MABINI, Apolinario

Born in Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas on July 23, 1864 of poor parents, and later paralyzed, Apolinaro Mabini grew up to become a good writer, a lawyer and a patriot and is known as the "Sublime Paralytic" and the "Brains of the Revolution". He was the eighth child of Inocencio Mabini and Dionisia Maranan.

In spite of poverty, Mabini obtained a teaching certificate in March 1887 and finished law in 1894. He was admitted to the bar in 1895. In 1896, he contracted a fever which permanently paralyzed him. Still, he did notarial work in his invalid's chair and supported the reform movement. Because of his support of the reform movement, he was imprisoned in June 1897.

During the Filipino-American War, Mabini was Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's adviser. He advised Aguinaldo to change the form of government from a dictatorial form to a revolutionary one. Mabini organized the municipalities. When the Revolutionary Congress convened at Barasoain, Malolos, Bulacan, he was Aguinaldo's prime minister. He helped outline the Malolos Constitution. Hence, he was aptly called the "Brains of the Revolution". He continued writing articles advocating reforms. He was captured on September 10, 1899. During his captivity, he wrote "The Rise and Fall of the Philippine Republic". After his release on September 23, 1900 he lived in Nagtahan, Manila where he wrote for local newspapers. On January 5, 1901 he was exiled to Guam because of his articles notably "El Semil de Alejandro" in El Liberal.

Believing that he had no other choice and that he could better serve his countrymen by returning to the Philippines, Mabini took the oath of allegiance to the United States on February 26, 1903. He died in Nagtahan, Manila on May 13, 1903 at the age of 39.