Jorge B. Vargas

The Honorable
Jorge B. Vargas
The Honorable Jorge B. Vargas
	Vargas in 1978
Presiding Officer of the Philippine Executive Commission
	In office; January 23, 1942 – October 14, 1943
Governor-General	Masaharu Homma; Shizuichi Tanaka; Shigenori Kuroda
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 L. Quezon
Succeeded by	Himself ; As Presiding Officer of the Philippine Executive Commission
1st Mayor of the City of Greater Manila; (11th Mayor of Manila)
	In office; December 24, 1941 – January 26, 1942
Appointed by	Manuel L. Quezon
Deputy	List Hermenegildo Atienza (as Vice Mayor of Manila) ; Cornelio Cordero (as Assistant Mayor for Caloocan) ; José Villena (as Assistant Mayor for Makati) ; Pedro Cruz (as Assistant Mayor for Mandaluyong) ; Moises San Juan (as Assistant Mayor for Pasay) ; Daniel Santiago (as Assistant Mayor for San Juan) ;
Preceded by	Position established (City of Greater Manila); Juan Nolasco (as Mayor of Manila)
Succeeded by	León Guinto
Secretary of National Defense
	In office; December 11, 1941 – December 22, 1941
Appointed by	Manuel L. Quezon
Preceded by	Manuel L. Quezon; in concurrent capacity as President
Succeeded by	Basilio Valdez
1st Executive Secretary of the Philippines
	In office; January 30, 1936 – December 11, 1941
Appointed by	Manuel L. Quezon
Preceded by	Post created
Succeeded by	Manuel Roxas
6th Vice Mayor of Manila
	In office; January 1, 1932 – January 4, 1940
Appointed by	Manuel L. Quezon
Mayor	Tomas Earnshaw (1932–1933); Juan Posadas Jr. (1934–1940)
Preceded by	Isabelo de los Reyes
Succeeded by	Carmen Planas
Director General of the Philippine Carnival Association
	In office; 1921–1922
Preceded by	Vicente Morente
Succeeded by	Arsenio Luz
Personal details
Born	Jorge Bartolomé Vargas y Celis; August 24, 1890; Bago, Negros Occidental, Captaincy General of the Philippines, Spanish East Indies
Died	February 22, 1980 (aged 89); Manila, Philippines
Political party	Nacionalista
Other political; affiliations	KALIBAPI (1942–1945)
Spouse(s)	Marina Yulo; Adelaida Montilla Peña
Children	8
Parent(s)	Ángel Tiongco Vargas (father); Filomena Trinidad Celis (mother)
Relatives	Ricky Vargas (grandson)
Alma mater	University of the Philippines Diliman (BA, LL.B)

Jorge Bartolomé Vargas y Celis^[2] (August 24, 1890 – February 22, 1980) was a Filipino 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]

Early life and education

Vargas was born on August 24, 1890, 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.

Career and founder

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. He served as its second chairman from 1935 to 1955. He was also the first Filipino member of the International Olympic Committee.

Government service

After being admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1914, he was appointed as a law clerk for the Philippine Commission in 1915. He 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.^[6]

In 1921, Vargas succeeded Vicente Morente as director-general of the Philippine Carnival Association which ran the Manila Carnival. He was succeeded by Arsenio Luz the following year.^[7]

In 1936, Vargas was appointed by President Manuel L. Quezon as his executive secretary,^[6] becoming the first in the country to serve in such a position.

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 Quezon as mayor of the City of Greater Manila 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."^[8]

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

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 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 blackBronze 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.^[9] He also became the first recipient of the Tanglaw ng Kabataan (Light of the Youth) Award of the BSP in 1961.^[3]

Death

Vargas died on February 22, 1980, in Manila, Philippines at the age of 89.

Honours

Japan: Grand Cordon (1st Class) of the Order of the Rising Sun (October 1, 1943)^[10]

Gallery

Vargas ''(in white)'' with Japanese General Homma, 1943

References

^ Appointed by Manuel L. Quezon as head of the Civilian Emergency Administration, December 30, 1941; then appointed by Masaharu Homma as head of government, January 23, 1942
^ Concepcion, G. L. (n.d.). The Jorge B. Vargas Art Collection as a Microcosm of Art during the Commonwealth. p. 4. Retrieved March 2, 2022 – via Academia.edu. Jorge Bartolome Vargas (1890-1980) became well known...
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Boy Scouts of the Philippines (2001). On My Honor. Manila: Boy Scouts of the Philippines. pp. 136–137.
^ "History of the POC". Philippine Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
^ Galang, Zoilo M. (1932). Leaders of the Philippines: Inspiring Biographies of Successful Men and Women of the Philippines. Manila: National Publishing Company.
^ ^a ^b "About Jorge B. Vargas". Vargas Museum. August 24, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
^ Philippine Carnival Association (1927). Manila Carnival Commercial and Industrial Fair a Recreation Center 1927. Manila: Philippine Carnival Association. p. 25.
^ "Japan Is Warned by Puppet Envoy of Manila's Fate". Oakland Tribune. February 3, 1945. pp. 2D.
^ 䝪䞊䜲䝇䜹䜴䝖日本連盟きじ章受章者 [Recipient of the Golden Pheasant Award of the Scout Association of Japan] (PDF). Reinanzaka Scout Club (in Japanese). May 23, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 11, 2020.
^ "Filipino Recipients of Japanese Decorations and Japanese Recipients of Philippine Decorations". Official Gazette. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2022.