APOLINARIO MABINI
(July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903)

Born in Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas on July 23, 1864 of poor parents, and later 
hampered for life by paralysis, Apolinario Mabini nevertheless grew up to be a 
good writer, lawyer, and patriot.  He is known as the Sublime Paralytic and 
Brains of the Revolution.  He was the second of the eight children of Inocencio 
Mabini and Dionisia Maranan. 
	
In spite of poverty, Mabini obtained a teaching certificate in March 1887 and 
finished law in 1894.  He was admitted to the bar in 1895. His misfortune came 
in 1898 when he contracted fever which permanently paralyzed him.  Still, he did 
notarial work in his invalid’s chair and supported the reform movement.  As a 
result, he was imprisoned until June 1897.
	
Mabini served as General Emilio Aguinaldo’s adviser.  He advised Aguinaldo to 
change the dictatorial form of government to revolutionary.  He organized the 
municipalities and provinces, the judiciary and police forces, and formulated 
army regulations.  When the Revolutionary Congress convened at Barascain, 
Malolos, Bulacan, he was Aguinaldo’s prime minister.  He helped outline the 
Malolos Constitution.  Hence, he was aptly called the “Brains of the 
Revolution”.  He continued writing articles advocating the reforms while in 
hiding, but he was captured by the Americans on September 10, 1899.  After his 
release on September 23, 1900, he lived in Nagtahan, Manila where he wrote for 
local newspapers.  On January 5, 1901, he was exiled to Guam because of his 
articles, notably “El Semil de Alejandro” and “El Liberal”.

Believing that he had no other choice and that he could better serve his 
countrymen by returning to the Philippines, Mabini took his oath of allegiance 
to the United States on February 26, 1903.  He died in Nagtahan, Manila on May 
13, at the age of 39. (Note to self: if Apolinario was born in July and died in 
May, wouldn’t he have been 38 based on the dates given?)