Did you know? Spain had one Filipino prime minister

Prime Minister of Spain Marcelo Azcárraga. Photo: Public domain.

Manila, 1832. Within the stone walls of Intramuros, a boy named Marcelo Azcárraga is born to a Spanish general and a Filipina mother from Albay.

He grows up excelling in mathematics at Colegio de San Juan de Letrán and the University of Santo Tomás, his brilliance earning him top honors.

As a young man, Azcárraga is sent to Spain, where his courage in battle earns him the Cross of San Fernando, the highest military award in the empire.

From the chaos of revolutions and political upheavals, he rises swiftly through the Spanish ranks.

In 1897, history is made. Azcárraga becomes Prime Minister of Spain, the only person of Filipino descent to hold the title.

He leads the empire three times as president of the government (what they call the prime minister), navigating a nation in decline while carving his name into European history.

Madrid rewards him with the Order of the Golden Fleece, the highest honor of the Spanish crown.

In Manila, a busy street is named Calle Azcárraga in tribute to the boy who left its cobblestone streets to rule a kingdom.

Azcárraga’s life reads like a legend. From a colonial childhood in Manila to the very heart of Spanish power, he became proof that Filipino brilliance could not be contained by empire.