Mariano Jesus Diosomito Cuenco (Carmen, January 16, 1888 - February 25, 1964) was a Filipino politician and writer. Cuenco was successively a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, Governor of the Province of Cebu, Minister of Public Works and Communications and a member of the Philippine Senate. From 1949 until 1951 he was President of the Senate of the Philippines. biography
Cuenco was one of sixteen children of Mariano Albao Cuenco and Remedio Lopez Diosomito. His father was a poet and teacher from Capiz who was going to work as a journalist later in Cebu. He also worked for the US court Carlock shortly after the turn of the century. By that time he started Imprenta Rosario, a publisher of various newspapers, and later unsuccessfully joined the Cebu Governor's Elections. His mother was Remedio Lopez Diosomito, from Naic in the province of Cavite. She took the lead of Imprenta Rosario after her husband's death. Only four of the sixteen children of Mariano and Remedio reached the mature age. In addition to Mariano Jesus, these were his brother José Maria Cuenco, later Archbishop of Jaro and Miguel Cuenco, later member of the Philippine House of Representatives on behalf of Cebu and his sister Dolores Cuenco Borromeo.
Cuenco studied at Colegio de San Carlos in Cebu, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1904. In 1911, he also obtained his diploma in Escuela de Derecho. Two years later, he passed the entrance examination of the Philippine counter (bar exam).
Before reaching the entrance examination, he was elected in 1912 as a member of the House of Representatives on behalf of the 5th constituency of Cebu. In 1916, 1920 and 1924 he was re-elected. Following in his last term as a deputy, in 1928, an election came to the governor of the province of Cebu. This position he would wear until 1934. In that same year he was one of the participants in the Constitutional Convention, where the 1935 Filipino Constitution was designed. From 1936 to 1939, Cuenco was Minister of Public Works and Communication. In 1938, he was also temporary Minister of Agriculture and Trade and Work.
In the 1941 elections, Cuenco was elected as senator. Because of the outbreak of World War II, he was only a member of the Senate after the Japanese occupation since the 1946 elections, when he was elected again. The last three years of his first senate term were Cuenco President of the Senate and Chairman of the Nomination Committee. In his term many reforms were implemented, which resulted in a much more efficient Philippine Congress.
In 1951, he failed to be re-elected as a member of the Liberal Party in the Senate elections for a new term, because the candidates of the Nacionalista Party managed to defeat all the Liberal Party candidates. In 1953 he tried again and this time as a member of the Nacionalista Party he was successful. Six years later, he was re-elected at the 1959 elections. His last term ended prematurely when he died in 1964. Sources
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