12 Facts About Alejo Santos

Alejo Santos's prestige was somewhat marred in later life when he agreed to run as the only major candidate opposing Ferdinand Marcos in the 1981 Philippine presidential election.

Alejo Santos graduated from the University of the Philippines with an education degree.

Alejo Santos first served as Prison Guard with the Bureau of Prisons from 1933 to 1934.

Alejo Santos married Juanita Garcia of Baliuag, Bulacan in 1934 and they had eight children: Reynaldo, Edgardo, Ravenal, Lamberto, Alexis, Liberty, Daisy, and Nenita.

Alejo Santos was among the USAFFE soldiers who retreated to Bataan to make the last stand against the invading Imperial Japanese Army.

Alejo Santos became one of the founders of the Bulacan Military Area, the main guerrilla movement in Bulacan which had 23,000 men under its command.

Alejo Santos was the only Filipino conferred the rank of brigadier general by the American Government.

Alejo Santos was elected as to the House of Representatives in 1946, representing the 2nd District of Bulacan under the banner of the leftist Democratic Alliance, but was almost immediately unseated together with several of his party-mates in a controversial maneuver believed to be related with the looming congressional vote on the approval of the Bell Trade Act with the United States.

Nonetheless, Alejo Santos was again elected to the House in 1949, and he served in the 2nd Congress until his election as governor of Bulacan in 1951.

Alejo Santos would serve as governor until 1957, wherein 705 public works projects were constructed in Bulacan and the national government released for these.

From 1959 to 1961, Santos served as Secretary of National Defense in the cabinet of President Carlos P Garcia.

Alejo Santos died just three years after his presidential candidacy on February 18,1984 and was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.