Benito Villanueva Lopez (April 3, 1877 – January 20, 1908 in Iloilo City) was a Filipino politician. He was a member of the influential Lopez family. Lopez was governor of Iloilo from 1903 until his assassination in 1908.

Biography

Benito Lopez was born on April 3, 1877.^[1] He was the ninth child of Eugenio Lopez, one of the wealthiest sugar barons on Negros, and Marcella Felipe.

Immediately after the Philippine Revolution, he founded the newspaper El Tiempo, which grew to be Iloilo City's top newspaper. Lopez also used the newspaper to launch his political career. He joined the Federalista Party in 1900 or 1901. In 1903 he won the election for governor of Iloilo. He was reelected in 1906.

On December 27, 1907, Lopez was shot in his office by Joaquin Gil, a follower of Francisco Jalandoni, a political rival of Lopez. A few weeks later, Lopez died at the age of 30 at the Mission Hospital in Iloilo from the injuries sustained.^[2]

Personal life and family

Lopez was married to Presentacion Hofileña and had two children with her. Their eldest son, Eugenio Lopez, owned, among other things, the Manila Chronicle newspaper and was founder and owner of the Chronicle Broadcasting Network, a predecessor of the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. Their other son, Fernando Lopez, served as mayor of Iloilo City, a member of the Senate of the Philippines, and Vice President of the Philippines for two terms.

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