Isabelo de los Reyes
Filipino politician
Died when: 74 years 95 days (891 months)Star Sign: Cancer
Isabelo de los Reyes Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (July 7, 1864 – October 10, 1938), was a prominent Filipino politician, writer, journalist, and labor activist in the 19th and 20th centuries.
He was the original founder of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, a Filipino independent Church in the form of a national church.
He is now known as the "Father of Philippine Folklore", the "Father of the Philippine Labor Movement", and the "Father of Filipino Socialism".
As a young man, de los Reyes followed his mother's footsteps by initially turning to writing as a career; his works were part of the 1887 Exposicion General de las Islas Filipinas in Madrid.
He later became a journalist, editor, and publisher in Manila, and was imprisoned in 1897 for revolutionary activities.He was deported to the Kingdom of Spain, where he was jailed for his activities until 1898.
While living and working in Madrid, he was influenced by the writings of European socialists and Marxists.Returning to the Philippines in 1901, de los Reyes founded the first labor union in the country.
He also was active in seeking independence from the United States.After serving in the Philippine Senate in the 1920s, he settled into private life and religious writing.
De los Reyes wrote on diverse topics in history, folklore, language, politics, and religion.He had a total of 27 children with three successive wives from getting widowed; he survived all his wives and 15 of his children.
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