Isabelo de los Reyes

The Honorable Isabelo de los Reyes
Honorary Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church
In office 1929–1938
Senator of the Philippines from the 1st district
In office 1922–1928 Serving with Santiago Fonacier (1922–1925), Elpidio Quirino (1925–1928)
Preceded by	Vicente Singson Encarnacion
Succeeded by	Melecio Arranz
Member of the Manila Municipal Board
In office 1912–1919
2nd Vice Mayor of Manila
In office August 7, 1907 – August 7, 1911
Mayor	Félix M. Roxas
Preceded by	Ramón J. Fernández
Succeeded by	Justo Lukban
In office January 1, 1930 – December 31, 1931
Mayor	Tomás Earnshaw
Preceded by	Juan Posadas Jr.
Succeeded by	Jorge B. Vargas
President of the Union Obrera Democratica
In office 1902–1902
Succeeded by	Dominador Gómez
Personal details
Born	Isabelo de los Reyes y Florentino (1864-07-07)July 7, 1864 Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Died	October 10, 1938(1938-10-10) (aged 74) Manila, Philippine Commonwealth
Resting place	María Clara Parish Church, Santa Cruz, Manila
Political party	Nacionalista
Other political affiliations	Republican
Spouse(s)	Josefa Sevilla María Ángeles López Montero Maria Lim
Children	27, including Isabelo Jr.
Parents	Elias de los Reyes (father) Leona Florentino (mother)
Alma mater	Colegio de San Juan de Letran University of Santo Tomas
Occupation	Politician, labor leader, lay leader, theologian
Profession	Writer, journalist
Known for	Proclaiming the establishment of the Philippine Independent Church (Iglesia Filipina Independiente)
Nickname	Don Belong

Isabelo de los Reyes Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (July 7, 1864 – October 10, 1938), was a prominent Filipino patriot, politician, writer, journalist, and labor activist in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was the original founder and proclaimer of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, the first-ever Filipino independent Christian Church in history in the form of a nationalist church, which was proclaimed in 1902. He is popularly known today as the "Father of Philippine Folklore", the "Father of the Philippine Labor Movement",^[1] and the "Father of Filipino Socialism".^[2]

As a young man, de los Reyes followed his mother's footsteps by initially turning to writing as a career; his works were part of the 1887 Exposicion General de las Islas Filipinas in Madrid.^[3]: 258 He later became a journalist, editor, and publisher in Manila, and was imprisoned in 1897 for revolutionary activities. He was deported to the Kingdom of Spain, where he was jailed for his activities until 1898. While living and working in Madrid, he was influenced by the writings of European socialists and Marxists.

Returning to the Philippines in 1901, de los Reyes founded the first labor union federation in the country in 1902. He also was active in seeking independence from the United States. After serving in the Philippine Senate in the 1920s, he settled into private life and religious writing. De los Reyes wrote on diverse topics in history, folklore, language, politics, and religion.^[3]: 255 He had a total of 27 children with three successive wives from getting widowed each time; he survived all his wives.