Felipe Agoncillo

Felipe Agoncillo
A portrait of Felipe Agoncillo.
Born	Felipe Agoncillo (1859-05-26)May 26, 1859 Taal, Batangas, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Died	September 29, 1941(1941-09-29) (aged 82) Manila, Commonwealth of the Philippines
Resting place	La Loma Cemetery
Residence	Taal Batangas and Malate Manila
Nationality	Filipino
Other names	Don Felipe, Lolo Pipoy
Education	Bachelor of Arts
Known for	His legacy as the first Filipino diplomat.
Spouse(s)	Marcela Mariño
Children	Lorenza, Gregoria, Eugenia, Marcela, Adela and Maria
Parent(s)	Ramon Agoncillo and Gregoria Encarnacion

Felipe Agoncillo (May 26, 1859 – September 29, 1941) was the Filipino lawyer representative to the negotiations in Paris that led to the Treaty of Paris (1898), ending the Spanish–American War and achieving him the title of "outstanding first Filipino diplomat."

As a family friend and adviser of General Emilio Aguinaldo and General Antonio Luna during the critical times of the revolution, Agoncillo has been active in participating during that era especially when he presided over the Hong Kong Junta—a group of Filipino exiles who met to plan for future steps in achieving independence. His greatest contribution to Philippine history was when he was assigned to negotiate with foreign countries to secure the independence of the country. This was considered the most important assignment given by a General.

Agoncillo was born on May 26, 1859 in Taal, Batangas to Ramon Agoncillo and Gregoria Encarnacion.

Already noticed for his keen intelligence at an early age, Agoncillo later enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila where he was an honor student who earned high marks. Subsequently, he transferred to the Universidad de Santo Tomás where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1879 summa cum laude. After his parents' deaths, he returned to Taal in order to manage his family's properties.

By age 30, Agoncillo was already a local judge and was married to Marcela Mariño, a daughter of another established family in Taal. Together, they had six daughters: Lorenza (Enchang), Gregoria (Goring), Eugenia (Nene), Marcela (Celing), Adela, who died at the age of three, and Maria (Maring), who died on July 6, 1995.

While in Taal, Agoncillo continued his legal services and gave charity to poor and oppressed Filipinos. He was so generous that he posted an inscription outside his office: "Free legal services to the poor anytime."