Mónico Mercado

Don Monico was born in Sasmuan, Pampanga on May 4, 1875. His parents were Romulo (Capitan Obung) Mercado and Simona del Rosario. Mariano Mercado and Catalina Limpin were his paternal grandparents. He is familiarly called by his cabalens as "Apung Moning."

Nothing is known about his Primaria schooling, but it is highly likely he studied under Cirilo Fernandez and Augusto Layug in Bacolor, then capital town of Pampanga, not too far from Sasmuan. He studied his Segunda Enseñanza under Sr. Vicente Quirino in San Fernando. Later he went to Manila and enrolled at San Juan de Letran where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree. He continued his studies at the University of Santo Tomas, obtaining the degree of Licenciado en Canones y Teologia and Profesor de Segunda Enseñanza. In 1903 he garnered the title of Abogado after passing his exam before the Supreme Court. He later joined Rafael Palma as his law partner.

The Mercado family is well known and respected in the town of Sasmuan. The family is counted among one of the richest. The largest areas of fishponds belonged to the Mercados. The family fortune grew even more under the American regime. The family acquired an inter-island vessel, locally called casco, with a net tonnage of 34 tons. They were also awarded a forest timber license. Romulo Mercado served in various capacities in the local government. He was Juez de Paz and Capitan of the town. Don Monico himself is counted among the country's revered heroes, having joined the revolution against Spain, fighting together with another well known Pampango hero and literary artist in the person of Crisostomo Soto. He represented the first district of Pampanga in the first Philippine Assembly twice under the American regime.

In the legislature he was a member of four committees which included Internal Government, Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Mining, and the powerful Appropriations Committee chaired by Manuel L. Quezon. The members of this committee included Felipe Agoncillo, Pedro Paterno, Leon Ma. Guerrero, Rafael Palma, and Fernando Ma. Guerrero.

After his stint in the Philippine Assembly he was appointed as one of two superintendents tasked with organizing the Bureau of Agriculture. He drafted the tentative constitution and bylaws for the provincial agricultural societies together with his American co-superintendent. These drafts were written in both Spanish and English and were also translated into the several major dialects of the country. His American partner would later write in his memoir, "A prominent Filipino has been assigned to go with me and assist in the work, Hon. Monico Mercado, a lawyer and ex-delegate to the Legislature from Pampanga. He is well educated, speaks Spanish and English, has an automobile (a fine French car), and knows the islands and the people quite well." In July 1914 they organized the first Provincial Agricultural Society in Tayabas. By the end of the year there were at least 150 municipal agricultural societies organized. Their work was highly praised and commended by the government and officials in Manila. This was one of Don Monico's major works in the national government. After distancing himself from politics he devoted most of his time to the practice of law, philanthropy, and literary works.

Historical Album of the First Philippine Assembly (1908), compiled by Anthony R. Tuohy (p. 67)

Official Directory: First Philippine Legislature (1908), by Gregorio Nieva (p. 74)

Philippine Biographical Directory (1908, p. 33-34)

Official Directory of the Philippine Assembly (1912, p. 80-81, Images 93-94)

Encyclopedia of the Philippines: The Library of Philippine Literature, Art and Science, Volume 9: Builders of the New Philippines (1936, p. 415, Image 125)

Cornejo’s Commonwealth Directory of the Philippines (1939), by Miguel Cornejo (p. 1947)