Nicolas Rafols


Nicolas Mercado Rafols Jr. was a Filipino Visayan legislator, journalist, businessman, lawyer, and agriculturalist from Cebu, Philippines. He was a member of the House of Representatives for Cebu's 6th District for multiple terms.

Early life

Rafols was born in Toledo, Cebu to Ignacia Mercado and Nicolas Rafols Sr. in 1894. He went to a public school in Toledo and then studied at Liceo de Manila with a bachelor of arts degree. Later, he went to study law at Escuela de Derecho in Manila from 1909 until 1911.

Career

As a journalist, he edited several newspapers including El Precursor and El Democrata.
Writing under the pseudonyms Enarem and Niramer, he had written a collection of poetry, Damgo, in 1918. Furthermore, he also compiled an collection of Cebuano writing in four volumes named Ang Kalibutan sa Katitikang Binisaya around 1947. However, he died before the work could be published.
His historical fiction, Ang Pulahan, was published in 1919 and one the early novels in Cebuano literature. It was characterized as exhibiting realist tradition and discussed the rise of the pulahanes or renegade groups against the abuses of the constabulary and against injustices committed by the Americans. Vicente Rama, who was then the publisher of Cebuano Bag-ong Kusog, reviewed the novel, "What I like in this books is that even as its pages are filled with love's sighs, it is not lacking in worthwhile lessons that should be remember by both young and old."

Political career

Rafols made his first public appearance at a political meeting held at the Teatro Oriente on December 20, 1918. Moreover, he was part of the group that organized the Cebu branch of Partido Democrata Nacional, whose political rivals were the Nacionalista Party. In his residence in San Nicolas where the Democrata convention was held on January 15, 1922, he was nominated to be the party's representative for Cebu's old 6th congressional district, which at that time was composed of the towns of Aloguinsan, Barili, Dumanjug, Pinamungajan, Ronda, and Toledo.
He ran for elections, won, and served as representative in the 6th Philippine Legislature from 1922 until 1925, 8th Philippine Legislature from 1928 until 1930, and 10th Philippine Legislature from 1934 until 1935. Later on, he was a delegate to the First National Assembly from 1935 to 1938 and a delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention. He continued to serve as representative in the 1st Congress of the Commonwealth, 2nd Congress of the Commonwealth which was also known as the 1st Congress of the Republic from 1946 until his untimely death on May 2, 1947. Manuel Zoza replaced Rafols when the former won in a special election that was held in November on 11, 1947.

Published works

For his works printed in Bag-ong Kusog, see Cebuano Studies Center.

Historical commemoration