Pelaez was a priest, writer, and orator who campaigned for the secularization of parishes; he was a mentor of Father Jose Burgos. The sketch reproduced here is by Jorge Pineda. Pencil sketch of priest-writer, orator, forerunner of Father Burgos. Fr. Pedro Pelaez, forerunner of the movement for the secularization of Philippine parishes, was born to a prominent family in Laguna on June 12, 1812. His father, an alcalde mayor, died when he was barely 11 years old. He entered the Colegio de Santo Tomas as an almuno de beca, obtained bachillerato in 1829, his bachiller en teologia in 1833, and finally his Doctorate in Theology a few years later. After his studies, he served as a vicar-general of Intramuros, a Canónigo Magistrál and treasurer of the Santa Iglesia Catedrál. Then he became Apostolic Judge of the Capitular Vicar of the Diocese of Manila. Fr. Pelaez was known for his sermons and espousal of the cause of the Filipino clergy. In his crusade for the secularization of the parishes, he wrote: Documentos sobre los curatos de Filipinas, Exposición al Señor Gobernador Vice-Patrono Real de Filipinas, con defensa de los derechos preferidos del clero secular, and Cuestiones Canónicas, y Telógicas. He contributed articles to several Spanish newspapers notably La Regeneración, and to further the cause of the Filipino clergy, published in 1861 the newspaper, El Catolice Filipino. Fr. Pelaez perished in the earthquake of June 7, 1863, while inside the Manila Cathedral. Photo shows one of the earliest proponents of the secularization of the clergy. In 1861, he protested the issuance of a royal order depriving the Filipino secular priests of their parishes. The Creole presbyter who first championed the cause of the secular or native priests against the friars. He became Vicar Capitular of the Manila Archdiocese during the vacancy between Archbishop Jose Aranguren and Gregorio Meliton Martinez.