Silvino Barsana Agudo

Governor Silvino Barsana Agudo died at the age of 93 years old on December 17, 2010, in Sacramento, California. His daughters Gina, Lulu, and grandson, Patrick, were by his side.

Gov. Silvino Barsana Agudo remained active in provincial affairs into his retired days as President of the Batanes Bicentennial Commission in 1983.

In May 1983, on the initiative of the Dominican Fathers in Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City, a Bicentennial Commission was created to plan the celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Christianization of Batanes and establishment of a centralized civil government therein. (In 1773, two missionaries from the Dominican Order from Tuguegarao, Cagayan landed in Ivana, Batanes and stayed to put up their church. Ten years later in June 1783, the Civil Government was established in Basco, Batanes)

Atty. Silvino Agudo's law office, Agudo, Reyes, Estrella and Associates, was located in rooms 205-208 of the Puzon Building in Quezon City (1974).

There were five candidates for the lone congressional seat of the province in 1969.

Weeks before the November 11, 1969 Elections, about 100 strange faces (non-Ivatans) landed in Basco and scattered in the six towns of the province. Crates also landed in Basco. In late October, as an effort to maintain security of the island, Governor Silvino Agudo instructed Provincial Commander (PC), Captain Fulgencio Albano, to collect licensed firearms from the residents "for verification." Furthermore, Governor Silvino Barsana Agudo advised Provincial Command soldiers to meet Philippine Airline (PAL) Flights on October 26, 28 and November 2, 4, and 6 to Basco to search landing passengers and their luggage for firearms.

On election day November 11, 1969, the roads leading to the six towns of Batanes were barricaded by checkpoints manned by armed thugs. Governor Agudo and his party making tours of the towns were turned back at one of the checkpoints and warned if they proceeded they might be ambushed. An American Peace Corps Volunteer, Larry Jones, was given six hours to surrender photographs of goons terrorizing voters at precincts.

In less than a week after the November 11, 1969 Congressional Elections, Ivatans, the residents of Batanes, were up in arms against the takeover of their islands by gangster-rule during the elections. Reports of the terror that gripped Batanes province have filtered to Manila only several days after the elections, and there was nothing they could do to change the results. All they could do was call public attention to the "rape of the ballot" in their province. Their grievances were not the sour grapes of defeated politicians. They come from plain citizens talking not as NPs or LPs but, as outraged citizens who were robbed of their right to vote at gunpoint [This excerpt also takes into account inputs from Bill Barsana and Celerina Navarro].

On January 16, 1969, President Ferdinand Marcos acknowledged a report from Governor Silvino Agudo stating "three of the suspected malefactors in connection with the November 11 polls had escaped by private plane (Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines)."

During his term (1968–1971), Governor Silvino Barsana Agudo supported the preservation and promotion of Batanes culture through various initiatives including research of archaic Itbayaten numeral writing systems.

As the 1967 mid-election approached President Ferdinand Marcos moved to ensure that his Nacionalista Party would be victorious by electing most of the Senators, Governors, and Mayors of the country. President Ferdinand Marcos asked Chairman Manuel "Maning" Agudo to choose Silvino Barsana Agudo as candidate for Governor who will most likely win in Batanes. Manuel Agudo's reputation was critically important to Silvino Barsana Agudo's endorsement to run for Governor of Batanes because of his Chairmanship of the Civil Service Board of Appeals, tenure as Congressman of Batanes (1958–1961), and service as administrative officer in the Office of the President in Malacañang Palace during the tenure of six Presidents of the Philippines, namely: José P. Laurel, Sergio Osmeña, Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, and Carlos P. Garcia.

During this time Silvino Barsana Agudo was a successful law practitioner with many clients in the Filipino, American, Spanish, and Chinese communities. Precisely because of his success in law practice Silvino Barasana Agudo was induced to run for Governor of Batanes. Silvino Barsana Agudo agreed to participate in the Provincial Convention in Batanes and then boarded a Philippine Navy boat to Basco in the month of August 1967.

Silvino Barsana Agudo married Honorata Arcilla civilly in May 1949 and formally through the Catholic Church on December 10, 1949. Silvino and Honorata had 7 children namely: Consolacion, Aurora (deceased), Pablo, Regina, Beatriz, Maria Luisa, and Luningning (deceased).

During World War II, Atty. Silvino Barsana Agudo was drafted into the 7th Military Police Command. Silvino Barsana Agudo received military police training in Cavite, Rizal, and Nueva Ecija and was told his unit was to do service in Tokyo upon the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Army. However, the trip to was rescheduled by General Douglas McAurthur because of the unconditional surrender of Japan on September 3, 1945.

Silvino Agudo graduated with a bachelor's degree in Commerce (which is now Business) with a major in Accounting from the University of Santo Tomas School. Silvino passed the Certified Public Accountant Exam (CPA) the following year. Silvino also graduated from University of Santo Tomas University Civil Law in 1941 and passed the Bar of the Philippines in December 2, 1941, at 27 years of age. Silvino opened his own Law & Accounting firm located the historic Calvo Building, Suite 211, 60 Escolta Street, (Binondo), Manila [Published by the Philippine Yearbook 1951-1952 Edition].

Early on December 8, 1941, Atty. Silvino Barsana Agudo was in the municipality of Santa Cruz, Laguna for a court hearing regarding a boundary dispute. While waiting for the judge at 8:00 am for trial proceeding, Atty. Silvino Barsana Agudo was informed that the judge was not coming anymore to the proceeding because the Japanese had bombarded Clark Field and Pearl Harbor. After 9:00 am, as Atty. Silvino Barsana Agudo left court and was on his way back to Manila, he noticed that every corner of Santa Cruz had posts to recruit for volunteers to join the Philippine Armed Forces to stop the Japanese forces who were coming in from the northern city of Ligayen, Pangasinan and Tayabas, Quezon in the southern Luzon. However, Atty. Silvino Barsana Agudo did not focus on that and proceeded to Manila, a trip that took one whole day.

Silvino Barsana Agudo graduated from Cagayan National High School in Tuguegarao, Cagayan in March, 1935.

Immediately, after high school graduation Silvino's father made arrangements for him to go to Manila to pursue further studies. Before boarding the 5 seater public use (PU) car Silvino's father said, "Binong, this is a day I will never forget; before your Nana left us, she made me promise that all of you children should study as high as you can. Now, you are going to Manila to study. To follow Bono (Silvino's older brother) who is now a lawyer in Manila." That was the last time Silvino saw his father; barely six months later, Bono came to Silvino's boarding house on Andalucia Street near back of the University of Santo Tomas to show a telegram from Batanes with news of his father's death sent from Ruring (1935).

When Silvino mentioned the death of his father to his boss, Fr. Agustin Rihuete OP, he shook Silvino's hand in condolences and gave him PHP 100 which he gave to Bono to use for funeral expenses. For nine days Silvino left work early in the afternoon to pray for Tata in the UST Chapel and then left for school in the Main Building of the University. Bono brought the rest of his siblings, Ruring, Corring, Robust, and Ramon to Manila in 1935 after their father's death.

Consolacion, Silvino's mother was very industrious; besides taking care of six children, she helped her husband's tailoring business and cooked lunch and dinner for the tailor shop staff. Silvino in his memoirs expressed he "never took for granted his mother' difficulties," acknowledging that "giving birth in those years was an unbearable human sacrifice." Silvino cared for his mother who suffered from tuberculosis due to "little rest and sleep." Silvino was a constant companion, going from doctor to doctor, faith healer to faith healer. However, Silvino's mother died on May 7, 1930, in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, when Silvino Barsana Agudo was 13. Silvino wrote "the many years did not fade my memory of Nana's sacrifice."

Silvino Artemio Barsana Agudo (September 12, 1917 – December 17, 2010), also known as S.B. or Binong, was a Filipino businessman, lawyer, World War II veteran, and public servant. He was the governor of Batanes province in the Philippines from 1968 to 1971.

Silvino Barsana Agudo was peacefully born on September 12, 1917, in the northern mainland provincial city of Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Philippines.

Silvino Barsana Agudo's mother, Consolacion Castillejos Barsana, was born December 27, 1882, in Ivana, Batanes. Silvino and his siblings called their mother Nana and father Tata as children until adulthood. Consolacion was one of the first to be taught English when the Americans came and consequently became a pre-school kindergarten teacher by profession. Her father, Luciano Barsana, served as governor of Batanes.