José Clarín

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Clarín and the second or maternal family name is Butalid.

The Honorable José Clarín
Clarin depicted in a publication of Philippine Education, published April 1917
President pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines
In office 1934–1935
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by	Sergio Osmeña
Succeeded by	José Avelino
Senator of the Philippines from the 11th district
In office October 16, 1916 – June 2, 1935 Serving with Nicolas Capistrano (1916-1919), Francisco Soriano (1919-1925), Troadio Galicano (1925-1931), Juan Torralba (1931-1935)
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Post abolished
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Bohol's 2nd district
In office 1907–1916
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Macario Lumain
Delegate to the 1934 Constitutional Convention
In office 1934–1935
Personal details
Born	José Aniceto Clarín y Butalid (1879-12-12)December 12, 1879 Tagbilaran, Bohol, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Died	June 2, 1935(1935-06-02) (aged 55) Manila, Philippine Islands
Cause of death	Lung cancer
Political party	Nacionalista

José Aniceto Clarín y Butalid (December 12, 1879 – June 2, 1935) was a Filipino politician who served as the 3rd president pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines from 1934 until his death in 1935. He also served as acting Senate President of the Philippines briefly in 1932 when Senate President Manuel Quezon went on leave.

He was elected in the 1934 Philippine Constitutional Convention election as a delegate from Bohol, Philippines. He died while on office as Senate President pro tempore on June 2, 1935, after he succumbed to lung cancer, a disease he had been suffering two months prior.

Biography

Clarín was born on December 12, 1879, in Tagbilaran, Bohol, to Don Aniceto Velez Clarín, first civil governor of the province of Bohol. Clarín was educated at the University of San Carlos in Cebu primary education and then in Escuela de Derecho de Manila for his law degree earned in 1904. After his studies, he settled in Cebu and worked for his profession. One of the cases he handled as a lawyer were the kidnappings committed by the captain of a large American frigate in Cebu.

Philippine Assembly

Clarin would also serve the Philippine Legislature in 1907. As a legislator under the Philippine Assembly, he, along with Carlos Ledesma, advocated for the law on absolute divorce. Aside from that, Clarin also authored the Resolution no. 17. This resolution requested for the American government to admit young Filipinos to the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Relocation of poor Filipinos

Assembly Bill 39, introduced by Clarin on November 12, 1907, aimed to relocate poor Filipinos to Mindoro and Palawan for land settlement. Eligible applicants, aged at least sixteen and in economic hardship, were to receive support like food and medical services, with a proposed budget of 100,000 pesos. The Commission rejected the bill, which Clarin proposed to reduce the number of Filipinos emigrating to Hawaii and promote economic growth in underpopulated areas.

A year-and-a-half later, Clarin introduced Assembly Bill 394 of 1909, which was almost the same as Assembly Bill 39. This time the bill was aimed to relocate poor Filipinos to the island of Mindoro and three provinces of Mindanao, particularly in Misamis, Surigao, and Agusan. This bill was rejected by the Philippine Commission for several reasons. According to the Commission:

• Palawan should have been included
• not all provinces supported out-migration
• the four provinces that did were too far apart for effective management
• there was little chance for individuals to repay their debts; and
• the responsibilities of the assigned place were unclear

The Commission noted technical problems and suggested that further consideration be given in the next session. Clarin then authored Assembly Bill 209 on November 26, 1912, with the same title as bill 394. Although it passed in the Assembly, it was also rejected by the Commission.

As senator

Clarin as a delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention, published by Benipayo Press (c. 1935)

As a senator, the bills he sponsored introduced regulations for the admission of foreigners to Philippine citizenship. In 1917, he served under the Senate Committee on Finance and was chairperson for the Senate Committee on Relations with the Sovereign Country. Since 1932, Clarin also served as acting senate president when Senate President Manuel Quezon was on leave.

In 1934, he became a delegate to the Constitutional Convention from the second district of Bohol and a member of the committee on sponsorship. He was Senate President pro tempore for the 10th Philippine Legislature from 1934 to 1935. He remained as a member of the Philippine Senate until his sudden death in 1935.

He died on June 1935 due to lung cancer, over which he suffered two months prior to his death.

Carlos P. Garcia, who was then Governor of Bohol, dubbed Clarin as the "idol of the 11th senatorial district". The town of Clarin in Misamis Occidental is named in his honor.

Controversy

In 1910, there were protests made within the Philippine Assembly against the membership of Clarin representing Bohol. However, these protests were dismissed.

During his time in the Assembly, there were numerous attempts to unseat him.

Personal life

Clarin was never married and died a bachelor.

His younger brother, Olegario Clarin, also served as a Senator and representative of Bohol.

See also

• List of Philippine legislators who died in office

References

Sources

• Oaminal, Clarence Paul (June 28, 2014). "Senator Jose A. Clarin". Cebupedia. The Freeman. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
• "Jose A. Clarin". Senate of the Philippines. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.