The Gentleman Soldier – Major General Paulino Santos, Sr.

Fifty Q&A flashcards summarizing the life, military career, reform work, settlement leadership, wartime experiences, and legacy of Major General Paulino Santos, Sr., known as “The Gentleman Soldier.”

Who declared, “I’d rather die than be responsible for the death of a single countryman”?

Major General Paulino Santos, Sr.

On what date and where was Paulino Santos born?

June 22, 1890 in Camiling, Tarlac.

Which revolutionary event occurred when the young Paulino was six years old?

The Cry of Pugadlawin (also called Cry of Balintawak).

At what age did Santos become a municipal teacher, and in which province?

Age 16, in Tarlac (Camiling and then Gerona).

What epidemic halted Paulino Santos’ plan to enlist in the U.S. Navy?

A cholera outbreak in Manila.

When did Santos enlist in the U.S. Army Philippine Scouts, and at what rank?

January 22, 1909 as a buck private.

How did Santos place in the February 15, 1914 Constabulary entrance exam?

Second among 48 American and Filipino candidates.

What distinction did Santos earn at the Constabulary Officers School on April 30, 1914?

He graduated at the head of his class.

Which 1917 campaign made Santos a hero and left him with a head wound?

The Bayang Cotta campaign against Moro bandits.

Who did Santos marry, and on what date?

Elisa Angeles on January 22, 1918.

What first-ever position for a Filipino did Santos hold in 1920?

Provincial Military Commander and Governor of Lanao.

Name one major reform Santos achieved while governor of Lanao.

Established numerous Moro schools and improved agriculture.

Why did Santos resign as Lanao governor after two years?

Policy conflicts with Governor-General Leonard Wood.

Which cabinet member persuaded Santos to head the Bureau of Prisons in 1930?

Justice Jose Abad Santos.

What self-sustaining penal colony did Santos create in Davao?

Davao Penal Colony (DAPECOL) covering 30,000 hectares.

List one of the three laws Santos helped secure for prison reform.

The Indeterminate Sentence Law (others: Probation Law, Act 4141).

Which medal did Santos receive on November 14, 1935 for valor at Bayang?

The Philippine Medal for Valor.

During the 1935 Commonwealth inauguration, what role did Santos serve for Quezon?

Personal Military Aide (official bodyguard).

On what date did Santos become the first Filipino Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army?

May 5, 1936.

Which American general insisted that Santos be recalled to active military service in 1935–36?

General Douglas MacArthur.

What was the purpose of Santos’ 1938 reconnaissance of Koronadal Valley?

To survey land for resettling landless Filipinos.

Which act created the National Land Settlement Administration (NLSA), and when?

Commonwealth Act 441, approved June 3, 1939.

When did the first 62 NLSA settlers leave Manila for Koronadal, and on what vessel?

February 22, 1939 aboard the S/S Basilan.

What was the first NLSA settlement district, and when was it founded?

Lagao District, March 3, 1939.

Which irrigation project inaugurated on August 19, 1939 saved Lagao’s crops?

The Klaja-Konel Irrigation System.

Name two other settlement districts opened by Santos before 1941.

Tupi (July 4 1939) and Marbel (January 10 1940).

What strict daily rule did Santos impose on settlers to build discipline?

Wake-up time at 4:00 a.m.; anyone idle after 7:00 a.m. was sent home.

Which Philippine president visited Koronadal on June 28, 1940 to praise the project?

President Manuel L. Quezon.

What happened to most NLSA facilities on December 9, 1941?

They were bombed by Japanese aircraft.

What civilian position did Santos accept in May 1943 under the Laurel government?

Commissioner for Mindanao and Sulu.

Which wartime organization did Santos later command to protect civilians?

The Bureau of Constabulary.

Why did Santos refuse to flee to the mountains with guerrillas in 1945?

He feared Japanese reprisals on civilians, saying he would rather die than endanger them.

Where and on what date did Major General Santos die?

Nagakagan, Ifugao on August 29, 1945.

Who buried Santos, and what simple material was used for his grave?

His bodyguard Sgt. Juan “Johnny” Ablan; a two-foot-deep grave dug with a bolo.

In what year was General Santos City named in his honor, and by which law?

1968 via Republic Act 5412.

What was Santos’ famous guiding principle for settlers summed up in one phrase?

Self-discipline.

Which large irrigation system (6,300 L/s) did NLSA complete in October 1941?

The Silway Irrigation System.

What was the capital stock of the NLSA under Commonwealth Act 441?

₱20 million sourced from the Coconut Oil Excise Tax Fund.

Which penal colony did Santos model on a self-help approach besides DAPECOL?

Muntinlupa (New Bilibid) was modernized under his plan.

What was one of Santos’ rules about commerce within settlement areas?

Chinese traders were not allowed to set up businesses inside settlements.

Which Japanese airfield construction used forced labor that Santos protested?

The expanded Buayan Airfield near Sarangani Bay.

What instrument of food strategy did Santos use to supply Fil-American forces in 1942?

He sold settlers’ farm produce to General Vachon’s troops in Bukidnon.

Which young woman’s execution in Marbel prompted Santos’ protest to the Japanese?

Lt. Alfredo Garingo’s sister, who sang “Bayan Ko” before being shot.

Who persuaded Santos to accept the Bureau of Prisons post after he initially declined?

American Governor-General Dwight F. Davis.

Which city witnessed the proclamation of Philippine independence under Japan on Oct. 14, 1943?

Manila, during the inauguration of the Second Philippine Republic.

How did Santos describe Koronadal to his bodyguard while captive in 1945?

A wonderful place where people would never go hungry.

What was the first vessel-based bombing target in the Philippines on Dec. 8, 1941?

The city of Davao.

Which irrigation scheme allowed cotton, peanuts, and palay to thrive in Lagao?

The Klaja-Konel and later Silway irrigation systems.

How many original settlers comprised the ‘first batchers’ who landed at Sarangani Bay?

Sixty-two settlers.

Name two of Santos’ seven children who later became national figures.

Rosa Santos-Munda (educator) and Lourdes Santos-Villacorta (social secretary to First Lady Imelda Marcos).

What lasting lesson does Santos’ life exemplify according to his biographers?

That courage, discipline, and service can turn a wilderness into a thriving community.