Roque V. Desquitado, first bar topnotcher outside of Cebu City
Aside from Paulino A. Gullas, the first Cebuano to Place first in the Bar Examinations (1916) and Cesar A. Kintanar (1927) another Cebuano, the first to top the Bar examinations outside of Cebu City, was Roque V. Desquitado.
Roque of Bantayan, Cebu finished his College of Law at the University of the Philippines and took the bar in 1923 earning the grade of 90.9% earning him the title of the "first Cebuano outside of Cebu City to Top the Bar Examinations." He was formally admitted to the Bar on November 5, 1923.
Atty. Desquitado actively practiced law, among the many cases he handled reached the Supreme Court. The case of Glicerio Romulo vs. Eriberrto A. Unson, et. Al,. concerning a case in Davao was decided by the Supreme Court on May 30, 1960. There was also the case of Estate of Salome Avila vs. Canuto Salutillo, decided by the first Division of the Supreme Court on March 6, 1925. Desquitado was also the counsel of the case of Development Bank of the Philippines vs. Dionisio Mirang. It involved a loan transaction from the bank in September 7, 1950. After years of litigation it was finally decided by the Supreme Court on August 8, 1975.
In the election held on June 2, 1925, Atty. Desquitado, he was the Partido Democrata of Cebu candidate for the old the 7th Congressional District of Cebu. Desquitado's party mates and co-candidates in that election were Juan L. Orbeta for Governor, Paulino Tenchavez, Representative for the first District, Pantaleon del Rosario, Representative for the 2nd District, Vicente Rama, Representative for the 3rd District, Agustin Kintanar, Representative for the 4thDistrict, Juan A. Veloso, Representative for the 5thDistrict and Nicolas Rafols, Representative for the 6thDistrict. The Partido Democrata's candidates who won in that election were Don Vicente Rama, of the 3rd District and Nicolas Rafols of the 6th District.
In preparation for the next elections, Roque Desquitado was nominated as the party's candidate (Partido Democrata) for the 7th District. This was during the Cebu Provincial Convention held on May 6, 1928 at the Cine Ideal. Desquitado however withdraw from the race before the election was held on June 5, 1928.
In 1938, Desquitado affiliated with the ruling Nacionalista Party. He finally won as the Representative of the old 7th Congressional District of Cebu. The election was held on November 8, 1938. In that election "Block Voting" was introduced, it is that which allows the vote of a party as a vote to all its party candidates. The members of the 2nd National Assembly served from January 24, 1939 to December 16, 1941.
Roque Desquitado in a brief period became the law partner of Don Vicente Yap Sotto. Sotto also became law partners of Cecilio dela Victoria (who became Cebu City Councilor and Vice Mayor) and Candido Vasquez.
Desquitado was not only active in politics, he was a civic leader. He was part of the group that established the YMCA of Cebu. He was part of its first Board of Directors, with Dionisio Jakosalem (who was also governor of Cebu) was its President, its Vice President was Atty. Vicente del Rosario (who also became mayor of Cebu City), Manuel Gotianuy ( a street is named after him, it is the street from Gen. Arcadio Maxilom going to the Redemptorist Church) was its Treasurer and Lim Yok Su, Robert R. Landon (the street R.R. Landon was named after him) and Roque Desquitado as Board of Directors.
Another member of the Desquitado Clan from Bantayan, Cebu became a lawyer, his name was Vicente C. Desquitado who was admitted to the Bar on January 28, 1954.
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