Jorge B. Vargas

Jorge B. Vargas
Vargas (in white) with Japanese General Homma, 1943
Presiding Officer of the Philippine Executive Commission
In office January 23, 1942 – October 14, 1943[1]
Governor-General	Masaharu Homma
Preceded by	Himself As Head of the Civilian Emergency Administration
Succeeded by	José P. Laurel (as President)
Head of the Civilian Emergency Administration In concurrent capacity with the mayoralty of Manila
In office December 22, 1941 – January 23, 1942
Appointed by	Manuel Quezon
Succeeded by	Himself As Presiding Officer of the Philippine Executive Commission
Ministries involved
In office October 14, 1943 – August 17, 1945
President	José P. Laurel
Preceded by	Pedro A. Paterno (as Prime Minister)
Succeeded by	Ferdinand E. Marcos (as Prime Minister)
Mayor of Manila In concurrent capacity with the headship of the Civilian Emergency Administration
In office December 22, 1941 – January 23, 1942
Appointed by	Manuel Quezon
Preceded by	Valeriano Fugoso
Succeeded by	Leon Guinto, Sr.
Secretary of National Defense
In office December 11, 1941 – December 22, 1941
Appointed by	Manuel Quezon
Preceded by	Manuel Quezon in concurrent capacity as President
Succeeded by	Basilio Valdez
Executive Secretary
In office January 30, 1936 – December 11, 1941
Appointed by	Manuel Quezon
Preceded by	Post created
Succeeded by	Manuel Roxas
Vice Mayor of Manila
In office January 1, 1934 – January 4, 1940
Appointed by	Manuel Quezon
Preceded by	Honorio Lopez
Succeeded by	Hermenegildo Atienza
Personal details
Born	Jorge Bartolome Vargas August 24, 1890 Bago, Negros Occidental, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Died	February 22, 1980 (aged 89) Manila, Philippines
Political party	Kapisanan ng Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas
Spouse(s)	Marina Yulo & Adelaida Montilla Peña
Mother	Filomena Trinidad Celis
Father	Angel Tiongco Vargas
Religion	Roman Catholic

Jorge Bartolome Vargas^[2] (August 24, 1890 – February 22, 1980) was a lawyer, diplomat and youth advocate born in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911 and a Bachelor of Law degree with honors in 1914, both from the University of the Philippines. He was a founding member of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (now the Philippine Olympic Committee) in 1911 and served in its Executive Committee in 1918.^[3] He served as its second Chairman from 1935 to 1955. He was also the first Filipino member of the International Olympic Committee.^[4]

Government service

After being admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1914, he was appointed as law clerk in the Philippine Commission. He quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to the position of Chief Clerk of the Department of the Interior in 1917.^[5]

In 1918 he served as the legislative secretary to Speaker Sergio Osmeña of the House of Representatives and in 1936 was appointed by President Manuel L. Quezon as his Executive Secretary, becoming the first in the country to serve in such a position.^[6]

When the Japanese invaded the country in 1941, Vargas was designated to the Department of National Defense as its secretary. A few weeks later, he was appointed by President Manuel Quezon as mayor of the Greater Manila area in 1941. His responsibilities included administering the open city upon the arrival of occupational troops of the Imperial Japanese Army on January 2, 1942.

By 1942, Vargas became chairman of the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Executive Commission. During the collaborationist Second Philippine Republic, he was once asked by the Japanese to assume the Presidency, but he declined. He instead served as the regime's Ambassador to Japan. In that position, he was quoted shortly before Japanese troops were driven from Manila as stating that "we know Japan is destined for sure victory and prosperity for ages to come."^[7]

Vargas served as Chairman of the National Planning Commission from 1946–1954 and was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines from 1961-1965. In 1960, the Republic of the Philippines conferred on him the Legion of Honor with the rank of Commander.^[3]

Vargas and his daughter, 1943

Scouting

Vargas' involvement with Scouting started in 1935 when he became a member of the executive board of the Philippine Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Together with other Philippine Scouting advocates he became one of the charter members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines in 1936.^[3]

Upon the death of Manuel Camus in 1949, Vargas was unanimously chosen by the National Executive Board to serve as the BSP's President and Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. He served the position of National President until 1961. He became a member of the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of the Scout Movement from 1951 to 1957.

Vargas was awarded the Bronze Wolf in 1959 and received other awards including the Silver Tamaraw (Philippines), Silver Fox (Canada), Silver Ibex (Austria), Silver Wolf (UK), and in 1959 also received the highest distinction of the Scout Association of Japan, the Golden Pheasant Award.^[8] He also became the first recipient of the Tanglaw ng Kabataan (Light of the Youth) Award of the BSP in 1961.^[3]

Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center (UP Diliman)

Honours

•  Japan: Grand Cordon (1st Class) of the Order of the Rising Sun (October 1, 1943)^[9]

See also

• Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center

References

1. Appointed by Manuel L. Quezon, December 30, 1941 as Head of the Civilian Emergency Administration; then appointed by Masaharu Homma as head of government, January 23, 1942
2. The Jorge B. Vargas Art Collection as a Microcosm of Art during the Commonwealth - page 4: "Jorge Bartolome Vargas (1890-1980) became well known..."
3. On My Honor, Boy Scouts of the Philippines, 2001, p. 136-137.
4. "Philippine Olympic Committee". Olympic.ph. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
5. "Philippine Department of Defense". Dnd.gov.ph. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
6. Jorge B. Vargas Museum
7. "Japan is warned by puppet envoy of Manila's fate," Oakland Tribune, p. 2D, 1945-02-03.
8. reinanzaka-sc.o.oo7.jp/kiroku/documents/20140523-3-kiji-list.pdf
9. "Filipino recipients of Japanese decorations and Japanese recipients of Philippine decorations". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.