Born on Kupang, San Nicolas, Bulacan on
August 30, 1850 with Julian del Pilar and Blasa Gatmaitan as his parents, Marcel H. Del Pilar supported the Philippine
Revolution with his editorial wisdom.
In 1882, he was editor of "Diariong Tagalog"
which criticized Spanish rule. Using the pen name "Plaridel," he wrote satires against the Spanish friars, notably "Dasalan at Tuksuhan"
and "Kaiingat Kayo."
When in Spain, he succeeded Graciano
Lopez Jaena as editor of the "La Solidaridad," the mouthpiece of the propagandists working for reforms in the Philippines. But his
illness kept him from holding that position for a long time. Soon, tuberculosis weakened him and he died on July 4, 1896 in Barcelona, Spain,
away from his family.