Senator Tomas Ll. Cabili's Legacy to Iligan City and of the Philippine Nation

By Singcolinquisitor @lexuzinquisitor

Photo: Explore Iligan 9200

Tomas Lluisma Cabili (1903-1957), also known as Sultan Demasangkayko-Ranao, is a lawyer and former assemblyman, who was born in this city on March 7, 1903. His father is Guillermo Cabili and mother Efifania H. Lluisma. He studied at Iligan Primary School in 1915-1918 and enrolled in four different schools in high school of which he finally graduated at Cebu Provincial High School in 1923.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Philippines-Cebu in 1925. Right after finishing his bachelors degree he enrolled law at the Visayan Institute also in Cebu until 1927 where he decided to transfer to the Philippine College of Law, where he completed his degree in law in 1929.
He fell in love with Felicitas N. Pepito of Cebu and was married to her and eventually  blessed with five children: Vismundo, Camilo, Fe, Fulgencio, and Teodoro Delano. He then, died at the age of 54 in a plane crash together with President Ramon Magsaysay at Mt. Manunggal in Cebu on Marh 17, 1957. In 1982 a Barangay in Iligan City, was renamed after him. Barangay Tominobo Proper became Barangay Tomas L. Cabili.

Photo: Wikipedia.com

Tomas L. Cabili was appointed as the Justice of the Peace of the Municipal District of Lanao as well as of Dansalan (now Marawi City) which is the capital of Lanao in 1934. He became a delegate to the Constitutional Assembly, serving on the Committees on Agriculture, Codes, Franchises, Provincial and Municipal Government, Language, Public Instruction, Mindanao and Special Provinces, Appropriations, Civil Service and Public Lands.
He was the only delegate to the Constitutional Convention who refused to affixed his signature on the 1935 Constitution, citing the following seven of co-equally important reasons:
  1. The 1935 Constitution carried no provision on promoting the progress of non-Christian Filipinos [specifically the Muslims], in accordance with Article XII, Section 5 of the Fundamental Law.
  2. That it placed too much power in the Executive Department, and thus might encourage the establishment of a dictatorial government;
  3. That it carried no provision for municipal and provincial autonomy;
  4. That it might encourage communism by allowing the government to appropriate and substitute landed estates;
  5. That its safeguards against acquisition of agriculture lands by foreigners were not sufficient;
  6. That it had no provision for the nationalization of the retail trade;
  7. That at the time of the drafting of the constitution, there was too much intervention from the outside, especially from President Manuel L. Quezon.
In 1938, he was re-elected in the Second National Assembly and served as a Chairman of the Committee on Privileges and member of the committees on Agriculture, Appropriations, Forests, Mindanao and Special Provinces, and National Companies.
Reflections and Appreciations
As I was born in Malim, Zamboanga del Sur in earlier 80s, from an Iliganon mother and from a Waray father of Basud, San Isidro, Leyte, I was never aware of the history of the land where I am presently residing. My mother used to call her home place as Tominobo. In the early 90's, where my family decided to moved back to Tomas Cabili, Iligan City from my birthplace, I was so blind how the place became its present name. By the time we arrived Iligan it became so confusing to me, why the resident of our Barangay would call our place in two names that is Tominobo and the other Tomas Cabili and when I ask them, nobody could provide me a clear explanation on how it has come to be. Not, until I met Dr. Hilton J. Aguja in my senior years when I studied Political Science in the College of Arts and Social Sciences of MSU-IIT.
In our Human Rights and Humanitarian Law class, Dr. Aguja posted us the question of who was that Iliganon Senator who did not sign the 1935 Constitution and everyone in the class became silent and remained so silent for quite some time. Everyone of us was in awe when Dr. Aguja started telling us about this brilliant Iliganon Senator and started enumerating the reasons why he did not sign the 1935 Constitution.
I was in awe of the brilliance of this senator from my own city, why? He was a living example of someone who definitely stands on his reasons, even if, it means standing alone. First, this brilliant individual as early as 1935 have thought already about safeguarding his constituents against possible abuse of power by the executive branch of the government of which his reason made a point when the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, became a dictator later and made worse by the formation of the CPP-NPA [reason 4], because of such occurrence. Secondly, reason no.3 which is the provision of municipal and provincial autonomy, of which The Local Government Code of the Philippines came out very late in 1991. Think of how advance is his mindset! Before, this thing exists and became a code of the Philippines' local government, its already in the head of this brilliant Senator. For that he is more than deserving that my beloved Barangay Tomas Cabili be re-named after his name! Another, is his negation about the 1935 Constitution lacking on the provision on promotion of the non-Christian Filipinos of which until now many useless uprisings occur in the southern part of the country in hope for recognition. 
For once, let us reminisce the legacy of this brilliant Iliganon, who failed to prove the truth in his mind while he was alive, but never fails to prove history that he was right. For that I am leaving you this quote from a British politician...
The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example---by Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)

This is an official entry for "Week 1: Fruit of Labor" of the Iligan Blog Carnival in celebration of Iligan Bloggers Month of 2012.