Vivencio Cuyugan


Vivencio B. Cuyugan was a Filipino politician, boxer, and one of the founders of the socialist guerrilla group Hukbalahap. He was born in San Fernando, Pampanga to Saturnino P. Cuyugan and Antonina Y. Baron. He studied in the United States where he supported himself through professional boxing and became known as the "Big Brown Filipino." He was appointed Municipal Vice-President of San Fernando in 1927, and later elected to the same position in 1931. He was later elected the first Municipal Mayor under the Philippine Commonwealth, the first socialist mayor of the Philippines. Together with Pedro Abad Santos, he was among the co-founders of the Socialist Party of the Philippines.
In 2017, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines honored Cuyugan as a hero with a historical marker in San Fernando, Pampanga for being a "champion of social justice".

Personal life

He married Felisa Amurao of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija and had six children by her, namely: Aida, Fernando, Fe, Vivencio Jr., Panopio, and Dr. Ma. Luisa. There were children from other marriages: Estrella, Augustin, Saturnino, Syvestra, Antonia, Carlos, Manuel, and Juliet. He had five brothers and a sister.

Mayor of San Fernando

Hukbalahap

Later life

While in prison at Camp Crame, his wife Felisa gave birth to a son.