20 Facts About Vicente Rama

Vicente Rama was a Filipino Visayan legislator, publisher, and writer from Cebu, Philippines.

Vicente Rama founded the leading pre-war Cebuano periodical, Bag-ong Kusog.

Vicente Rama, known with the honorific title, Don Vicente and Nyor Inting, was born in Cebu, Philippines on June 6,1887.

Vicente Rama was the eldest child of Gabriel "Abi" Raffinan y Buzon and Engilberta "Iya Bita" Ramas y Enguio, who was the child of Laurente Ramas and Juana Enguio from Naga.

Vicente Rama carried the last name "Rama" later on in life, providing no hint why he decided to drop its last letter.

Vicente Rama married Catalina Genson, and the couple had 16 children: physician and Cebu Governor Osmundo, commissioner and journalist Napoleon, Cebu City Councilor Clemente, lawyer Jesus, Fernando, Lourdes, Laurente, Reynalda, Corazon, Resurreccion, Marianela, Dario, and Miguel.

Vicente Rama insisted that his children put more effort into their studies, and had all of his daughters sent to school when it was customary for families to do so only with their male children.

Vicente Rama was one of the pioneers in Cebuano journalism and literature at a time when the use of Cebuano language in the media was peaking and the Spanish language was waning as a lingua franca.

Vicente Rama became a newspaper editor at age 15 and began publishing in 1906.

Vicente Rama's published works encompassed various topics such as public service, Cebuano language, and literary arts.

Between 1928 and 1934, Vicente Rama ran an English-language weekly Progress.

Vicente Rama printed two story collections: Larawan in 1921 and Aegri Somnia in 1922, and he penned Sa Bung-aw sa mga Kasal-anan, which was a novel serialized in Bag-ong Kusog from 1933 to 1934, Ang Tinagoan, a novel that was printed from August 18,1933, to March 9,1934, and an adaptation of Jose Rizal's novel.

Vicente Rama won as assemblyman in the fourth district of Cebu and became a member of the first National Assembly in 1935.

Vicente Rama later resigned as mayor in order to run for senator in 1941.

Vicente Rama won, receiving overwhelming electorate support in Cebu, and placing first in Bohol and third in Davao.

Vicente Rama was known to be skilled at public speaking, fluent in Spanish and English.

Vicente Rama authored the bill that called for the creation of Cebu City, transforming the municipality to a chartered city.

Vicente Rama's vision was to endow more power to the new city under the law by decreasing its dependence on national government's revenue allotment.

Vicente Rama was then on hailed as the Father of Cebu City.

The Japanese army hunted down Vicente Rama, who was just elected senator, to be appointed as part of the new government.