Bartolome Revilla

Bartolomé Revilla y San Jose (August 24, 1867 – May 7, 1922) was a Filipino lawyer, judge, law professor and politician in the early stages of the American colonial period in the Philippines (1899-1946).

Bartolomé Revilla was the very first Representative of the 2nd district of the newly created province of Rizal in the Philippines (under US administration) during the1st Philippine Legislature of 1907.Born in an uncle's house in San Miguel, Bulacan (north of Manila) in August 24, 1867, Bartolomé spent most of his life in the Santa Cruz district of Manila where he died in 1922. One of 6 children born to Don Ceferino Revilla and Rosenda San Jose, Bartolome as a young boy learned to read and write under the tutelage of another uncle, Teodoro Revilla Jr, who was a Canonigo de Gracia (priest) of the Manila Cathedral. The young Bartolomé went to Colegio de San Juan de Letran for his secondary education and then proceeded to the University of Santo Tomas where he completed his Law degree in 1894. The book, Album Historico de la Primera Asamblea Filipina of 1907 (Worcester Philippine Collection, Library of the University of Michigan and compiled by Anthony R. Tuohy) also listed Bartolomé as being a Lieutenant in the legal corps of the Philippine Revolution against Spain.

In 1901, the US colonial administration in the Philippines reorganized the Judiciary system and appointed highly select lawyers to form the judicial base of America's prime colony and Bartolomé Revilla was appointed as the Secretary of The Department of Public Prosecution. It was also in this period that Bartolome Revilla found time to be a Professor of Law, heeding the call of fellow "Ilustrado", Felipe Calderon—after Don Felipe established the Escuela De Derecho which targeted the development of more skilled lawyers in the country.From then on to 1906, he would serve several provinces in the Philippines—this time in the official capacity as fiscal and judge of the court of first instance (from the Report of the Philippine Commission to the US Secretary of War 1901). A career judge, he worked closely with former Philippine Commonwealth president Manuel Quezon in the province of Tayabas, where Bartolome was Court of First Instance judge and Quezon was its governor. It is presumed that Manuel Quezon had invited Bartolome Revilla to leave the judiciary and run for the legislative branch. Both men were previously members of the Philippine Revolutionary Army under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and later on were party mates in thePartido Nacional Progresista, prior to the 1907 elections for the Philippine Assembly.

Bartolome Revilla resigned his official position inthe judiciary to enter the 1907 elections where he won as the Representative of Rizal's 2nd district. Thus he was elected as one of two first ever Representatives of the province's history. The 1st District was duly won by Cayetano Lukban. Rizal Province's 2nd District then included the following Municipalities: Antipolo, Binangonan, Cainta, Jalajala, Marikina (Mariquina), Morong, Pasig, Pililla, San Mateo, Tanay, Taytay, Montalban (re-established 1908), Cardona (re-established 1914), Teresa (re-established 1918), Baras (re-established 1920), Angono (re-established 1938), Quezon City (established 1939).

As a Representative of the 1907-1909 Assembly, he was a member of the following committees: Appropriation, Civil Service, Elections and Revision of Laws. Finishing his term as Representative in 1909, he chose not to run for re-election and instead went back to being an active member of the judiciary.

Bartolome Revilla was married to Doña Vitaliana Revilla of Pasig City and had eight children. He was also the brother of pioneer Philippine educator, Susana Revilla (co-founder of Instituto de Mujeres in Manila).