Dominador Gomez

Who was Dominador Gomez?

Dominador Gomez was a Filipino ilustrado nationalist, physician, and a labor leader. He was born in Intramuros, Manila in 1868. He was a nephew of Padre Mariano Gomez, one of the three secular priests who were executed in 1872 after being falsely accused of orchestrating the Cavite mutiny. In 1881 he obtained his bachelor's degree from Ateneo Municipal. He then took medicine in the University of Santo Tomas, but left for Spain in 1887 to continue his studies. In Spain he got his license to practice medicine from the University of Barcelona in 1889 and then went to Madrid to get his doctorate. During this time, he was an active member of the propaganda movement. He was a leading member of the Asociacion Hispano-Filipina and a contributor to La Solidaridad. He used the pen name Ramiro Franco.

After being based in Spain, the "flamboyant Spanish mestizo and propagandist" returned to the Philippines six months after the return of fellow ilustrado Isabelo de los Reyes. He succeeded de los Reyes as the head of the Union Obrera Democratica in February 1903. Under his leadership, the UOD launched strikes against American companies in Manila. He was known for deliverying fiery speeches against capitalism and imperialism. However, his leadership came to an abrupt halt when he was arrested on May 1, 1903, under charges of sedition and illegal association. The UOD was also accused of aiding the anti-US resistance of Filipino revolutionary Macario Sakay. Following the arrest, Gomez resigned from his position in the UOD. He was sentenced for four years of imprisonment, but he was able to gain early freedom by agreeing to help in the negotiations for Sakay's surrender to the American Insular Government in 1906. After Sakay's surrender, he engaged in the parliamentary arena and was elected in the National Assembly in 1909.