellana National High School) completing only the second year of the secondary course. CPG's father, Policronio, advised him to become a public school teacher in the belief that at the age of sixteen he was yet too young to pursue his studies. After two years of teaching in the public schools of Trinidad and Ubay, he resigned to continue his studies. As a classroom teacher, CPG was under regular status at P25.00 per month. He took his third year secondary studies at Silliman Institute (now Silliman University) in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. In his senior year in high school, he decided to return to Cebu High School graduating thereat as class valedictorian in 1916. It was during this time when he won the Carlock gold medal for excellence in oratory. CPG was once an editor of the school paper when he was in the Cebu High School. He was at the same time a reporter of Cebu's weekly newspapers in English.

CPG enrolled next in the College of Law of the Philippine Law School in the school year 1919-1920. He was permitted to pursue the law course because at that time a preparatory law course was not required for admission.

He won prizes for academic excellence, oratory, debating and poetry in the Cebu High School, Silliman Institute and the Philippine Law School. He was elected president of the freshman class in Law school. He was awarded the West Publishing Company prize for obtaining the highest general average during his first year in the College of Law. The Lawyers' Cooperative Publishing Company Prize was awarded to him as law class valedictorian in 1923. He had been recipient of the Malcolm's four-year law course scholarship prizes for academic excellence.

CPG finished the Bachelor of Laws degree in 1923, at the Philippine Law School as Valedictorian. He placed seventh in the bar examinations of 1923 despite illness, obtaining the highest rating among the law valedictorians of that year. The bar topnotcher of that year was Roque V. Desquitado of Cebu.

It was related that two doctors (Lava and Reyes) while taking the examinations advised CPG to discontinue taking the test because at that time he had fainting spells due to a serious ailment. Against the doctors' advice, however, he continued taking the examinations confident that he would still pass, which he did.

He took his first bid in politics in 1925 and was elected representative of the third district of Bohol. From representative, governor, senator. As a senator, his term was interrupted by World War II, during the war, he refused to surrender. Instead, he fought the Japanese occupying the island of Bohol and became a military leader. The Japanese announced the prize of P50,000 on his head.

After liberation, he represented the Philippines during the International Organization of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945. He was a member of the Philippine Rehabilitation Commission and War Damage Commission in Washington D.C.

Garcia headed the Philippine delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference in Dublin, Ireland and chairman of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization which became the forerunner of the ASEAN or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In 1953, he was drafted as the running mate of President Ramon Magsaysay and won. President Magsaysay met his tragic death aboard the presidential plane which crashed in Mount Manungal in the mountain of Cebu.

Vice President Garcia concurrent secretary of Foreign Affairs was then in Sydney, Australia, attending an international conference on March 17, 1957 when the tragic event happened. Destiny and political fortune catapulted him to the highest position of the land. Vice President Garcia then assumed the presidency.

During the 1957 presidential elections of the same year, Garcia was elected as the fourth president of the third republic in his own right. He served the presidency until 1961 when lost to his vice president, Diosdado Macapagal.

Aware of the crucial test the Philippines was undergoing during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Garcia ran as delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1971 representing the third district of Bohol and won. Later, he won as President of the Constitutional Convention on June 11, 1971. His opponent were Diosdado Macapagal, Raul Manglapus, Salvador Araneta and Teofisto Guingona, Jr.

After his inauguration as president of the convention on June 11, 1971, he was overtaken by a downpour of rain during the June 12 Independence Day program at the Luneta.

He developed fever but on June 14, he reported to the convention floor to steer the deliberations of the convention. Unable to bear the high fever he was suffering, he asked for leave and left the convention floor. At 5:57 pm, on the same day, death overtook him in the midst of an unfinished task. He had his final rendezvous with destiny.

According to Dr. Antonio Guytingco, personal physician of President Garcia, the late President was caught by the rain on Saturday, June 12, 1971, during the Independence Day celebration at the Luneta where he participated. Dr. Guytingco said, this aggravated his heart condition which was already at a danger point. This precipitated the heart attack which was complicated by bronco-pneumonia.

In Bohol, Governor of the Province of Bohol, Lino I. Chatto (governor, May 30, 1967–March 16, 1978) convened the provincial board in an emergency session to adopt a resolution requesting the committee in charge of the funeral arrangements that the remains of the late President be air shipped to Bohol in accordance with the tradition and practice in order to give the Boholanos an opportunity to pay final tribute.

Tagbilaran Mayor Venancio Inting (mayor, 1960–1971) sent Councilor Jose Ma. Rocha to Manila on June 16, 1971, to make representations for the possible shipment of the President's remains to Bohol. Finally, on June 18, 1971, CPG's remains were taken by helicopter to Bohol. Necrological services in his honor were rendered in Bohol Cultural Center, in Tagbilaran City, on June 19, 1971.

The remains were brought back to Manila where President Carlos P. Garcia was interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, in Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly Fort William McKinley) in Metro Manila, Philippines. CPG is the first President of the Philippines to be buried in this hallowed ground, his final resting place.

References:
1. Gregorio C. Eronico, Sr., “Carlos P. Garcia, Radiant Symbol of Filipinism: His Life and Labors, 1896-1971”, 1985
2. Bohol Provincial Library Archives
Photo Colorized by Bohol Provincial Library


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