Aurelio Tolentino

Aurelio Tolentino y Valenzuela (October 15, 1869 – July 5, 1915) was a Filipino playwright, poet, journalist, and revolutionary. His works at the turn of the 20th century depicted his desire for Philippine independence from its colonizers. He was arrested on several occasions between 1896 and 1907, by the Spaniards and later by American authorities. He wrote and directed the anti-imperialist play Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas (Spanish: Ayer, Hoy, y Mañana; English: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow), which led to his arrest in 1903.

Early life and career

Tolentino was born in Santo Cristo, Guagua, Pampanga, he was the third and youngest child of Leonardo Tolentino and Patrona Valenzuela. Tolentino, in his autobiography, described his life as "poor and unhappy". He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and read law at the University of Santo Tomas. He stopped his education after his father's death.

Later in his life, Aurelio Tolentino moved to Tondo, Manila, where he became a court desk official in 1896.

Confusion on his birth date

Much has been written about Aurelio Tolentino, but the exact date of his birth is unclear. Written literature of him in the early 1980s state October 15, 1875, while literature during the 1970s suggest October 13, 1867. The National Historical Commission used the 1970s birth date during his 150th birthday in 2017 at Guagua. Historian Ambeth Ocampo claimed Tolentino was born on October 15, 1869, citing an unpublished autobiography in 1908, and died in July 1915.

Philippine Revolution

In Tondo, he met Andres Bonifacio, one of the founders of Katipunan and eventual leader of the Philippine revolution against Spain. Tolentino would eventually become an early member of the Katipunan. He accompanied Bonifacio in their search for a secret headquarters in the mountains of Morong province (now Rizal) in preparation for the start of the Philippine Revolution.