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By Daxim L. Lucas, Senior Reporter
OVER 100 years ago, Jose Rizal observed, “Tal
pueblo, tal gobierno [As the people are, so their government is].”
While this adage is applicable worldwide, both
local and foreign observers agree it has a special ring to it when
used in the Philippine context. It is as if the national hero’s
syntactically neutral statement suddenly becomes adorned with
sarcasm, even taking on the characteristics of a curse, when used to
describe the local situation—especially during election time.
Even a cursory glance at the curricula vitae of
the people aspiring to be the nation’s leaders for the next six
years will prove this to be true.
The presidential, vice-presidential and
senatorial candidates chasing victory in the May election roughly
represent the dynamics of Philippine society as it is at present.
More ominously, a closer scrutiny of the
qualifications and track records of the people aspiring to be the
country’s next set of leaders will show that they carry enough
fodder for “I-told-you-so” naysayers and political commentators
in the postelection period. This early, people have already
fine-tuned their doomsday scenarios which seem especially
pessimistic, even by the standards of the normally pessimistic and
blasé Philippine society.
Tal tal tal gobierno, indeed.
At present the Philippines is in a historically
unique situation in that it is the only time a post-Marcos era
sitting president will be allowed to seek a fresh mandate from the
people (barring another EDSA 2-type uprising, that is).
As early as the day Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took
office, the 2004 elections have already been on the minds of people,
from the most senior policymakers in the administration and the
opposition to the lowliest Juan dela Cruz.
Thus, one can safely say that the campaign
period for the May polls started in Jan. 20, 2001.
Because of this bizarre fixation on the
elections, some of the most vital reform measures promised by the
new administration were waylaid in the legislative mill or fell by
the wayside because of the energies rechanneled toward securing a
fresh mandate. The public, too, was fixated on the elections, as
evidenced by the amount of print space and air time the media has
given it since then. The result was a stagnant society that trundled
along on a general wait-and-see attitude. What little was achieved
in the last three years came only out of sheer habit or inertia.
This brings to mind another adage common used
nowadays: The people get the government they deserve.
Rich versus poor
More importantly, however, the May elections is
set to thrust on center stage once more the deep divide between the
elite at the pinnacle of Philippine society and the sweltering
masses that form its base.
While the ruling administration is eager to draw
attention away from the ever widening rich-poor chasm, the
opposition’s strategists will likely try to stoke the flames of
discontent among the millions of impoverished once more in an
attempt to transfer the people’s loyalty from former President
Estrada to his anointed one, Fernando Poe Jr.
The situation brings to the fore another old
adage used to boost arguments for the democratic system by invoking
the heavens: Vox populi, vox dei (the voice of the people is the
voice of God).
Granted that this is true, one has to ask, which
“voice of the people” should the nation heed as the divine voice
given the multitude of competing, often conflicting voices, that can
be heard in Philippine society?
Nowadays, one does not have to try very hard to
elicit virulent reactions from the people about the way the ruling
elite has run Philippine society.
In fact, many have argued that the landslide
victory of Estrada in 1998 was the masses’ way of spiting the
ruling class which has achieved little to improve the lives of the
poor in the last 100 years or so, despite having been entrusted –
by default – with the task of leading the nation out of poverty.
Therefore, given the way the elections are
shaping out, we will likely see an election campaign divided among
societal and economic lines. It will again be the rich versus the
poor.
Only this time, the lower classes of society
have awakened to the political power at their power. Ever since
Estrada’s victory in 1998, the poor have realized that they can
actually take charge of not only their destiny, but that of the
entire nation as well.
It is their way of paying back the elite for the
hundreds of years of suffering at their hands.
So should we listen to the voice of the ruling
elite who claim to know what’s best fort the country because they
are better educated and better skilled? This seems to be the
argument of some people behind EDSA 2 who decided to retake the
reins of government after briefly giving the masses a chance to
govern the nation via the disastrous experiment that was President
Estrada.
Or should we listen to the masses who claim that
their voice is God’s will due to sheer weight of their numbers? In
a sense, the democratic system can easily work in their favor if
they can successfully rally their millions to a united front the way
they did when they voted Estrada into power in 1998 or when they
stormed Malacañang in May 2001.
Whose voice? Which people? The situation is a
moral dilemma whose answer continues to elude the best minds.
Personalities versus performance
While Philippine elections have often been
described as a farce because of the undue weight given by the
electorate on personalities over the candidates’ stands on issues
of the day, this is also true in other countries (although perhaps
to a lesser degree than what is experienced locally).
In fact, one can make a strong argument that the
politics of popularity is more the rule than the exception
throughout the world, the notable exception being the rich economies
of Western Europe and the United States.
That personalities are more important in the
Philippines is being affirmed once more in this year’s polls, with
even President Arroyo - who once touted herself as a reformist
president - capitulating to the inevitable.
Of course, most everyone else in the race has
taken the same route, with the notable exception of Sen. Panfilo
Lacson whose firm, issue-based political campaign has unfortunately
won him precious few allies.
Because of this absurd situation, one can
already see a certain homogeneity in the governance platforms of the
candidates across the board.
Indeed, based on issues alone, it is difficult
to distinguish one governance platform from the other. They all want
to fight corruption, they all want to restore law and order, they
all want to revive the stagnant economy, and so on and so forth.
This only serves to propagate the
personality-based voting that the country has become famous for. The
few people who want to vote based on issues - finding little
differences in the platforms of the different candidates and made
blasé by the years and years of unfulfilled promises - have no
choice but to revert to voting for the most popular or the most
handsome or the most charismatic.
The tale of the tape
Despite this obvious reality, looking at the
backgrounds and track records of the individual candidates is still
a useful exercise in the country’s elusive quest to elect its
long-awaited political messiah.
The lives of the candidates as evidenced by
their curricula vitae are firm indications of what their priorities
will be once elected into office.
Thus, one can expect President Arroyo to retain
her focus on economic growth or Sen. Lacson to give emphasis on
fighting crime, for example, if they get the nation’s top job,
although their skills don’t preclude them from learning and
adopting other priorities.
The more the electorate knows about a certain
candidate, the less risk there is of ugly surprises down the road,
or so the theory goes.
As a final warning, however, be warned: The
apple does not fall far from the tree.
The Presidentiables
PRESIDENT ARROYO
Banking on “experience and integrity”
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became
president in January 2001 following the successful People Power 2
Revolution that deposed her predecessor, Joseph Estrada. Arroyo will
run for president under the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa
Kinabukasan or K-4.
She was elected vice president in 1998 with the
largest electoral margin in Philippine history, with a vote of more
than seven million.
As vice president, she was given the portfolio
of Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, a post which she
held until October 2000.
She was first elected as senator in 1992 and
reelected in 1995. She also topped the elections with a record
number of votes (16 million). Her legislative efforts as senator
were focused on building the economy.
During her two terms, she filed 472 bills and
resolution, 54 of which were enacted into law. Among these laws are
Tax Exemption for the 13th Month Pay, Export Development Act, Loans
for Women Micro Enterprises, Build-Operate-Transfer Law, Bank Entry
Liberalization Law, Thrift Banks Act, Anti-Sexual Harassment Law,
Crop Insurance Law, Indigenous People’s Rights Law, Poverty
Alleviation Law, New Rent Control Law and the Magna Carta for
Scientists, Engineers, Researchers and other Science and Technology
Personnel in Government.
During the Aquino administration, Arroyo was
Assistant Trade Secretary. She was also appointed Executive Director
of the Garment and Textile Board. She was later named Trade
Undersecretary and Governor of the Board of Investments.
She obtained a Bachelor of Arts and Economics
degree, magna cum laude, from the Assumption College (1968). She was
a consistent Dean’s Lister during her studies in International
Trade at the Georgetown University in Washington D.C. She later
earned a Masters degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila
University (1978) and a Doctorate in Economics from the University
of the Philippines (1985).
Macapagal-Arroyo is a recipient of the
Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship (1978-1983), the Japan Foundation
Grant (1976-1977) and the UPSE Fellowship (1970-1971).
She was also chairman and president of the UP
Health Maintenance Organization (1989-1998); executive director of
the Philippine Center for Economic Development (1994-1998); and
chairman of the UP Economic Foundation (1994-1998).
From 1994-1998, she was member of the
Presidential Task Force on Tax and Tariff Reforms. She was also a
member of the Technical Working Group of the Philippine National
Development Plan for the 21st Century (Committee on National
Framework for Regional Development and Macroeconomics Framework for
Development Financing.)
In the academe, Macapagal-Arroyo was chair of
the Assumption College Economics Department (1984-1987), assistant
professor at the Ateneo de Manila University and professor at the UP
School of Economics (1977-1987). She was also a professor at the
Maryknoll College and St. Scholastica’s College.
She received the following citations: “Most
Outstanding Senator” from the Trade Union Congress of the
Philippines, “One of Asia’s Most Powerful Women” of the
Asiaweek Magazine and “Woman of the Year” of the Catholic
Educators Association of the Philippines.
She is the daughter of the late President
Diosdado Macapagal and Dr. Evangeline Macaraeg. She is married to
Jose Miguel T. Arroyo. They have three children, Juan Miguel,
Evangelina Lourdes and Diosdado Ignacio.
FERNANDO POE JR.
From reel to real
FERNANDO Poe Jr., the presidential candidate of
the “Angara-faction” of the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang
Pilipino, was born Ronald Allan Kelly Poe in Manila on Aug.20, 1939
to Elizabeth Kelley and actor producer Fernando Poe Sr. His brother
Andy is also an actor. He is married to actress Susan Roces (Jesusa
Sonora). They have a daughter, Mary Grace. He quit high school to
work as a messenger in a film exchange office.
Poe began his career in the movies as a stuntman
for Everlasting Pictures. He was actor Lilia Dizon’s double in
Sonaron (Unfamed) in 1955. In his first acting role in Anak ni
Palaris (Son of Palaris) in 1950, Poe shared top billing with
Rosita Noble and Mario Escudero. Director Mario Barri gave him his
screen name, after his father who had earlier played the title role
in Palaris in 1946. But Poe’s biggest break was in Lo Waist Gang
in 1956. It marked the local cinema’s shift from the fantasy world
of costume productions to the trendy realism of action movies. His
first solo movie was Tough Guy (1956). He was then signed up by
Premiere Productions as a contract actor. Poe proved his boxe office
appeal in Kamay ni Cain (Hand of Cain, 1957) where he received a
Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Science (Famas) nomination. When
Hollywood Far East Productions opened, Poe was offered to do Markado
(Branded), 1959, and upon his demand, he was paid a much higher
talent fee than he used to get. He invested his savings in his own
company, the FPJ Productions and D’tanor productions.
Other movies where Poe played lead roles were
Apollo Robles, 1961; Sandata at Pangako (Weapon and Promises), 1961;
Ako ang Katarungan (I am Justice) 1962; Santo-Domingo (Saint
Domingo), 1972; Ang Alamat (The Legend), 1972; Perlas ng Silangan
(Pearl of the Orient) 1973; Sanctuario (Sanctuary), 1974; Patayin si
Mediavitto (Kill Mediavitto), 1978; and Lihim ng Guadalupe (Secret
of Guadalupe) 1979.
Under the name Ronwaldo Reyes, Poe has directed
many of the FPJ films that he himself has acted in like Alupihang
Dagat (Sea Centipede), 1975 ; Kin,g 1978; Tatak ng Tondo (Mark of
Tondo), 1978; Ang Padreno (The Godfather). 1984; and Panday
(Blacksmith) I, II, III and IV. Awarded by the Famas were Panday II
(1984) for best special visual effects; Poe received nominations for
best director from the Film Academy of the Philippines for Panday
III and Padreno. In most of those movies, he played a hero who
is peace loving; until he is pushed against the wall by all sorts of
kontrabid, and magnificently rises in defense of the poor and the
oppressed.
RAUL ROCO
Counting on the youth
Raul S. Roco was born Oct. 26, 1941 in Naga
City, Camarines Sur to farmer Sulpicio Azuela Roco and public
schoolteacher Rosario Orlanda Sagarbarria. He will run for president
under Aksyon Demokratiko.
He finished elementary and high school at the
Ateneo de Naga. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English,
magna cum laude, at San Beda College in Manila.
Roco received his Bachelor of Laws as Abbott
Awardee for Over-All Excellence at San Beda College.
He took his Master of Comparative Law as a
University Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Roco formed the Aksyon Demokratiko political
party for his presidential bid. He is married to Sonia Cubillo
Malasarte, who was named most outstanding student of the Philippines
in 1964. They have six children — Rabble Pierre, Raul Jr., Sophia,
Sareena, Rex and Synara—and four grandchildren.
Life in public service
Roco was the president of the National Union of
Students of the Philippines in 1961 and was one of the Ten
Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 1964.
He was a delegate to the Constitutional
Convention of 1971 and was president of the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines from 1983 to 1985.
As a member of the legal staff of the late Sen.
Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, he drafted the Study Now, Pay Later Law.
Taking time off from his legal work, he was
executive producer of the late great film director Lino Brocka’s
movie Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, which won six Famas Awards
including best film in 1974.
The Ford Foundation and the University of the
Philippines Institute of Strategic and Development Studies adjudged
him first in overall performance among legislators of the Eighth
Congress from 1987 to 1992. He was also consistently cited top
senator during his term in the Senate from 1992 to 2000.
As a senator, Roco authored the law that
reformed the central banking system. The achievement earned him the
title “Father of the Bangko Sentral.”
Roco helped fund the teachers’ cooperatives as
well as initiated the increment mandated by the Magna Carta for
Public School Teachers for retiring public school teachers.
As a senator, Roco also authored the Women in
Nation Building Law, the Nursing Act, the Anti-Sexual Harassment
Law, the Anti-Rape Law and the Child and Family Courts Act.
He led efforts that resulted in the abolition of
double taxation for overseas workers.
Roco’s vision for education is “Bawat
graduate bayani at marangal” or “Each graduate is a hero and a
person of dignity.” As Secretary of Education, Roco implemented,
for the first time in Philippine educational history, free public
primary and high school education.
He also implemented an education curriculum
reform, which focused on reading, writing, arithmetic, science and
Makabayan subjects.
When Roco took over as education secretary in
January 2001, the Asia Foundation-Social Weather Stations Survey of
Enterprises on Public Sector Corruption ranked his department the
fourth most corrupt government agency.
Roco quickly imposed a department-wide
transparency policy, including the purchase of textbooks, one of the
biggest sources of corruption in the DepEd.
As a result, in only eight months, the same
survey group ranked the Department of Education the most trusted
agency of the government. It was given a 73 percent approval rating
by the public.
SEN. PANFILO LACSON
Law and order count
SEN. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson hopes to put
his crime-fighting crusade to greater heights by aspiring for the
presidency. Born on June 1, 1948 in Imus, Cavite, Lacson joined the
Philippine Military Academy in 1967 and graduated in 1971. His
decision to run for president was contested by the “Angara
faction” of the opposition Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, which
chose actor Fernando Poe Jr. as its official candidate.
Lacson had his primary education at the Bayang
Loma Elementary School. He finished high school at the Imus
Institute. He earned a Masters degree in Government Management at
the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
Before he became a senator, Lacson was the
country’s police chief under the administration of deposed
president Joseph Estrada.
He was also the chief of the defunct
Presidential Anti-organized Crime Task Force June until January
2001. Lacson was a member of the Metrocom Intelligence and Security
Group from 1971 to 1986.
As the country’s top police officer, Lacson
said he was responsible for renewing the high level of trust and
confidence for the man in uniform.
He listed the following as some of his
achievements as police chief:
·Ordered the “15-85” distribution of PNP
resources, meaning 15 percent left for headquarters and 85 percent
down the line to the men in the field;
·Imposed the “No Take” policy among police
officers and waged a determined war against “kotong” or mulcting
policemen.
·Initiated closer coordination with other law
enforcement agencies, in the Philippines and abroad, in the fight
against criminality thereby winning the confidence of businessmen
and foreign investors;
·Innovated the two-pronged approach in the
fight against narcotics trafficking through supply constriction and
demand reduction;
·Ordered the return of recovered stolen
vehicles to their rightful owners;
·Reduced the incidence of petty crimes through
the establishment of more police centers and the deployment of
patrols from the Philippine Marines.
Lacson lives in BF Homes, Parañaque City with
wife Alice de Perio Lacson and children, Ronald Jay P. Lacson,
Panlilio P. Lacson Jr. and Jeric F. Lacson.
Bro. EDDIE VILLANUEVA
Moral rebirth the country’s hope
Brother Eduardo “Eddie” Villanueva, founder
of Jesus is Lord Movement, was born in Bocaue, Bulacan, on Oct. 6,
1946. He intends to run for president as an independent candidate.
In 1969, he graduated with a degree in Commerce,
majoring in Economics, from the Philippine College of Commerce (PCC),
which has since been renamed as the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines. He took up law at the University of the Philippines but
“was sidelined by activism and never had time to take the bar
(examination).”
He worked as a full-time faculty member in the
Economics and Finance Department of PCC until 1972. He then worked
as the export manager of the Maran Export Industries in 1973 and
from 1976 to 1977, he was the general manager of the Agape
Trading Co. He returned to PUP in 1978 as a part-time professor.
In 1978, he founded the Jesus is Lord
fellowship, which started with just eight members. Bro. Eddie claims
that JIL now has some seven million members.
Bro. Eddie received the Gintong Ama (Golden
Father) award for Socio-Civic/ Religious Sector from the Golden
Mother and Father Foundation in June 1996. He was also voted
as the Pastor of the Year in a 1998 worldwide search conducted by
Dr. George Otis’ High Adventure Ministries. Ministries broadcasts
the Voice of Hope Program in 72 countries.
Villanueva has also been ordained Minister of
the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in 1979 by the California-based
Victory in Christ Church and International Ministries. He has also
been conferred the Office of Episcopacy by the Sectarian Body of
Christ in the Philippines in April 1996.
In February 2001, Bro.Eddie received the
EDSA People Power Freedom Award for ZOE TV 11 for its fair coverage
of the People Power II movement.
He founded, owns ZOE Broadcasting Network Inc.
and operates Channel 11.
Bro. Eddie hosts three ZOE programs, Diyos at
Bayan, PJM ( Philippine for Jesus Movement) Forum and Jesus The
Healer.
Candidates for vice-president
Noli “Kabayan” de Castro
Celebrity appeal
SEN. Noli “Kabayan” de Castro is the
official vice presidential candidate of the ruling Koalisyon ng
Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan. He was born on July 6, 1949
in Pola, Oriental Mindoro. He is married to Arlene S. de Castro.
They have three children.
De Castro earned a bachelor of commerce degree,
majoring in banking and finance at the University of the East. He
finished elementary and high school at the Pola Central School and
Pola Catholic High School.
De Castro is popularly known for his TV and
radio program, Magandang Gabi Bayan, which he has been hosting since
1988. He was an anchorman for TV Patrol for many years. He started
his broadcasting career in 1976 as a field reporter for then popular
radio host Johnny de Leon.
As a broadcaster, de Castro was the recipient of
many awards including the Catholic Mass Media Awards and the KBP
Golden Dove Award.
He also received citations from the Crusade
Against Violence, Philippine National Police, the Boy Scouts of the
Philippines, and the Rotary Club of Manila, among others.
Loren Legarda
Women’s rights
Sen. Loren Legarda was elected to the Philippine
Senate in 1998, topping the winners’ list with an overwhelming
more than 15 million votes, to become the youngest woman senator
ever elected. She also became the first woman ever elected as Senate
Majority Leader in the history of Philippine Congress at the start
of the 12th Congress.
As a legislator, Legarda devoted herself to some
of the most critical issues and concerns confronting Philippine
society. She encapsulated the concerns in the acronym LOREN—Law
and Order; Rights of Women, youth and children; Education,
environment and employment; and Nationalism.
She now chairs the Committee on Rules and is a
member of the Commission on Appointments.
She is a co-author of recently enacted laws such
as the National Service Training Program (R.A. 9163), Film
Development Council (R.A. 9167), Amendments to the Balikbayan
Program (R.A. 9174), Declaring Eidul Fitr as a national holiday (R.A.
9177), Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act (R.A. 9178), Special
Purpose Vehicle Act (R.A. 9182), Government Procurement Reform Act (R.A.
9184), Absentee Voting (PA 91.89), and several other acts.
The 11th Congress was likewise marked with
Legarda’s active participation in the enactment of significant
legislations such as the Philippine Clean Air Act (R.A. 8479),
Public Employment Service Office (R.A. 8759), and the Integrated
Solid Waste Management Act (R.A. 9003), which she principally
authored and sponsored.
In 1999, Legarda was the only woman member of
the “Magnificent Five” that voted against the controversial
RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), despite tremendous public
pressure for its ratification.
Her Senate performance is reflected in public
opinion surveys, consistently spearheading fellow senators in the
accomplishment department in periodic polls conducted by the
Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia.
In the Pulse Asia survey showing the net
approval ratings of senators during the impeachment trial of
the former president, Joseph Estrada, Legarda emerged with the
highest ratings, and was thus considered one of the most credible
and trusted senators by the public.
Because of her deep concern for human rights,
Legarda played a crucial role in the expeditious release of five
military and police officers and personnel held captive by the
CPP-NPA-NDF in April 1999. In April 2001, Legarda again championed
human rights by leading the Humanitarian and Peace Mission in the
safe and successful return of Army Major Noel Buan to his family
after being held hostage for almost two years. The senator was
likewise instrumental in the release of her fellow broadcast
journalist, Arlyn de la Cruz, who was held captive by a rebel group
in Jolo, Sulu.
As an environmentalist Sen. Legarda’s tree
growing program, Luntiang Pilipinas, is being carried out by local
government units, partner corporations and nongovernment
organizations in various areas of the country.
In recognition of her many contributions and
achievements for the protection and preservation of the environment,
the United Nations Environmental Program (unep) elected her into its
prestigious Global 500 Roll of Honor for the year 2001. As a new
laureate, she is now a part of a global network of allies assisting
the unep in its responsibilities for the care of our planet. Other
past laureates included heavyweight actor and director Sir David
Attenborough, former Norway Prime Minister Go Harlem Brundtland,
1995 Nobel Peace Prize winner Paul Crutzen, and Indian
environmentalist Anti Aggarwal.
To help upgrade education in rural areas,
Legarda organized the “Libro ni Loren Foundation,” which seeks
to provide books for schools in far-flung regions. The foundation
also extends a scholarship program primarily for victims of child
labor in the gold mining communities of Camarines Norte.
On June 9, 1999, she launched a livelihood
program called LOREN, or Livelihood Opportunities to Raise
Employment Nationwide. The program aims to provide skills and
entrepreneurial training, job placement and small-scale financial
assistance to unemployed and disadvantaged people. Under the
program, more than 400 out-of school youths were granted
scholarships, in coordination with the Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority.
Earlier this year, Legarda also launched a
livelihood training program for military dependents under LOREN4
MilDeps.
Legarda brought to the Senate a long and
distinguished career in broadcast journalism. For two decades, she
devoted herself to featuring critically-acclaimed television
programs such as PEP Talk, The Inside Story, The World Tonight and
Earthlink. Her PEP Talk received an award from the Catholic Mass
Media Hall of Fame.
For her efforts as a journalist, legislator,
civic-minded citizen, and advocate of family interests, the senator
has received more than 30 awards and citations. The Philippine
Jaycees honored her with the prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men
award In 1992. She was also awarded the Benigno Aquino Fellowship in
1995. The following year, she received the Ten Outstanding Women in
the Nation’s Service Award. In the same year, she was named
Broadcaster of the Year, an award bestowed on her by her peers in
the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas. In recent years, she
was a recipient of the Gintong Ina and Ina ng Bayan Outstanding
Mother Achiever Awards.
While working as a broadcast journalist, Legarda
obtained a master’s degree in National Security Administration
from the National Defense College of the Philippines, from which she
emerged as the topnotcher although the youngest in her class (NDCP
awarded her gold medals for Academic Excellence and Best Thesis).
For completing the NDCP course with honors, she was commissioned as
a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve Corps.
In 2000, the World Economic Forum that holds
annual meetings in Davos, Switzerland, elected Sen. Legarda as one
of the Global Leaders for Tomorrow (GLTs). Every year since its
inception in 1992, the WEF chooses 100 outstanding young leaders in
various fields including business, politics, public interest groups,
the media, and in arts and sciences, which includes Microsoft
founder Bill Gates.
Sen. Legarda was born in January 28, 1960, in
Manila. She is the daughter of Antonio Cabrera Legarda of San Pablo,
Laguna, and and the late Bessie Gella Bautista of Antique and
Malabon. She is the granddaughter of one of the pillars of
Philippine journalism, the late Jose P. Bautista, editor in chief of
the pre-martial law Manila Times.
She was a valedictorian in grade school at
Assumption Herran and graduated from high school at the Assumption
Convent In Makati City. She studied at the College of Mass
Communication, University of the Philippines, 1981 and graduated cum
laude. Legarda has participated in two art exhibits as a teenage
artist, and continues to do watercolor painting occasionally.
The senator is married to businessman J. Antonio
Leviste, former governor of Batangas province and currently a
governor of the Board of Investments. They have two children, Lanz
and Lean.
Herminio Aquino
Unexpected choice
VICE-presidential contender Herminio Aquino was
born on April 25, 1949, to Gen. Servillano Aquino and Belen
Sanchez (both deceased) in Tarlac.
He is married to Ma. Victoria R. Guanzon. Their
children are Servillano 2nd, Paolo Antonio, Ma. Theresa Belinda and
Ma. Camille Corazon.
Aquino is Raul Roco’s running mate under the
Aksyon Demokratiko.
Roco’s choice of Aquino as his vice president
was a surprise to many, although the uncle of the martyred Ninoy
Aquino is not a political greenhorn.
He was vice governor in the province of Tarlac
and presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan from
1998 to 2001.
He was a congressman representing the third
district of Tarlac from 1987 to 1998.
He was the founder and chairman of the Tarlac
Sports Development and was credited for authoring R.A. 7638,
creating the Department of Energy.
He has been chairman and president since 2001 of
Buenavista Management Corp.
Aquino had also served as chairman of the
Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
He earned his AB Economics degree (with honors)
at the Ateneo de Manila University, after which he took up a Masters
Degree in Business Management at the Asian Institute of Management.
As a lawmaker, Aquino chaired the special
committee on Mount Pinatubo and the Joint Congressional Oversight
committee on Mount Pinatubo.
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