Arsenio Cruz-Herrera

Arsenio Cruz-Herrera (December 14, 1863 – April 8, 1917) was considered the first Filipino mayor of Manila. He was also the leader of the Progresista Party from 1907 to 1914.

Arsenio was born on December 14, 1863 in Tondo, Manila. His parents were Tomas Cruz and Ambrosia Herrera. He studied in a school under Fortunato Jacinto, then at Colegio de San Juan de Letran where he received a degree of bachiller en artes (Bachelor of Arts) in 1880. He later enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas to attain a licentiate in canon law (1889) and jurisprudence (1892). At the University of Santo Tomas, he studied while working at the university library. He was able to start his own law office right after graduating, a firm where Juan Sumulong and Rafael Palma were later able to work as young lawyers. His law practice earned as much as eighty thousand pesos per year.

Little was known about his activities during the Philippine Revolution. According to Manuel Artigas, he advised General Maximo Hizon on the capture of Angeles, Pampanga. After the return of Emilio Aguinaldo in the Philippines, Cruz-Herrera together with Ambrosio Rianzares and Felipe Buencamino.

Cruz-Herrera was offered the post as War Director of the new revolutionary government, a responsibility he refused to take. Antonio Luna was made War Director instead. Cruz-Herrera rather chose to manage the official government newspaper, the El Heraldo de la Revolucion. His efforts made the revolutionary government to establish the Universidad Cientifico-Literaria de Filipinas in 1899, where he taught law. During the Malolos Congress, he was elected as one of the four congress members of Manila. He was also part of the commission that drafted the Malolos Constitution, which was enacted on January 21, 1899. He later realized that the armed struggle for independence was vain, so he decided to cooperate with the Americans.

Cruz-Herrera was convinced on the peace plans of the Schurman Commission, and later joined a group that supported American autonomy in the Philippines. During the Taft Commission, he was appointed President of the Municipal Board of Manila. However, he did not enjoy any influence in the city legislation. He resigned on September 18, 1905. During the First Philippine Assembly elections and the Second Philippine Assembly elections, he led the Progresista Party and ran for the First District of Rizal. He lost in both occasions, but he won the seat for Rizal's First District in the Third Philippine Assembly elections. His Progresista Party, however, never had the majority wrested from the Nacionalista Party from 1907 to 1912. On April 2, 1914, he moved to the Democrata Party.

Cruz-Herrera was first married on September 9, 1888 to married Julita Alejandrino, sister of the revolutionary general, Jose Alejandrino. They had eight children namely: Jose, Rosario, Miguel, Concepcion, Augustin, Natividad, Augusto, and Emmanuela. On March 4, 1912, Julita died. Later, he married Bernarda Sastre. They did not have any children. Cruz-Herrera died on April 8, 1917.