Honorio Ventura

Don Honorio T. Ventura

Philanthropist, Provincial Governor and Secretary of the Interior

Don Honorio T. Ventura was born to famous patriot Balbino Ventura and the former Juana Tizon in Bacolor, Pampanga, Philippines on July 30, 1887. He was the youngest and only male of four siblings. He studied for three years at Ateneo de Manila and transferred later to Colegio de San Juan de Letran to complete his pre-law course. For his professional studies, he matriculated at the Universidad de Santo Tomas and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws. He continued his studies in Spain and earned a doctorate degree in Jurisprudence. He did not practice his law profession because of his desire to serve his countrymen as an honest and efficient politician.

Atty. Honorio T. Ventura got involved in politics in his early twenties. He joined the Nationalist Party in 1907 and ran for representative of the 2nd District of Pampanga but lost by twelve votes. In 1916 he was appointed as acting governor of Pampanga succeeding another famous local politician, Governor Francisco Liongson who served as governor of Pampanga from 1912 to 1916. Governor Honorio Ventura proved himself to be an effective provincial governor and accomplished a lot for his constituencies. The people of Pampanga elected him as provincial governor in the election of 1918. Through his outstanding leadership and unselfish dedication to his government duties, he became an idol and favorite son of Pampanga.

In 1921, Governor Honorio T. Ventura resigned as provincial governor of Pampanga to accept the position of Chief of the Executive Bureau of the Department of Interior and later as Secretary of the Interior in place of Atty. Felipe Agoncillo when he resigned from the position. Secretary Honorio T. Ventura served in that position for more than eight years under Governor General Leonard Wood and other American governor-generals in the Philippines. He acted as Governor General of the Philippines when Governor Wood left for the United States of America for medical treatment and when Vice Governor General George F. Butte was on vacation in the Orient.

Secretary Ventura resigned from his cabinet position in 1933 to campaign for the acceptance of the Hare Hawes Cutting Law because he sensed that the then Governor General, Frank Murphy was in favor of Manuel Quezon in rejecting the Hare Hawes Cutting Law.

During the "PRO" and "ANTI" campaign for the acceptance of the Hare Hawes Cutting Law, Secretary of the Interior Honorio Ventura led the "PROS" and Secretary of Public Works Sotero Baluyut together with the then leading politician Manuel L. Quezon were the leaders of the "ANTIS". The campaign was characterized by accusations and innuendo resulting to personal conflicts and misunderstandings among prominent Filipino politicians.

As a kind and generous philanthropist for thirty-four years, he sponsored and shouldered the college educational expenses of more than fifty bright and financially handicapped students. Some of the Honorio T. Ventura scholars became prominent lawyers, judges, government officials, educators, engineers, medical doctors and veterinary medicine doctors.

Two famous Honorio T. Ventura scholars who excelled in politics and public service were Dr. Emilio P. Cortez, a medical doctor, a lawyer and a politician and Atty. Diosdado P. Macapagal, a poet laureate, a stage actor, bar topnotcher and politician. Dr. Cortez was elected as a legislator representing the second district of Pampanga while Atty. Diosdado P. Macapagal became a Foreign Service officer, an elected representative of the 1st District of Pampanga, a vice president and later as president of the Republic of the Philippines.

Don Honorio T. Ventura entered politics as a very wealthy man and left politics as a poor man because he did not take advantage of his government positions. He died on September 3, 1940. President Manuel L. Quezon eulogized Secretary Honorio Ventura during the funeral services at the Ayuntamiento. President Quezon made everybody shed tears when President Quezon revealed that he personally apologized to Secretary Ventura and forgave President Quezon before Secretary Ventura died.

In recognition of Secretary Honorio Ventura's outstanding service to education and to the public in general, one of the oldest trade schools in the Philippines, the former Pampanga School of Arts and Trades in Bacolor, Pampanga was re-named as Don Honorio T. Ventura College of Arts and Trades.