Pedro A. Pacana, Justice of the Peace
Members of the Pacana Clan (spelled with n and n) scattered in the Visayas and Mindanao are dominantly originally from Cebu. In Cebu, we have revolutionary heroes like Jacinto Pacana who sired a son named Felipe Pacana who became a member of the first Cebu City Council. But there are Pacana's who made a mark in our country's history, like Pedro A. Pacana.
Pedro A. Pacana, who chose Caibiran, Leyte as his hometown before becoming a lawyer on January 28, 1952 was Secretary to the Provincial Board of Misamis. In the performance of his duty he was dragged into a squabble of the politicians. He was indicted together with Vicente P. Castro and Isidro Adorable, Members of the Provincial Board of Misamis for falsification of public documents and estafa.
Pedro A. Pacana and the provincial board members were convicted by the Court of First Instance of Misamis, Pacana meted with the penalty of imprisonment of 44 years and 5 days, while Board Members Castro and Adorable for imprisonment of 10 years. The charge against Pacana alleged that he falsified the minutes of the meeting held on June 9, 1923 and June 16, 1923. The prosecution argued that it was impossible for the board to have a session of these dates as June 9 was a Saturday.
Coming to the rescue of the legal delimma of Pedro A. Pacana (who was not yet a lawyer at that time) were Cebuano lawyers (there were other lawyers from Cagayan who also represented Pacana) led by Troadio Galicano. Gen. Galicano was a revolutionary war hero against the Spanish and the Americans. Galicano was born in Carcar, Cebu on December 28, 1870 to spouses Guillermo Canondo Galicano and Luzanto Alcoseba Dayagro.
Galicano later on was elected Congressman, then as Senator representing the 11th Senatorial District (composed of the Provinces of Bohol, Misamis and Surigao). Galicano became a lawyer on April 4, 1906.
The other Cebuano lawyer was Don Vicente Yap Sotto, who was admitted to the Bar on March 27, 1917. Like Galicano, Don Vicente also became a Congressman, Senator and won as Mayor of Cebu when it was yet a Municipality in 1907.
Galicano and Sotto, with lawyers Manuel Fernandez, Desiderio Rodriguez and Teogenes Velez (admitted to the Bar on September 26, 1921) were able to convince the Supreme Court that there was no criminal intent on the part of Pacana and the provincial board members. It was the result of the pre-occupation of the Provincial Board Secretary Pacana who not only attended on legislative matters who travels to other municipalities of the Misamis, but also to the reception of visitors from the nation's capital. On June 21, 1923 the province was visited by the Quezon-Osmeña-Gabaldon Party whose ship docked at the port of Cagayan.
The Governor of Misamis when Pacana was its Provincial Secretary was Segundo Gaston (Governor from 1923 to 1925). Gaston was Mayor of Cagayan in 1916, he succeeded Uldarico Akut, while Gaston was succeeded by Pedro P. Mabulay. Gaston was succeeded as Governor of Misamis by Gregorio A. Pelaez, who was the father of Emmanuel Pelaez (who later became Senator and Vice President). Misamis was divided into two on November 2, 1929 by Legislative Act 3354, however it was only implemented on November 28, 1939.
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