Juan Ponse Enrile

Juan "Manong/Manong Johnny/Johnny" Ponce Enrile (born February 14, 1924) is a Filipino politician. As a protege of President Ferdinand Marcos, he served as Justice Secretary and then Defense Secretary under the Marcos regime; he later became one of the leaders (along with General Fidel V. Ramos) in the 1986 People Power Movement that drove Marcos from power. Enrile has continued to be a prominent politician since then; he has been President of the Senate of the Philippines since November 2008.

Early Life and Career

Juan Ponce Enrile was born as Juanito Furagganan in Gonzaga, Cagayan to Petra Furagganan, the daughter of a poor fisherman. He was born out of wedlock—his father was the already married powerful regional politician and renowned lawyer Alfonso Ponce Enrile. He was reunited with his father by the time he reached his high school years.  He graduated cum laude in 1949 with an Associate of Arts degree at the Ateneo de Manila University. Thereafter, he attended the University of the Philippines College of Law and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Laws degree. While in law school, he joined the Sigma Rho Fraternity. Upon graduation, he was elected to the prestigious Pi Gamma Mu and Phi Kappa Phi international honor societies. He achieved the 11th highest score with a 91.72% rating and a perfect score in Mercantile Law in the 1953 bar examinations. As a scholar at the Harvard Law School he earned a Master of Laws degree with specialized training in International Tax Law. He taught law at the Far Eastern University and practiced law in his father’s law firm before taking responsibility for then-senator Marcos’s personal legal affairs in 1964. After Marcos was elected president in 1965, Ponce Enrile became part of his inner circle. From 1966 to 1968, he was the Undersecretary and sometime Acting Secretary of the Department of Finance. He concurrently became acting Insurance Commissioner and Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs. From 1968 to 1970, he became Secretary of the Department of Justice.

Secretaty of Defense

In 1970, he was appointed Secretary of the Department of National Defense. He left his post in 1971 to run for a Senate seat. However, lost the race. Enrile was re-appointed as Defense Chief in 1972. One of Marcos' reasons for the declaration of martial law in 1972 was terrorism. He cited the alleged bombing attack of Secretary Ponce Enrile's car on September 21, 1972. In 1973, under the new modified parliamentary system then in place under the country's new Constitution, Ponce Enrile's title became Defense Minister. As Defense Minister, he presided over the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, making him one of the prime architects of Marcos' martial rule. As a requirement for his position as part of the cabinet under the parliamentary system, he ran and won as Assemblyman and represented Cagayan Valley for the Interim Batasang Pambansa in 1978.

After opposition leader Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was assassinated on August 21, 1983, Ponce Enrile knew that he had to breakaway. As the Marcos dictatorship became increasingly unpopular, he began aligning himself with dissident elements in the army, particularly the Reform the Armed Forces Movement - which was then headed by his Aide-de-camp, Lt. Col. Gregorio Honasan. Officers from this group, with Ponce Enrile' support, moved to launch a coup d’état against Marcos in February 1986. Marcos was alerted to the plot by then AFP Chief of Staff General Fabian Ver, and the conspirators took refuge in two military camps. From there, Ponce Enrile and Fidel Ramos, the head of the Philippine Constabulary (now the Philippine National Police), rallied opponents against Marcos in a citizen revolt that became known as the People Power Revolution. At the same time, Ponce Enrile revealed details of the public deception he had perpetuated while serving in Marcos’s government. This included being aware of fraudulent votes in the 1986 presidential election and faking an assassination attempt on his own life in 1972, which helped provide Marcos with the justification for declaring martial law. 

Juan Ponce Enrile thereafter emerged as one of the heroes of the People Power Movement, although the reasons for his involvement with the movement were highly disputed. In the post-martial law era, rumors and conjectures spread that Ramos and Ponce Enrile were among those involved with the assassination of Sen. Ninoy Aquino. It is alleged that in order not to be accused with the Marcoses, the two plotted a coup against the president.  He served as Secretary of National Defense under Corazon Aquino, who replaced Marcos as president, but Ponce Enrile increasingly differed with Aquino, specifically, on the administration's treatment of insurgent leftist opposition. As a result of their differences, he was forced to resign as Defense Secretary in November 1986.

Congressional Career - First Senate term

In May 1987 he won the election as one of two opposition members of the country’s 24-member Senate (the other was Joseph Estrada). In August 1987,a coup against Aquino escalated and led to the destruction of the Armed Forces General Headquarters (AFPGHQ) in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. He was detained in house-type quarters in Camp Aguinaldo over suspicion of planning the coup with Lt. Col. Gregorio Honasan. He was released days after for lack of evidence.

Member of the House of Representatives

In 1992, before his term in the Senate ended, Ponce Enrile predicted that he might lose the senatorial election or win but only serve three years in office. Under the transitory provisions of the 1987 Constitution, the first 12 candidates who receive the highest votes win a 6 year term, the next 12 would only serve 3 years. He ran instead as congressman. He was elected and represented the First District of Cagayan.

Second to fourth senate terms

In 1995, he threw his hat in the senatorial race as an independent candidate for senator and was also a guest candidate under the Lakas-Laban coalition. He won as senator and held the position until 2001. During his term as senator, he ran as an independent candidate in the 1998 election for the position of President. He lost however to then Vice President Joseph Estrada. On January 13, 2001 he was one of those who voted against the opening of the second bank envelope. That vote led to the second EDSA People Power Revolution that eventually ousted President Joseph Estrada. In May 2001, he was indicted by the military for the investigation of the unsuccessful siege of the Malacañang Palace by pro-Estrada forces. He was released a day after. He ran for reelection as part of the Puwersa ng Masa coalition. Due to the issues that haunted him during the failed siege, he lost the election. In the 2004 election, he made a comeback bid for the Senate under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP). He actively opposed the imposition of the Purchased Power Adjustment (PPA) on the consumer's electric bills. Due to his exposé on the PPA and the Supreme Court decision in favour of a refund on electric bills, the public responded positively and he won the election. He became one of the senators who won the position in three non-consecutive terms.

He is affiliated with the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP). Technically he belongs to an opposition party, but at the Senate, he stands as independent and is part of the administration bloc. The minority bloc includes all of his party mates. Senate President Manuel Villar resigned due to lack of support in the Senate on November 17, 2008, and Enrile succeeded him on the same day. Enrile was nominated as President of the Senate by Panfilo Lacson; 14 senators supported the nomination and five of them abstained. Enrile was re-elected into a fourth term in the 2010 Senate election. On July 26, 2010, he was re-elected as President of the Senate.

Senate Presidency - Election

Backed by the support and trust of his peers in the chamber, Senator Enrile became the Senate President, replacing Senator Manuel Villar, Jr. on 17 November 2008. Enrile accepted the position, saying that “To lead the Senate with its great minds, strong advocacies, varying and independent political beliefs and leanings, is not an easy task. But it is precisely this variance in points of view and the battle of great ideas that provide the dynamism we need to craft legislation that takes into account and balances the competing interests involved – with the end in view of serving the greater good of the people to whom we owe our mandate.”

Legislation

Under his leadership, the Senate passed vital pieces of legislation such as the CARP Extension, Anti-Torture Act, Expanded Senior Citizens Act, Anti-Child Pornography Act, National Heritage Conservation Act, Real Estate Investment Act, among many others. Institutional reforms were also implemented within the Senate to improve the daily conduct of business by the institution, as well as improve the welfare of its officers and employees.

Maguindanao Martial law

Also under him, the Senate also collaborated with the House of Representatives on two crucial issues which are now considered historical milestones. First was in December 2009 to take up Proclamation No. 1959 of the previous administration, declaring a state of martial law and suspending the writ of habeas corpus in the province of Maguindanao, while the second occasion was in May 2010, when Congress convened to constitute itself as the national canvassing board to canvass the votes for president and vice president, and thereafter proclaim the winners.

Re-election as Senate President

Now on his fourth term in the Senate and after re-elected as its leader, Senate President Enrile's commitment is to “discharge my duties and responsibilities with honor, with total devotion to our institution, and with fairness to all members. No partisan consideration will blur or color the treatment of any member of the Senate. We are all Senators elected by the people to serve them with dedication to their interest and well-being and devotion to our responsibilities.” Furthermore, in his acceptance speech, he enjoined his colleagues to “uphold the independence and integrity of this Senate, without abandoning our duty to cooperate with the other departments of the government to achieve what is good for our people.”

Personal Iife

Manong Johnny, as he is often called, ("Manong" is an Ilocano affectionate term for an Older Brother) is married to Cristina Castañer, a blond Filipina of Spanish ancestry who in 2008 was named Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See. They have two children: Juan, Jr. and Katrina. Juan Ponce Enrile, Jr. is currently a congressman representing the 1st District of Cagayan. Katrina Ponce Enrile is the current CEO of Jaka Group, Ponce Enrile's company. The Jaka Group owns the Philippine Match Company, the Philippines' leading match maker. Arturo Ponce Enrile (1940–1998), a cousin, was a former Secretary of Department of Transportation and Communications and a former general. He was married to Mara Enrile. Olivia Ponce Enrile-Tirona, is a jazz singer and daughter of Brenda Ponce Enrile Tirona.

Views regarding those convicted on the Aquino assassination

On August 21, 2007, (Aquino’s 24th death anniversary), Juan Ponce Enrile stated that the case of the 14 soldiers incarcerated for 24 years now, due to the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr.should be reviewed for clemency. Ponce Enrile paid for the legal services of the soldiers during their trial, and said the soldiers and their family have suffered enough. Fifteen (15) soldiers of the Aviation Security Command were sentenced to double life imprisonment for the double murder of Aquino and his alleged lone communist gunman, Rolando Galman, and one of them has since died. They were all acquitted on December 1985, by the Sandiganbayan' Manuel Pamaran, but when the entire proceedings of that case were invalidated by the Supreme Court and the case brought again to trial, the Sandiganbayan's Regino C. Hermosisima, Jr., (promoted to Supreme Court Justice and incumbent 3 termer Judicial and Bar Council regular member) convicted them on September 28, 1990.

Source: wikipedia

Manny Villar

Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. (born December 13, 1949) is a Filipino businessman and politician. He is currently a Philippine Senator, president of the Nacionalista Party. Villar was born to a poor family in Tondo, an impoverished and densely populated district of Manila. After graduating from the University of the Philippines, he worked as an accountant and financial analyst, then launched a highly successful business in real estate. The number of homes built by Villar's companies has totaled to over 200,000 units, and his business career made him one of the country's wealthiest persons. Villar entered politics in 1992 when he was elected Congressman representing the district of Las Piñas-Muntinlupa, and later became Speaker of the House of Representatives. As Speaker, he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada by the House of Representatives in 2000. In 2001 he was elected Senator, and served as Senate President from 2006 to 2008. He was the candidate of the Nacionalista Party in the 2010 presidential election, which was won by Benigno Aquino III.

Early Life and Education

Manuel Bamba Villar, Jr. was born on December 13, 1949 in Tondo, an impoverished and densely populated district of Manila. He was the second-born of the nine children of his parents in a poor family. His father, Manuel "Maning" Montalban Villar, Sr., was a government employee fromCabatuan, Iloilo who worked as an inspector for the Bureau of Fisheries. His mother, Curita "Curing" Bamba, was a seafood vendor from a poor family in Orani, Bataan. The family lived in a small rented apartment in a run down slum area. Villar's father was eventually granted a year-long scholarship for higher education in the United States, which lead to a job promotion to a director position in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resourcesupon his return. Due to cramped conditions in Tondo, Villar's father obtained a P16,000 loan from the Government Service Insurance System, payable in 20 to 25 years, to build a home in San Rafael Village, Navotas. As a child, Villar initially attended Isabelo delos Reyes Elementary School, a nearby public school in Tondo. 
He also assisted his mother in selling shrimp and fish at the Divisoria Public Market, as early as age six, in order to help earn the money to support his siblings and himself to school. However, accompanying his mother interfered with his education and he was forced to drop out from school during Grade 1. He was then enrolled atTondo Parochial School (later renamed Holy Child Catholic School), a private school in Tondo run by priests, to complete his elementary education. Villar finished his high school education at the Mapúa Institute of Technology in Intramuros. He attended the University of the Philippines - Diliman and earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1970. He returned to the same school to earn his master's degree in business administration in 1973. He later characterized himself as being impatient with formal schooling, and eager to start working and go into business.

Business Career

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. He resigned from SGV & Co. to start his first business, delivering seafood in Makati. 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. 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. Wanting to start a business of his own again, he quit his job and availed of one of the loans, which offered attractive rates. In 1975, with an initial capital of P10,000, Villar purchased two reconditioned trucks and started a business delivering sand and gravel for construction companies in Las Piñas. This eventually segued into building houses, as Villar took out a seven-year loan from a rural bank offering low interest rates, and began what would become the country's largest home building company, with an emphasis on low-priced mass housing. 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 homeonwers to build upon. 
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. The number of homes built by Villar's companies totaled to over 200,000 units. 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. As of 2010, Forbes magazine ranks him as the 17th wealthiest person in the Philippines, with a net worth of US$380 million. 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. Villar has received several awards for his achievements during his profesional 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. In 2004, he was named the Most Distinguished Alumnus, the highest recognition given by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association.

Congressional Career - House of Representatives

Villar entered politics in 1992 when he was elected to the House of Representatives, representing the district of Las Piñas-Muntinlupa. Due to congressional redistricting, he later represented the district of Las Piñas City. He served for three consecutive three-year terms, consistently posting landslide election victories. Villar was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1998, during his third term in congress. As speaker, he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada over corruption allegations in November 2000. 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. 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. 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. 

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

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. He later won re-election in 2007, running as a member of the Genuine Opposition coalition, ranking fourth out of 37 candidates. 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. 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. In November 2008, Villar lost the support of the Senate majority, due to 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 who later on investigated Villar for C5 scam.

2010 Presidential Campaign

Main article: Philippine presidential election, 2010. 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. 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.  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. In a March survey rival Aquino had regained a significant nine-point lead.^[22] Other significant rivals in the presidential race included former President Joseph Estradaand former Defense Secretary Gilbert 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 contractingleukemia. 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 bought to the nearest possible hospital to try and save him, regardless of their status in life. 

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.

Personal Life

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. Her father was then mayor ofLas Piñas City. They married at the age of 25. They have three children, Manuel Paolo III (born c. 1977), Mark (born c. 1978), and Camille Linda (born c. 1985). Villar's two sons studied at theWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for their college education, while Camille attended Ateneo de Manila University. All three children graduated with degrees in finance or business management. Villar lives in a two-bedroom house with his family in Las Piñas City. 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.

Source: wikipedia