Historia de Vallehermoso Negros Oriental

By Historian Franco R. Villegas  Physician, Constitutional Figure, and Administrator of the de la Viña Estate Dr. José María de la Viña y de la Rosa, born in Binondo on 23 March 1856, belonged to the same distinguished de la Viña y de la Rosa family as Don Diego de la Viña y de la Rosa. Educated at the Ateneo Municipal and the University of Santo Tomás, José María pursued medicine and eventually practiced as a physician in Pampanga and Negros Occidental. His career, however, extended well beyond the medical profession. He became a public figure in the political life of the country, representing Negros Occidental in the Philippine Assembly and taking part in the constitutional work of the revolutionary period. Historical sources identify him among those involved in the commission that studied and drafted the Malolos Constitution. His place in the family history becomes even more significant when the judicial records are examined. José María was not merely the brother of Diego. He be...