He was born in Manila on October 24, 1874. Died on  May 24, 1939 

He was a senator from 1916 to 1921 and was the fourth president of the University of the Philippines.

In 1885, he began his studies at the Ateneo de Manila and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1892, he began his law studies at the University of Santo Tomas. While enrolled in the university, he was employed in the Office of the Bureau of Lands. 

He was also a reporter in La Independencia, the first Filipino daily newspaper, founded and directed by Antonio Luna.  

In 1901, he passed the bar examinations. That same year, he founded the newspaper El Renacimiento 

Began Sept. 1, 1901; ceased in 1910. 

El Renacimiento (lit. 'The Rebirth') was a Spanish–Tagalog bilingual language newspaper. 

Tagalog articles were published under Muling Pagsilang. 

This article also emphasizes the political clout papers possessed and the threats that they posed to the new American administration. 

As an organ of the Nationalist party, El Renacimiento came to exert real power in Manila that influenced the government. The journal waged brilliant battles, the most important from 1904 onwards in the form of public reports of abuses committed by the constabulary.