Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Tintin
Tintin
The man behind Canlubang’s legacy is Don Jose Yulo. Jose Yulo was born on September 24, 1894. Jose
Yulo is an intelligent man. He took up law in the University of the Philippines. He came in 3rd place in the
bar exam. He is also the youngest graduate at the age of 19 in the UP Class Law 1914. Before handling
the Sugar Cane Estate, Don Jose Yulo was part of the government. Don Jose Yulo was a Chief Justice in
the year 1942-1945. Jose Yulo is said to be the youngest Chief Justice at the age of 49. He was also
running for President in the year 1957. Don Jose Yulo is married to Cecila Araneta. They have 6 children,
Maria Elena, Jose Yulo Jr., Ramon, Luis, Jesus Miguel(the youngest child) and Cecil. His 2 daughters
became Maria Elena Y. Quiros and Cecil Y. Locsin after getting married.
Vicente Madrigal who is known as a successful businessman in the Philippines sold Canlubang to Don
Jose Yulo, together with the Sugar Estate on September 16, 1948. Don Jose Yulo’s family and Vicente
Madrigal’s family are good friends. At first, Don Jose Yulo was unsure of accepting Vicente Madrigal’s
offer. He was unsure because they were just recovering from the war (Japanese era) but later on, Don
Jose Yulo together with his wife, Dona Cecila Yulo decided to take Vicente Madrigal’s offer.
Don Jose Yulo has a background in running a business. They owned a farm back then and he also has
information on how to run the Sugar Estate. Don Jose Yulo is a very good businessman. Once the Sugar
Cane Estate became his, his employees were given privileges. Each workers and their family were given
a house in Canlubang. As the Sugar Estate developed and succeeded, Don Jose Yulo built schools,
cinemas, a baseball field and bowling alleys for the people in Canlubang. Education for your family in
Canlubang was also free if you work for Don Jose Yulo.
Canlubang was a very beautiful place. You would usually hear it from the people who lived in Canlubang.
Don Jose Yulo and Dona Cecilia Araneta Yulo were very generous people.
Education. Aquino was educated in private schools — St. Joseph’s College, Ateneo de Manila, National
University, and De La Salle College. He finished high school at San Beda College. Aquino took his tertiary
education at the Ateneo de Manila to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree, but he interrupted his studies.
According to one of his biographies, he considered himself to be an average student; his grade was not
in the line of 90’s nor did it fall into the 70’s.
Ninoy took up law at the University of the Philippines, where he became a member of the Upsilon Sigma
Phi, the same fraternity of Ferdinand Marcos. He interrupted his studies again however to pursue a
career in journalism.
According to Máximo V. Soliven, Aquino “later ‘explained’ that he had decided to go to as many schools
as possible, so that he could make as many new friends as possible.” In early 1954, he was appointed by
President Ramon Magsaysay, his wedding sponsor to his 1953 wedding at the Our Lady of Sorrows
church in Pasay with Corazon Cojuangco, to act as personal emissary to Luis Taruc, leader of the
Hukbalahap rebel group. After four months of negotiations, he was credited for Taruc’s unconditional
surrender.
Political Career. Beningo Aquino was no stranger to Philippine politics. He came from a family that had
been involved with some of the country’s political heavyweights. His grandfather served under President
Aguinaldo, while his father held office under Presidents Quezon and Laurel.
1954. Special Assistant to President Ramon Magsaysay. He negotiated the surrender of HUK Supremo
Luis Taruc (May 16, 1954).
1955. Elected as youngest mayor of his hometown, Concepcion, Tarlac at the age of 22.
1959. Elected as the youngest Vice-Governor of Tarlac Province at 26 years old. He was elected
Secretary General of the League of Provincial Governors and City Mayors.
1963. Elected Governor of Tarlac Province at age 31. He won in all 17 towns of the province, posting the
highest majority ever garnered by a gubernatorial candidate in the province.
1964. Philippine Delegate, Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA) Conference
held in Korea.
1966. Project Director of Tarlac “Project Spread”. A joint understanding of the National Economic
Council (Philippine Government) and the U.S.A.I.D., which was designed to increase rural income.
1967. Elected as the youngest Senator of the Philippines at 35 years old as the lone opposition (Liberal
Party) candidate to survive the election sweep made by President Marcos Nacionalista Party. He was
also elected as Secretary-General of the Liberal Party.
1968. Author of several speeches, and many articles while serving as a public servant. These are
contained in the book “A Garrison State in the Make and other Speeches” by Senator Benigno “Ninoy” S.
Aquino, Jr. (BSAF Publication). Senator Aquilino also authored / co-authored several bills filed in
approved congress to benefit the masses. He also authored several privilege speeches printed in the
“Ninoy Aquino – Speech Series,” 1968 – 1970s.
1970. Resource person for the Philippines in the International Institute of Strategic Studies, London.
1971. Member of the Philippine Delegation of the Asian Conference on the Cambodian Question,
Jakarta, Indonesia.
1972. Philippine Delegate to the International Conference on Japan and the Evolving world, sponsored
by the International Institute for Strategic Studies of London, at Mount Fuji, Japan. He was also the July
4th guest speaker of Filipino communities in Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco U.S.A.
Early Journalism Years. Journalism remained his particular vocation in spite of his entry into politics and
from time to time he wrote “perspective articles” for such publications as “Foreign Affairs Quarterly”
and the “Pacific Community.”
1950. Manila Times Newspaper reported at age 17; Manila Times War correspondent in Korea.
1952. Manila Times Foreign Correspondent in Southeast Asia (assigned to Indo-China, covered the last
moment of French colonialism in Asia, at Dien Bien Phu. He was later posted to Malaya to cover the
British counter-insurgency efforts under General Templar.
1952. He agreed (while already a Senator and in the name of Journalism) to conduct a weekly television
news analysis, entitled “Insight” for Channel 5, upon the urging of his former publisher of the Manila
Times, Mr. Chino Roces. He kept this up until his arrest in 1972 by the people responsible for the
Martial Law regime.
Major Awards. His achievements at such a young age earned him the moniker “Wonder Boy of
Philippine politics.” Other awards of Ninoy Aquino are the following:
1950. Philippine Legion of Honor, Officer Degree, awarded by President Elpidio Quirino for “Meritorious
Service” to the Philippines for his coverage of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to the Korean War.
1954. Philippine Legion of Honor, Commander degree, awarded by President Ramon Magsaysay for
“exemplary meritorious service” to the Filipino people negotiating the coverage of HUK Supremo Luis
Taruc.
1957. First Bronze Anahaw Leaf, Philippine Legion of Honor, conferred by President Ramon Magsaysay,
for services in the peace and order campaign.
1960. Voted one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) in the field of public
service.
1968-1971. Outstanding Senator, voted yearly by the Philippine Free Press, the Philippine leading
political weekly magazine.
1971. Man of the Year, voted by the Philippine Free Press, citing him for the leadership he showed when
his party’s leadership was bombed in Plaza Miranda, the Philippines’ equivalent to Hyde Park. He led his
party’s campaign “with courage, with distinction” despite threats to arrest him, made by then President
Marcos. He led the Liberal Party to a 6-2 victory in the Philippine Senate elections, which catapulted him
to become the No. 1 presidential contender in the 1973 elections.
Martial Law Years. The declaration of martial law on September 21, 1972 ushered in the defining phase
in Ninoy’s evolution as a leader. Before then, it was generally assumed that he would ascend to the
nation’s highest office as the Liberal Party’s standard bearer in the 1973 presidential elections. Instead,
he wound up the most high-profile political prisoner as Ferdinand Marcos suspended the Constitution,
abolished Congress, silenced the opposition and the media, and ruled by decree on the pretext that he
needed emergency powers to quell a communist insurgency and a Muslim secessionist rebellion.
September 22, 1972. Ninoy was arrested, detained and imprisoned at Fort Bonifacio and in Laur, Nueva
Ecija for 7 years and 7 months, mostly in solitary confinement.
April 4, 1975 – May 13, 1975. He went on a protest hunger strike while in prison.
May 8, 1980. Released from Fort Bonifacio to undergo a triple heart bypass at Baylor Medical Center,
Dallas, Texas, USA.
May 13, 1980. Operated and successfully given a triple bypass in Dallas, Texas.
August 21, 1983. Assassinated at the airport seconds after disembarking in China Airlines jet from Taipei.
August 31, 1983. Ninoy’s funeral march from Sto. Domingo Church, Quezon City to ManilaMemorial
Park, Paranaque, was the “longest funeral march in world’s history.” Around two million people joined
the funeral.
Although Ninoy Aquino was recognized as the most prominent and most dynamic opposition leader of
his generation, in the years prior to martial law he was regarded by many as being a representative of
the entrenched familial elite which to this day dominates Philippine politics. While atypically telegenic
and uncommonly articulate, he had his share of detractors and was not known to be immune to
ambitions and excesses of the ruling political class. However, during his seven years and seven months
imprisoned as a political prisoner of Marcos, Aquino read the book Born Again by convicted Watergate
conspirator Charles Colson and it inspired him to a religious awakening.
His life in politics started early. Very, very early. He was the youngest mayor at 22, the country’s
youngest vice-governor at 27, then governor of Tarlac 2 years later. He became the youngest senator in
Philippine history at 34. His popularity was greatly due to his daring criticism of the Marcos regime.
Ninoy frequently challenged the dictatorship. Ninoy once referred to the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, an extravagant P50-million project of the Former First Lady, as “a monument to shame” in
his speech, A Pantheon for Imelda. Consequently, he was called a “congenital liar” by an outraged
President Marcos, while the Philippine Free Press hailed him as one of the country’s most outstanding
senators.
As a result, the remainder of his personal and political life had a distinct spiritual sheen. He emerged as a
contemporary counterpart of the great José Rizal, who was among the world’s earliest proponents of
the use of non-violence to combat a repressive regime. Some remained skeptical of Aquino’s redirected
spiritual focus, but it ultimately had an effect on his wife’s political career.
While some may question the prominence given Aquino in Philippine history, it was his assassination
that was pivotal to the downfall of a despotic ruler and the eventual restoration of democracy in the
Philippines.
I remember when I was younger, when my teacher asks me to enumerate a name of a hero, I always
mention the name Ninoy Aquino, after Jose Rizal. Though, I admit I am not that knowledgeable then
about him, I always look up to this man whom I believe is the icon of a genuine democracy and a
peaceful revolution.
There is no argument about what he did; how he stood up against the Marcos dictatorship, how he
fearlessly campaigned for the return of democratic values and ideals to the Filipino people, and how he
bravely went home to the Philippines on that fatal August day in 1983 despite repeated warnings that
his life was in danger.
We only have to echo Ninoy Aquino’s hauntingly patriotic statement to remember his heroism and love
of country: “I have weighed all the virtues and faults of the Filipinos, and I have come to the conclusion
that the Filipino is worth dying for.”
I am deeply amazed by the achievements of Ninoy as a young leader and as a young journalist.
Sometimes, I tend to compare myself to him and I ended up making him as my inspiration to move
forward and continue serving my fellows. I have heard almost all his speeches, and every word he utters
really mean a lot to me.
I remember one passage from his speech which really inculcated in my mind, “What can one man do if
the Filipino people love their slavery, if the Filipino people have lost their voice and would not say no to
a tyrant, what can one man do. I have not army, I have no following, I have no money, I only have my
indomitable spirit.” It only bespeaks the significance of oneness and unity, the harmony that should
prevail among us Filipinos in order to resolve various societal upheavals that we are experiencing now.
Crisis after crisis tend to beset our nation and we ended up blaming the government for these without
even asking ourselves, what our contributions to resolve these problems are. Like what Ninoy has said, if
we remain callous or indifferent, nothing will happen. Let us cultivate our burning desire for change and
our indomitable spirit for progress in order to achieve a transformational society.
Moreover, when I was in Tarlac I have read one quote of Ninoy Aquino painted in a wall and he put it
this way, “the meaning of our struggle is to be able to return the freedom. First we must return the
freedom so that all segments of our community whether from the left or from the right will have the
right to speak and then in that open debate in that clash of debate in the marketplace we will produce
the clash between the thesis and the anti-thesis and then we will have the synthesis for the Filipino
people.”
Truly, Ninoy is a freedom lover and I am grateful that through his peaceful advocacies, freedom in the
Philippines was restored resulting to a unified nation with one vision and one spirit. This freedom paved
the way to identify the thesis and anti-thesis of the Filipino people which resulted to the resolution or
the synthesis towards a better nation. And I hope what Ninoy has done will be embodied to every
Filipino for us to be able to embrace the truest meaning of freedom, solidarity and progress for our
beloved country.
Perhaps if Ninoy would have been elected as president of the Philippines, we will be able to have an
ideal society where no poor shall live, equality, rule of law and democracy prevails, no graft and
corruption and crime occurrences can be counted by the fingers. But then, I believe that there is still
hope and every Filipino can be a living Ninoy by our own little way.
While I am writing this piece, I am also preparing for another quest of leadership journey inspired by the
ideals of Ninoy and Cory Aquino. This is the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Leadership Journey, a program that
invites the youth leaders all over the country to undergo a three-day transformative experience and be
living witnesses of leadership. The objectives of the program are to reintroduce models of leadership
based from the lives of Ninoy and Cory Aquino; to realize that spirituality, faith and love are values that
anchor one’s life; to build communal experiences in spirituality with other youth leaders; to respond to a
life of love through the call for action and to appreciate a life of sacrifice that is deeply rooted in one’s
faith. I just hope that my application to this will be accepted so that I would be able to know Ninoy and
Cory and their ideologies even better.
To end I would like to reiterate what Ninoy Aquino once said and I quote, “we should not depend on one
man, we should depend on all of us. All of us is expandable in the cause for freedom and therefore I say
stand up now and be a leader, and when all of us are leaders, we will expedite the cause of freedom.”
Jose Zulueta (politician)
[Biography edit ] Edit
Jose Zulueta was born on February 7, 1889 in Molo, Iloilo City , the son of Evaristo
Zulueta and Atilana Casten. Zulueta studied at the Ateneo de Manila . In 1911 he was
appointed as a stenographer at Court of First Instance. He studied law and graduated in
1916 for the entrance examination for the Philippine bar (bar exam) and started a law
practice. [2]
After his term as minister he stood in April 1949 successfully apply for a new term in the
House of Representatives. Before the end of his term, he is more than two years later at
the 1951 election elected to thePhilippine Senate . In his time as a senator, which lasted
until 1957, he was on April 30, 1953 until November 30, 1953 President of the
Senate. Zulueta in 1959 was elected governor of his native province of Iloilo.Later, he
was from 1969 to 1972 again delegate on behalf of the first constituency of Iloilo.
Eugenio Pérez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eugenio Padlan Pérez (November 13, 1896 – August 4, 1957) was a Filipino politician who served
as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1946 to 1953. He was a
member of the Liberal Party, whose president he served as during his term as Speaker.
Contents
[hide]
1Early life
2Political career
3Family
4Notes
5References
Early life[edit]
Pérez was born in San Carlos, Pangasinan. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of the
Philippines and his law degree from that institution’s College of Law. While in law school, he worked
as a clerk in the Bureau of Agriculture and the Executive Bureau.[1]
Political career[edit]
Pérez first entered politics in 1926 when he was elected to the municipal council of his hometown,
San Carlos. In 1928, he was elected to the Philippine Legislature as aRepresentative of the Second
District of Pangasinan. Pérez would be for eight consecutive terms.
In 1946, Pérez joined the newly established Liberal Party, which obtained a congressional majority in
the House of Representatives in the 1946 general elections. He was elected Speaker of the House
of Representatives when the 1st Congress of the Philippines convened later that year, and would
serve as House Speaker throughout the 1st and 2nd Congresses.
Pérez was a leading congressional ally of Presidents Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino, both of
whom were Liberals. He helped secure the passage of the Bell Trade Actand the Parity Rights
Amendment to the Constitution, allowing American citizens and corporations equal access to
Philippine minerals, forests and other natural resources.[2] He defended the exercise of President
Quirino of emergency powers granted to the President after the end of World War II. When Quirino
grew increasingly unpopular, Pérez rejected pleas from fellow Members of Congress to challenge
the incumbent President for the Liberal Party nomination in the 1953 presidential elections.[3] Perez
managed the unsuccessful re-election campaign of Quirino in 1953.
The Liberal Party lost its congressional majority in the House of Representatives in the 1953 general
elections. Pérez assumed the role of Minority Floor Leader, while he was succeeded as House
Speaker by José Laurel, Jr. of the Nacionalista Party. Pérez died in office in August 1957.
Family[edit]
Eugenio Padlan Pérez bust-memorial (“Manong Eniong”),San Carlos, Pangasinan Plaza[1].
Pérez was married to a soprano, Consuelo Salazar, they had three children. His child, Victoria, was
the first wife of Jose de Venecia,[4] who would become House Speaker thirty-five years after Pérez's
death. Pérez is the grandfather of Joey de Venecia, a central figure in the 2007-2008 NBN
controversy.
Pérez also fathered a fourth child from his first wife; José Pérez born December 3, 1929. During
World War II while Japanese troops continued their ruthless occupation of Philippine territories, José
hid in the jungle to avoid capture and abuse. In the weeks leading up to the Bataan Death March
(1942); José led his aunt and a childhood friend into the jungle to live until it was safe to return
home. José in his own words "when I was twelve, I had to hide my aunt from the Japanese or else
they would rape her, me and my friend took rifles from dead Japanese soldiers then took her to the
jungle to hide until it was safe to come out again". Inspired by his World War II experiences, José
joined the United States Navy in 1944 at the age of fifteen, he became a U.S. citizen.
José Laurel Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Laurel and the
second or maternal family name is Hidalgo.
José Bayani "Pepito" Laurel Jr. y Hidalgo[1] (August 27, 1912 – March 11, 1998), also known
as José B. Laurel Jr., was a Filipino politician who was elected twice asSpeaker of the House of
Representatives of the Philippines. A stalwart of the Nacionalista Party, he was the party's candidate
for Vice President of the Philippines in the1957 elections.
Contents
[hide]
1Early life
2Political career
3Death and family
4Notes
5References
6External links
Early life[edit]
He was born on August 27, 1912 in Tanauan, Batangas, the eldest son of José P. Laurel, who would
serve as President of the Philippines from 1943 to 1945. His brother,Salvador, would become Vice-
President of the Philippines in 1986, Sotero would be elected Senator in 1987. Another brother, Jose
S. Laurel III served as Ambassador to Japan. His youngest brother, Arsenio was the first two-time
winner of the Macau Grand Prix
Laurel finished his intermediate and secondary education in Manila, and enrolled at the University of
the Philippines. In 1936, he received his law degree from the U.P. College of Law and passed
the bar exams the following year.
Political career[edit]
In 1941, Laurel won his first election, as a Member of the House of Representatives from Batangas.
However, his term was interrupted by the Japanese invasion in late 1941.[2] For the duration of the
war, Laurel assisted his father, who was designated as President of the Philippines under the 2nd
Philippine Republic.
When the Philippine Congress was restored upon independence in 1946, Laurel again sought
election to the House of Representatives representing the Third District of Batangas. He was
successful in his bid, and would be re-elected to the Second and Third Congresses. In 1954, he was
elected to his first term as Speaker of the House. He gave up his Speakership, as well as his seat in
the House in 1957 when he was drafted instead to run as Vice-President under the Nacionalista
ticket spearheaded byCarlos P. Garcia. He was defeated by Diosdado Macapagal of the Liberal
Party even as Garcia went on to victory.
In 1961, Laurel regained his seat in the House of Representatives, and would serve in that capacity
until martial law was declared in 1972. He was again elected Speaker in February 1967 and
remained in that position until 1971, when Cornelio Villareal of the Liberal Party regained the
Speakership.[3] Laurel retired from politics after Congress was closed in 1972. He reemerged in the
public eye as a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission that drafted the present Philippine
Constitution.
During his congressional career, Laurel focused on economic issues. He was an advocate of
a planned economy and protectionism.[3] Laurel was among those who, in 1965, recruited Senate
President Ferdinand Marcos to join the Nacionalista Party as its presidential candidate against
Diosdado Macapagal.
Contents
[hide]
1Early life
2Family
3Political career
4Notes
5References
Early life[edit]
Daniel "Danieling" Romualdez was born in Tolosa, Leyte. His father, Miguel, once served as an
assemblyman for Leyte and mayor of the city of Manila.[2] His great-grandfather was involved in the
Sumoroy Revolt but narrowly escaped Spanish execution when he was allowed by David Dula to
visit his ailing mother. Dula and his seven trusted men were later executed in Palapag, Northern
Samar and were buried in unmarked graves without Roman Catholic rites. Superstitions existed that
a Romualdez was to die that day in Palapag. More than fifty years later, Philippine Supreme
Court Associate Justice Norberto Romuáldez, Danieling's famous uncle and the man who made their
surname distinguished in society, would suddenly die of a heart attack in Palapag, hometown of his
second wife Beatriz, daughter of the parish priest Fray Salustiano Buz, who insisted on campaigning
at the grassroots level for the Philippine Senate elections when he was almost guaranteed to win on
account of his nationwide reputation.
Romualdez enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila. He obtained his law
degree in 1931.
Family[edit]
His father was Don Miguel Lopez Romualdez, the Mayor of Manila during World War 2 who was
known to ride his chauffeur-driven American car in the streets honking at the Japanese soldiers and
Korean stevedores who would immediately part away like Moses splitting the Red Sea. Don Miguel
was the most prosperous Romualdez during his lifetime. So eager for wealth was he that he
amassed Japanese currency notes in the staggering millions thinking it would increase in value.
After the Liberation of Manila and Japan's defeat, Don Miguel's money became worthless. He
suffered a heart attack.
Danieling's father was the second of the three sons of Trinidad "Tidad" Lopez, eldest daughter of
Spanish friar, Don Francisco Lopez of Granada, Spain (later of Burauen,Leyte), and Daniel
Romualdez of Pandacan, Manila, a tuberculosis survivor and Cabeza de Barangay.
Danieling's mother was Brigida Zialcita of Manila.
Danieling, a Spanish mestizo, like his uncle Dean Vicente Orestes Romualdez y Lopez (father
of Imelda Marcos) and current Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez, inherited their Spanish friar
ancestor's Castillian skin.
His siblings include Attorney Estela Zialcita Romualdez Sulit married to Mariano Sulit, Miguel Zialcita
Romualdez Jr. married to Cecilia Planas (distantly related to Rosario Planas), Alberto Zialcita
Romualdez married to the Spanish mestiza Covadonga del Gallego of Paco, Manila (their son is
former Department of Health Secretary Alberto G. Romualdez), Amelia Zialcita Romualdez Janairo
married to Maximiano Janairo, Froilan Zialcita Romualdez married to Josefina Cervo and Philippine
Central Bank Governor Eduardo Romualdez married to Concepcion Veloso, popularly nicknamed
Conchita, who also hailed from a powerful Leyte political family.
Danieling was married to Paz or "Pacing" Gueco of Magalang, Pampanga, member of the Kahirup,
supporter of fashion designer Ramon Valera, an aunt of Benigno Aquino Jr. from
nearby Concepcion, Tarlac, and heiress to vast tracts of ricelands from her industrious Chinese-
Filipino Gueco clan. He has four daughters.
Seeing the potential of his cousin Imelda, who was by then the undisputed Rose of Tacloban title
holder and was renowned throughout the provinces for her singing voice, Danieling and other cousin
Loreto Romualdez Ramos brought Imelda to Manila who in ten years would be First Lady of the
Philippines, Imelda Marcos. Before that, Pacing Gueco would ask her nephew Benigno Aquino
Jr. (Ninoy) to escort her husband's first cousin Imelda in the taxicab on her way home from her job at
the Escolta and at the Central Bank of the Philippines. (Ninoy and Imelda first met during a Gueco
family picnic on the Parua river which straddles Magalang to the south and Concepcion to the north).
His old home along Dapitan Street Extension, Quezon City was a regular meeting place of
the Nacionalista Party of which the Romualdezes were original members.
Political career[edit]
Romualdez first entered politics in 1949 when he was elected to represent the Fourth District of
Leyte in the House of Representatives. A member of the Nacionalista Party, Romualdez was re-
elected in 1953 and 1957. In 1961, Romualdez was elected Representative of the First District of
Leyte.
During the 3rd Congress of the Philippines, Romualdez served as Speaker Pro-Tempore. After
House Speaker Jose Laurel, Jr. vacated his congressional seat in 1957 following an unsuccessful
bid for the Vice-Presidency, Romualdez replaced him as Speaker upon the opening of the 4th
Congress in 1957. Romualdez served as Speaker until March 1962, when his Nacionalista Party
ceded its congressional majority to theLiberal Party. Cornelio Villareal succeeded him as Speaker.
Romualdez assumed the post of Minority Floor Leader, in which capacity he was serving upon his
death in office from a heart attack in 1965. Within months, his beloved first cousin Imelda
Marcos would become First Lady of the country beginning a 21-year rule with husband
President Ferdinand Marcos.[3]
Cornelio Villareal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornelio T. Villareal (September 11, 1904 – December 22, 1992) was a Filipino politician who
served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1962 to 1967, and again
from 1971 to 1972. Popularly known as Kune, his congressional career representing the Second
District of Capiz spanned six decades.
Contents
[hide]
1Early life
2Political career
3References
4Notes
Early life[edit]
Villareal was born in Mambusao, Capiz. He finished his intermediate and secondary education
in Capiz, and enrolled at the Silliman University for his pre-law course.[3] In 1929, he received his law
degree from the Philippine Law School and passed the bar exams later that year.
Political career[edit]
Villareal's political career began in 1934, when he was elected as a delegate to the 1935
Constitutional Convention. In 1941, Villareal won his first election as a Member of the House of
Representatives, representing the Second District of Capiz. His term was interrupted by the
Japanese invasion in late 1941, but he reassumed his seat in 1945[4] He was re-elected in 1946
under the banner of the Liberal Party, and served continuously until 1972. In 1951, Villareal
unsuccessfully sought election to thePhilippine Senate, for the seat vacated by Fernando
Lopez upon the latter's election as Vice-President.
Villareal was first elected Speaker of the House of Representatives during the 5th Congress, in
March 1962. During the 6th Congress, he was unseated as speaker in 1967 by Jose Laurel, Jr. of
the Nacionalista Party. Villareal regained the Speakership from Laurel, Jr. during the 7th Congress in
1971, and served in that capacity until Congress was abolished upon the declaration of martial law
by President Ferdinand Marcos in September 1972.[4]
Villareal withdrew from politics until Congress was restored following the ouster of Marcos. At age
83, he was again elected to his congressional seat in the Second District of Capiz in 1987. He was
the oldest member of the 8th Congress, while his colleague from Capiz, Gerardo "Dinggoy" Roxas,
Jr., was the youngest member of Congress. Ironically, Roxas would outlive Villareal only by a few
months.
Villareal did not seek re-election following the expiration of his term in June 1992. He died six
months later, aged 88.[5]
During his congressional career, Villareal advocated liberal economic and trade policies such as
decontrol and decentralization.[6]
Querube Makalintal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Querube C. Makalintal
14th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
In office
In office
In office
In office
1954–1954
Personal details
Manila, Philippine Islands
Manila, Philippines
Querube C. Makalintal (December 22, 1910 – November 8, 2002) was the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of the Philippines from Oct. 31, 1973 until December 22, 1975 and Speaker of
the Interim Batasang Pambansa from June 12, 1978 to June 30, 1984.
Career[edit]
Makalintal served as Solicitor General, before being appointed as Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court by President Diosdado Macapagal in 1962.
After reaching the compulsory retirement age of 65 under the 1973 Constitution, he served as
Speaker of the Interim Batasang Pambansa from 1978 to 1984.
Nicanor Yñiguez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This biography needs additional citations for verification. Please
help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007) (Learn how and when to
remove this template message)
In office
In office
Leyte'sLone District
In office
Representatives from Leyte's Third District
In office
Personal details
November 6, 1915
Maasin, Leyte, Philippine Islands
Died April 13, 2007 (aged 91)
Maasin, Southern Leyte,Philippines
Profession Politician
Ramon Villarosa Mitra, Jr. (February 4, 1928 – March 20, 2000) was a Filipino statesman,
diplomat, and pro-democracy activist.
Contents
[hide]
Political life[edit]
Representative (1965-1971)[edit]
Mitra was elected congressman representing Palawan for two terms from 1965 and was the minority
leader within five years.
Senator of the Philippines (1971-1972)[edit]
He resigned, during his second term, to run for the senate and was elected senator in 1971. During
the campaign, he was nearly killed in Plaza Miranda by hand grenades at the anti-Marcos political
rally of the Liberal Party. In September 1972, his term was cut short by Martial Law. Mitra was one of
the first arrested and jailed when Marcos declared martial law. "I am a martial law victim," he would
say.
Assemblyman (1984-1986)[edit]
In 1978, Monching ran for the Interim Batasang Pambansa together with Sen. Ninoy Aquino. In
1984, he was elected as an Assemblyman to the Regular Batasang Pambansa. After the People
Power Revolution in 1986, Mitra joined the Aquino administration and was appointed as Agriculture
Minister.
Speaker of the House (1987-1992)[edit]
After the restoration of the House of Representatives, he ran for the second district of Palawan. He
was eventually elected as Speaker of the House at its inaugural session. During his sterling
leadership of the House, major bills were passed into laws of the country and instituted policies,
aimed at enhancing the functions of the House as a legislative institution.
1992 presidential campaign[edit]
In 1991, Mitra, who was also the party president of the LDP Party, was selected in a party
convention as the candidate for President of the Philippines, ahead of Defense secretary Fidel
Ramos. Ramos bolted the party and formed his own party, the Lakas ng Tao Party. Mitra's bid was
difficult because he was branded a "traditional politician" and suffered many controversies, including
the alleged use of the congressional printing press for his election materials. Mitra lost the 1992
presidential electionto Fidel Ramos.
Later career[edit]
In 1995, he agreed to create a coalition with Ramos and formed the Lakas-Laban Coalition. In
the Philippine general election, 1995, he ran for senator but lost. In thePhilippine general election,
1998, he returned to the political spotlight as a key supporter of Joseph Estrada's successful
presidential campaign. Estrada rewarded Mitra by naming him president of the state-owned
Philippine National Oil Corporation.
Personal life[edit]
"Monching," as he is popularly known, married Cecilia Aldeguer Blanco in April 1959; they had six
sons, who are politically active. The third son, Ramon "Mon-Mon" Mitra, who graduated from the
Philippine Military Academy in 1988, served in the Philippine Marine Corps, ran for a senatorial slate
for May 2010 elections of the Nacionalista Party but lost. The fourth son, Bernardo Mitra, has been
working for government in various capacities since 1989. The youngest son Abraham Kahlil Mitra,
was the governor of Palawan from 2010 to 2013.
During a night rally of farmers and fishermen in the midst of the 1992 presidential elections, he told
his story about his poor life:
All candidates say they're going to do something about poverty, I don't doubt the sincerity of
“ their words. But do they really know how it is to be poor? Do they really know how it is to be
hungry, really hungry? I do. Do they know how to throw a fishing net, how to fish from a boat
through the long night? I do. The farmer who follows the carabao, what he thinks and what he
feels, is something I know very well.[2] ”
With that, Mitra, Jr. confessed he was a "love child" born out of wedlock, reared barefoot and
hungry, who caught crocodiles as a youth and was shunned by his affluent father. From those
humble roots, Monching rose to be a lawyer, diplomat, senator and martial law prisoner, millionaire
rancher and eventually, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ramon V. Mitra was one of the
nation's most powerful politicians.[3]
He had a lifelong involvement with cattle. He was Chairman of the Farm Management Enterprises
Corporation which owned and operated farm cattle ranches and was a breeder of gamecocks,
thoroughbred horses, and cattle. When Monching conceded defeat in the 1992 presidential race, he
found solace within the fences of his ranch and after which, continued to live his life as a farmer.
Mitra, at the age of 72, died at the Makati Medical Center from liver cancer. One of his last requests
was to be buried beside a lighthouse in Palawan, with simple funeral rites unlike his predecessors in
the House. In one of his last interviews, he said "the lighthouse overlooks the ocean where all boats
entering and leaving Puerto Princesa Bay pass by. By making that my final resting place, I can
continuously guide and protect my people."
A building was named after him serving as the West Wing in the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.
Jose Claveria de Venecia Jr. also known as JDV or Joe De V (born December 26, 1936) is a
former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, serving from 1992 to 1998 and
from 2001 to 2008. As Speaker, he was the fourth highest-ranking official of the Philippines. He was
the former president of the Philippines'dominant party, LAKAS-CMD. He ran for president in
the 1998 election but lost to Vice President Joseph Estrada, finishing second among 11 candidates.
Beginning in 1987, de Venecia has been elected to six terms as a Representative of the 4th
District of Pangasinan. He served as Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives throughout
the Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses of the Philippines. He had served for more than
a year as the House Speaker of theFourteenth Congress when on February 5, 2008, 174
representatives, or a considerable majority of members of the House, voted to remove de Venecia
as Speaker. He is the first Filipino who has held the Speakership five times in separate terms.
Contents
[hide]
My son reported this to the Makati Police and in the same day following, General Santos, such a
“ respected general of the Armed Forces, changed his tune and said he never said such a thing.
How could he say that he never said such a thing when he came to my house to ask me to listen
to his story, accompanied by Raul Lambino in the presence of my son Joey, in the presence of my
wifeGina. ”
The Speaker said he asked Mrs. Arroyo in a letter to "please do something."
So I wrote a letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Dear Madam President, I write to you
“ because General Santos came to see me and said to me, and confessed to me that they wanted
to kill myself and my son and that they have killed other people. I asked you because these three
generals belonged to your government, please do something. That was late October of last year.
Do you think up to know Malacanang has lifted a finger to arrest or to investigate these
attempts on my life and of my son? ”
"It's simple arrogance. Just plain arrogance that Malacañang and the people of the Palace are
above the law. Someday this can happen to you," he said. The speech was delivered hours after
Palawan 2nd District Rep. Abraham Kahlil Mitra, an ally of Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles,
moved the speaker's position be declared vacant.
Post-speakership[edit]
Shortly after midnight, February 5, 2008, 174 members of the House voted in favor of the motion to
declare the position of House Speaker as vacant, removing de Venecia from his position. 35
members voted against the motion while 16 members abstained.[6] Nograles was elected as the new
House Speaker.
On March 10, 2008 Mr. De Venecia resigned his post as president of Lakas-CMD. Since then he has
remained active. In 2010 he travelled to the United States to speak to Filipino people who were living
and working there. He mentioned that overseas workers sent over $18 billion home every year and
said about this: "This is your contribution. You must be aware of it, you should be proud of it. This is
why we call you the heroes and heroines of the Filipino people." [7]
Performance rating[edit]
On January 7, 2008, the Social Weather Stations (November 30 to December 3, 2007) survey stated
that Speaker Jose de Venecia's performance rating has 37% satisfied and 37% dissatisfied, or net
+1, having been in single digit since December 2004.[8]
Personal life[edit]
De Venecia married Victoria Perez, the daughter of Eugenio Pérez, who served as Speaker of the
House of Representatives from 1946 to 1953.[9] Together, they had 4 children: Alexandra (Sandra),
Leslie, Vivian, and Jose III (Joey). Their marriage, ended in a divorce,[citation needed] and Perez now lives
in Albany, New York.
De Venecia then married Georgina Vera-Perez, daughter of Filipino film producer Jose Vera Perez.
They have two children: Christopher and Kristina Casimira (KC). Georgina, also known as Manay
Gina, was previously married to construction manager Felipe Cruz with whom she had 2 children.
[citation needed]
The former host of a television drama series, she is currently a social worker and a radio
host.
House fire[edit]
On December 17, 2004, a fire originating from Christmas tree lights gutted de Venecia's house
in Dasmariñas Village, Makati City. His 16-year-old daughter KC died of suffocation after being
trapped inside the house.[10] KC's remains were cremated and her ashes were buried at
the Sanctuario de San Antonio chapel.
Manny Villar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This name uses Philippine naming customs. The middle name or maternal family
name is Bamba and the surname or paternal family name is Villar.
Contents
[hide]
Business career[edit]
After obtaining his bachelor's degree, Villar began his professional career working as an accountant
for Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co), the country's largest accounting firm.[10] He resigned
from SGV & Co. to start his first business, delivering seafood in Makati.[7] However, when his largest
customer was unable to pay him, he negotiated a debt restructuring of sorts, selling discounted meal
tickets to office workers in exchange for receivables.[3] He then worked briefly as a financial analyst
for the Private Development Corporation of the Philippines, where his job was to sell World
Bank loans.[2][6] Wanting to start a business of his own again, he quit his job and availed of one of the
loans, which offered attractive rates.[2]
In 1975, with an initial capital of ₱10,000, Villar purchased two reconditioned trucks and started a
business delivering sand and gravel for construction companies in Las Piñas.[4][7] This eventually
segued into building houses, as Villar took out a seven-year loan from a rural bank offering low
interest rates.[3] From the loan, he kick-started building and selling homes at his first project, Camella
Homes Phase 1 and 2 in Las Piñas,[11] initially with 160 units and would have resulted to be the
country's largest home building company, with an emphasis on low-priced mass housing.[6] A notable
innovation of Villar's companies was to sell house and lot packages, when the common practice at
the time was to sell lots for future homeowners to build upon.[7] He initiated mass housing projects
through economies of scale, utilizing the cost advantages of developing a large-scale project in order
to bring down housing prices.[7] The number of homes built by Villar's companies totaled to over
200,000 units.[3]
In 1984, he founded Golden Haven Memorial Park, a chain of cemeteries in the Philippines, started
with its first branch in Las Pinas and expanded in Cebu, Cagayan De Oro, Zamboanga, Bulacan,
and Iloilo. It will also expanded into the businesses of memorial chapel, crematorium and
columbarium.[12]
In July 1995, Villar's flagship property, C&P Homes, was listed on the Philippine Stock
Exchange and grew by more than a third in one day, ballooning Villar's 80% stake in the company to
$1.5 billion. Villar had concentrated on low-cost housings which were bought by the home buyers
themselves, giving opportunities for the low and middle-income Filipino families to acquire homes.
He also wanted to set an example to Filipino entrepreneurs that what they set their mind on can be
achieved.[13]
Vista Land and Lifescapes, Inc., a family-owned business of Villar, is also listed in the privately
owned Philippine Stock Exchange. Their shares of stocks were bought primarily by foreign funds
which had given the government, as well as the PSE, good revenues.[14]
Villar has received several awards for his achievements during his professional and business career,
including being one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1986, the Agora Award for Marketing
Management in 1989, Most Outstanding CPA by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in
1990, and Most Outstanding UP Alumnus in 1991.[6] In 2004, he was named the Most Distinguished
Alumnus, the highest recognition given by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association.[6]
As of 2014, Forbes magazine ranks him as the 14th-wealthiest person in the Philippines, with his net
worth of US$1.460 billion or ₱ 63.758 billion (43.67 exchange rate).[15] However, his statements of
assets and liabilities (SALN) filed for the year 2012 states his net worth at P1.453 billion.[16]
In 2015, the Villar Group formed another company, Vitacare Healthgroup, Inc., a group that will build
chain of hospitals nationwide. Its first project Vitacare Unimed Hospital & Medical Center (in
partnership with Unimed) will be located in Vista City, Las Pinas will be fully operated in 2018.[17]
Political career[edit]
House of Representatives[edit]
Villar entered politics in 1992 when he was elected to the House of Representatives, representing
the district of Las Piñas-Muntinlupa.[6] Due to congressional redistricting, he later represented
the district of Las Piñas City.[6] He served for three consecutive three-year terms, consistently posting
landslide election victories.[6]
Villar was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1998, during his third term in
congress.[6] As speaker, he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada over
corruption allegations in November 2000.[18] Along with a large group of lawmakers which include the
Senate President, Villar defected from Estrada's Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (LAMMP)
coalition in order to hasten the process of impeachment.[19] Seconds after the opening prayer, and
skipping the traditional roll call, he immediately read a resolution sending the impeachment case to
the Senate for trial, bypassing a full vote and ignoring attempts by Estrada allies to delay the
proceedings.[18]
Hours after the impeachment proceedings, congressmen allied with the president led a move to oust
Villar from his post as speaker, replacing him with Camarines Sur representative Arnulfo
Fuentebella, an ally of President Estrada.[18]
In 2001, barred by constitutional term limits from seeking re-election to a fourth term in the House of
Representatives, Villar was succeeded by his wife, Cynthia Villar.
Senate[edit]
Villar ran for Senator in the 2001 election. Having recently resigned from Estrada's LAMMP coalition,
he ran for Senator as an independent politician, but campaigned as a member of the People Power
Coalition, the administration coalition party which was supportive of the recent 2001 EDSA
Revolution. He was elected to the Senate with more than 11 million votes, ranking seventh out of 37
candidates.[20] He later won re-election in 2007, running as a member of the Genuine
Opposition coalition, ranking fourth out of 37 candidates.[6]
In July 2006, Villar was chosen Senate President, making him the first post-World War II public
official to head both the House of Representatives and the Senate.[6] He had previously held the
position of Senate President pro tempore, as well as the chairmanship of the Committees on
Finance, Foreign Relations, Public Order, and Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries.[6]
In November 2008, Villar lost the support of the Senate majority, due to alleged fabricated
accusations thrown on him by political enemies on the C5 project. He then resigned as President of
the Senate and was succeeded by Juan Ponce Enrile[21] who later on investigated Villar for C5 scam.
[22]
Villar was a candidate for President of the Philippines in the May 2010 presidential election, as the
standard bearer of the Nacionalista Party. He filed his certificate of candidacy for president on
November 30, 2009, along with his running mate, Senator Loren Legarda.[23] His popular campaign
line was "Sipag at Tyaga" (Hardwork and Patience). Villar's campaign platform includes combating
poverty and corruption, two major problems between which he believes there is a strong link.[24]
According to a January 2010 survey by polling firm Pulse Asia and the February 2010 survey
from Social Weather Stations, Villar was statistically tied in the lead with his main rival in the
election, Senator Benigno Aquino III.[25] In a March survey rival Aquino had regained a significant
nine-point lead.[26] Other significant rivals in the presidential race included former President Joseph
Estrada and former Defense SecretaryGilbert Teodoro.
During the presidential campaign, opinion columnist William Esposo claimed that Villar has lied in his
TV ads and could not have been poor because his younger brother Danny was admitted to FEU
Hospital, which he claims was a top hospital at the time and in 1962, there was no bone marrow
transplantation and chemotherapy yet and everyone whether rich or poor died from
contracting leukemia.[8] Villar clarified that his brother was admitted as a charity patient, because the
family was unable to afford treatment. Any family member, who is on the verge of death, will
definitely be brought to the nearest possible hospital to try and save him, regardless of their status in
life.[5]
Villar placed third in the election, behind Senator Noynoy Aquino and former President Joseph
Estrada. On May 11, 2010, a day after the election, Villar was among the first to concede to Aquino.
Offshore leaks[edit]
During the ICIJ's (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists)expose of Offshore leaks in
April 2013,his name appeared on the list of wealthy people involved in offshore financial secrecy. It
was revealed that he is hiding parts his wealth in tax havens at British Virgin Islands.[27]
Personal life[edit]
In his third year of college at the University of the Philippines, Villar became friends with Cynthia
Aguilar, his classmate in the UP College of Business Administration.[3] Her father was then mayor
of Las Piñas City. They married at the age of 25.[3] They have three children: Paolo (born c. 1977),
eldest child and first of two sons; Mark (born 1978); second of two sons; and Camille Linda (born c.
1985), youngest child and only daughter.[13][28] Villar's two sons studied at the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania for their college education, while Camille attended Ateneo de Manila
University.[3] All three children graduated with degrees in finance or business management.[28] Mark is
a former Representative of Las Piñas City and the current DPWH secretary, while Camille was
formerly host Wil Time Bigtime then Wowowillie.
Villar lives in a two-bedroom house with his family in Las Piñas City.[3] In early 2010, a political smear
was disseminated on the Internet, claiming falsely that Villar owned an extravagant mansion in
the United States, which was debunked by Snopes.com.[29]
Arnulfo Fuentebella
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arnulfo P. Fuentebella (born October 29, 1945) was the Speaker of the Philippine House of
Representatives from 2000 to 2001. He is a former representative of the Third (now Fourth) District
of Camarines Sur, more popularly known as the Partido District.
Contents
[hide]
Career[edit]
After he passed the Bar Exams, Fuentebella pursued a career in law and banking. But after
President Ferdinand E. Marcos imposed martial rule and called for elections to the Interim Batasang
Pambansa (IBP), Fuentebella was chosen by the President to run in Congress to represent Partido.
He subsequently won the elections and served as an assemblyman in the IBP from 1978 to 1984.
However, he lost his bid for a seat in the 1984 Regular Batasang Pambansa and used the hiatus to
practice law in New York, where he was admitted to the State Bar. Then the EDSA
Revolution happened and President Marcos fled into exile. As the Fuentebellas had been identified
with the Marcoses, hropted to sit out the Cory Aquino years.
In 1992, political allies asked Fuentebella to run again in Congress. He won three consecutive terms
as Congressman (1992-2001).
Speakership[edit]
After then Speaker Manuel Villar, Jr. passed President Joseph Estrada's Articles of Impeachment to
the Senate, Fuentebella was elected Speaker after Estrada's allies in the House of
Representatives motioned to make all positions in the House vacant; Fuentebella won the
nomination.
On January 20, 2001, during the EDSA Revolution of 2001, Estrada left the Malacañan Palace and
Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn to the presidency at the EDSA Shrine by Chief
Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. Accompanying Davide were the chairs of the two houses of
Congress, Aquilino Pimentel and Fuentebella. Four days later, on January 24, the Arroyo allies
mustered enough votes to unseat Fuentebella, replacing him with Quezon
City representative Feliciano Belmonte.
Post-speakership[edit]
When Fuentebella had served the maximum three consecutive terms as a congressman, his
son Felix William/Wimpy took over for one term (2001-2004). In the interim, Fuentebella took up
post-graduate courses at the Kennedy School of Governance of Harvard University. He ran again for
Congress and won three more consecutive terms (2004-2013). He was instrumental for the
proposed creation of a new province to be called as Nueva Camarines, which will be composed of
the Fourth and Fifth Legislative Districts of Camarines Sur.
In the 14th Congress of the Philippines, Fuentebella was elected Deputy Speaker of the House of
Representatives of the Philippines for Luzon.
In 2015, a complaint for misappropriation of public funds was lodged against Fuentebella and his
wife before the Ombudsman.[1][2]
In May 2016, Fuentebella won the elected as Camarines Sur fourth district representatives by just
740 votes. His opponent, singer Imelda Papin filed an electoral protest asking for a recount.[3][4]
Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contents
[hide]
Then-Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte during a meeting de avance. Belmonte successfully ran for a fourth
term in the House of Representatives.
Personal life[edit]
Belmonte was a member of the Manila Jaycees, the Rotary Club of Manila and the Knights of Rizal.
He was also Junior Chamber International World President in 1976.[3]
He was married to Betty Go-Belmonte (1934–1994), founder of The Philippine Star. They have
raised four children: Isaac, Kevin, Miguel and Joy. Their three sons have also held editorial and
managerial positions at the Philippine Star and its sister publications like Pilipino Star
Ngayon and Pang-Masa tabloids published in the Filipino vernacular, as well as theCebu-based
newspaper The Freeman. His daughter serves as the Vice Mayor of Quezon City.
Prospero Nograles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This name uses Philippine naming customs. The middle name or maternal family
name is Castillo and the surname or paternal family name is Nograles.
Prospero Castillo Nograles (born October 30, 1947) is a former Speaker of the House of
Representatives of the Philippines. He was elected as the Speaker of the House on February 5,
2008, the first ever elected Speaker from Mindanao in a hundred years in Philippine legislative
history.[1] Beginning in 1989, Nograles has been elected to five terms as a member of the House of
Representatives, representing the 1st District of Davao City.
Contents
[hide]
1Early life
2Political career
3House Speaker
4External links
5Notes
Early life[edit]
Nograles was born in Davao City, and finished his primary and secondary education at the Ateneo
de Davao University. He then studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, obtaining his Bachelor of
Arts Degree major in Political Science in 1967, and his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo
Law School in 1971.[2] He placed second in the 1971 bar examinations with an average of 90.95%.[3]
Political career[edit]
Nograles was active in the political opposition against President Ferdinand Marcos. He was involved
in the litigation of human rights cases during that period, and was an active campaigner for Corazon
Aquino during the 1986 snap presidential elections.[4] After Aquino assumed the presidency,
Nograles sought a seat in the House of Representatives, representing the 1st district of Davao City.
Although his opponent Jesus Dureza was initially proclaimed as winner, Nograles was seated in the
House in 1989 following a favorable decision of the House Electoral Tribunal.[4] He gave up his
House seat in 1992 to make an unsuccessful challenge to the re-election of Davao City
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, but regained the seat in the 1995 election. In 1998, Nograles again gave up
his House seat to make another unsuccessful bid for election as Davao City mayor against Duterte-
backed Benjamin de Guzman and lost in his bid. He again won election to the House in 2001. In the
2004 and 2007 elections, Nograles ran unopposed for two consecutive terms.[4]
In his stay in Congress, Nograles was able to author 17 House bills and co-authored 85. He chaired
the Special Committee on Law Enforcement and its subcommittee on Gambling, Committee on
Housing and Urban Development, and the Committee on Rules. He was the Majority Floor
Leader during the 13th Congress of the Philippines. Before his election as Speaker, he was the head
of the House contingent to the Commission on Appointments.
He ran again for the mayorship of Davao City in 2010. It's now against Vice-Mayor Sara Duterte,
daughter of then-mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte who ran for vice-mayor. However, he
was once again unsuccessful. He filed an election protest against Duterte on the counts of fraud.
House Speaker[edit]
In early 2008, several members of Congress dissatisfied with the leadership of House Speaker Jose
de Venecia expressed support for Nograles as the new Speaker.[3] Shortly after midnight, February 5,
2008, the House of Representatives approved a motion to declare the position of House Speaker as
vacant.[5] Several minutes later, de Venecia nominated Nograles to be his replacement. Nograles
was immediately elected as Speaker after no other representative was nominated to the post and no
objection was posed to his election.[1]
Pantaleon Alvarez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This name uses Philippine naming customs. The middle name or maternal family name is Diaz and
the surname or paternal family name is Alvarez.
Pantaleon "Bebot" Diaz Alvarez (born January 10, 1958)[1] is the current Speaker of the House of
Representatives of the Philippines and represents the 1st District ofDavao del Norte, the Philippines.
[2]
Contents
[hide]
Career[edit]
Alvarez was in private law practice from 1984 to 1986. From 1987 to 1992, he was a member of the
staff of Philippine Senator Wigberto Tañada. He then became an action officer at the Manila
International Airport Authority (MIAA). From action officer, he rose through the ranks, becoming
senior assistant manager and chief operating officer of MIAA in March 1995, a position he held until
September 1997.[1][3][4]
In 1998, he was elected congressman from Davao del Norte's First District. He served as vice-
chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Communication and was a member of nine
other congressional committees.
In January 2001, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed him acting Secretary of
Transportation and Communications, where he served until July 2002.[1][3][4]Among Alvarez's
achievements were the adoption of the light railway expansion program, improvement of
the Philippine National Railway, and computerization of the department and attached agencies.[5] He
also spearheaded the slogan "OKS na OKS sa DOTC" which means "Organisado, Kalinisan at
Seguridad".[6]
In 2005, Alvarez along with four other former DOTC officials where charged with graft before
the Sandiganbayan in connection with the construction of NAIA Terminal 3. In 2010, the charges
were dismissed by the Sandiganbayan Special Second Division due to lack of evidence.[1][7][4][8]
Issues[edit]
Alvarez was an advocate for the secession of all of Mindanao from the Philippines.[9][10][11][12]
Incoming Speaker bares
legislative agenda
THE 17TH Congress will spend its maiden year pushing three ambitious items on the
incoming Duterte administration’s agenda: the switch to a federal government,
restoration of the death penalty and lowering of the age of criminal liability, according
to the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
At the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum on Tuesday, the returning Davao del Norte
representative spoke of the priority measures that would occupy the legislature in the
next three years.
The first item—shift to federalism—will necessitate not only constitutional
amendments but a “revision” of the 1987 Constitution, with President-elect Rodrigo
Duterte expressing a preference for a constitutional convention that will amend it, said
Alvarez, a close friend handpicked by Duterte to lead the House.
“A constitutional convention (Con-con) would be very expensive and very long. A
constituent assembly (Con-ass) would be easier and less expensive. But I guess the
President wants a constitutional convention so people don’t say it’s self-serving,” he
said.
A Con-con would require an election of the convention delegates, while a Con-ass
would only involve the bicameral Congress convening itself and proposing
amendments to the Charter.
The third method—a people’s initiative—will only apply to amendments to individual
provisions, Alvarez said.
“But still, we need to look at the consensus in Congress, on what mode they will
prefer,” he said.
The plan is to hold the election of delegates simultaneously with the barangay
elections in October.
“Maybe we can slightly delay the barangay election so we can include the election of
the delegates to save money for the government,” Alvarez said.
For almost two hours, he fielded questions on his legislative agenda, his leadership
style, his friendship with Duterte, his hopes for Congress.
Speaking in a relaxed mix of English and Filipino, Alvarez showed a penchant for
pithy one-liners and was prepared with anecdotes.
“Those of us in the majority, we believe in the programs of the present administration.
Whatever those programs are, we will support them. Let’s give the President the
chance to succeed. He wants to change the nation. That’s not easy to do. He needs the
support of Congress, of the people,” he said.
A federal system, he said, would open a lot of economic opportunities for local
governments.
“We have been through [a unitary form of government] since we started, until now,
we’re still in dire straits. Maybe it’s now time to consider another form of
government,” he said.
All up for revision
“Under a federal setup, there will be a lot of opportunities in provinces and regions.
They will be empowered to control their own economy and natural resources. They
will have the chance to chart their own destinies,” he added.
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/790727/incoming-speaker-bares-legislative-
agenda#ixzz4LMGX77kx
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
With her husband Mike, she visited the VMMC — where she was detained
for four years— to donate two dialysis machines, two beds, and an air
conditioning unit.
CGMA arrives in VMMC. She's in a good mood. She smiled and greeted the
media upon arrival. | @Joyceilas pic.twitter.com/2jBcIHtXwT
Arroyo looked physically stronger, but according to her, she still has to
undergo treatment for cervical spondylosis twice a week.
She also plans to get stem cell treatment in Germany, that's why she is
asking permission from the Sandiganbayan to let her travel abroad —
just three weeks after being released from detention.
In the motion for leave she filed before the anti-graft court, Arroyo said
she also wanted to visit France and Hong Kong.
Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo is asking the Sandiganbayan to allow her to travel
abroad |@AC_Nicholls pic.twitter.com/1KNDgUV5pP
The Supreme Court had dismissed Arroyo's plunder case for the alleged
misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds when she was
President.
Her husband Mike, who is facing the same graft charges, is also asking
the court for permission to travel abroad so he could accompany his
wife.
The six witnesses include NBP inmates Jaime Patcho, Rodolfo Magleo,
Noel Martinez, and convicted drug dealer Herbert Colanggo; former NBI
agent Jovencio Ablen, and former Bureau of Corrections official Rafael
Ragos – who, according to Aguirre, are both in the custody of National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
This put the hearing in a deadlock, since DOJ's witnesses were not
allowed to testify early on.
Aguirre pointed out, these witnesses may shed light on how the drug
trade in the Bilibid is carried out. He said DOJ did not promise anything
to the witnesses, neither did the witnesses ask anything from the DOJ.
"I agree that it's very reasonable. They agree that the drug trade in the
Bilibid should stop. And so I believe, that whatever they tell here, I
believe that they should be given immunity," Aguirre said.
"Whatever they will testify, we led them to believe, that whatever they
testify here, that could not be used against them."
Alvarez approved the request, admitting the witnesses into the witness
protection program, and granting them immunity from all and any
criminal prosecutions for the offense or offenses in which their
testimonies will be used – provided, according to Fariñas, that the
witnesses "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
"In the villa of Peter Co, authorities have also seized documents
containing a list of names with corresponding cash amounts and dates
involving drug transactions. Meanwhile, in another kubol occupied by
robbery gang leader Herbert Colangco, Police found a music studio,
where he was reportedly able to produce a music video that went viral
on youtube," he added.
Oaminal said despite these raids, illegal drug trade in NBP not only
continued, "but actually thrives."
Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, who authored the House resolution 105,
or the "Resolution calling for an investigation in aid of legislation on the
proliferation of drug syndicates at the National Bilibid Prison," said there
is a direct correlation between the rise in drug cases and criminality.
De Lima, a no show
Former Justice Secretary, now Sen. Leila De Lima, was true to her word
that she would not show up or would even send an observer or
representative in the House probe.
Umali said the House Justice Committee's investigation is not a
"kangaroo probe," nor is conducted to persecute her publicly – as what
the Senator earlier claimed.
"The office of [Senator] De Lima received the invitation coming from this
committee by Ms. Laika Marcelo," Abu said. He stressed that invite
specifically stated that the probe aims "to shed light on the matter and to
assist the committee on its inquiry."