Pedro Maria Sison

Who was Pedro Maria Sison?

Pedro Maria Sison was a Senator of the Philippines, Judge of the Court of First Instance; a statesman and philanthropist. He was a delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1935. The Municipality of Sison in Pangasinan is named after him.

Sison was born in Urdaneta, Pangasinan on 18 January 1885. His father was Pedro Sison Jr. and his mother Eusebia Macasieb.

In 1896, at age 11 he joined his father in fighting the Spaniards during the Philippine revolution. During the American occupation, he helped his father restore peace and order in Binalonan and Urdaneta towns.

At the age of 29 he was elected to the Philippine Senate. Representing the Second Senatorial District of La Union, Pangasinan, and Zambales, Sison served as a Senator during the Fourth Legislature from 1914–1916 and whose Senate President was Manuel L. Quezon.

Together with Rafael Palma, he sponsored in 1916 a bill on women's suffrage that was approved by the Senate. It was the first time that a bill like that was sponsored.

For his work, he was honored by the City of Urdaneta in 2008. The City resolution read:

On 28 February 1929, he was appointed Auxiliary Judge. And the following year he was promoted as Judge of Court of First Instance.