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Juan Ponce Enrile
26th President of the Senate of the Philippines
Incumbent
Assumed office November 17, 2008
President	Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2008-2010) Benigno S. Aquino III (2010-present)
Preceded by	Manny Villar
Senator of the Philippines
Incumbent
Assumed office June 30, 2010
In office June 30, 2004 – June 30, 2010
In office June 30, 1995 – June 30, 2001
In office June 30, 1987 – June 30, 1992
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Cagayan's First District
In office June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1995
Preceded by	Domingo A. Tuazon
Succeeded by	Patricio T. Antonio
Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) from Cagayan
In office June 30, 1984 – March 25, 1986 Served with: Antonio C. Carag Alfonso R. Reyno, Jr.
Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) from Region II
In office June 12, 1978 – June 5, 1984
Secretary of National Defense
In office January 4, 1972 – November 23, 1986
President	Corazon Aquino Ferdinand Marcos
Preceded by	Ferdinand Marcos
Succeeded by	Rafael Ileto
In office February 9, 1970 – August 27, 1971
President	Ferdinand Marcos
Preceded by	Ernesto Mata
Succeeded by	Ferdinand Marcos
Secretary of Justice
In office December 17, 1968 – February 7, 1970
President	Ferdinand Marcos
Preceded by	Claudio Teehankee, Sr.
Succeeded by	Felix Makasiar
Acting Secretary of Finance
In office 1966–1968
President	Ferdinand Marcos
Preceded by	Eduardo Romualdez
Succeeded by	Eduardo Romualdez
Personal details
Born	Juanito Furagganan (1924-02-14) February 14, 1924 (age 88) Gonzaga, Cagayan, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Political party	Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (2001-present) Liberal (1995-2001) Nacionalista (1965-1972; 1987-1995) KBL (1978-1986)
Spouse(s)	Cristina Castañer
Children	Juan Ponce Enrile, Jr. Katrina Ponce Enrile
Residence	Gonzaga, Cagayan Dasmariñas Village, Makati City, Metro Manila
Occupation	Lawyer, Politician
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Juan 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) of 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[link]

Juan Ponce Enrile was born 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 is the second great-nephew of Mariano Ponce. 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. Afterward, 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 in the 1953 bar examinations with a 91.72% rating and a perfect score in mercantile law. 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 Ferdinand Marcos's personal legal affairs in 1964, especially during the latter's term as Senate President. After Marcos was elected president in 1965, 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 was the Secretary of the Department of Justice.

Secretary of Defense[link]

Secretary of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile with President Ferdinand Marcos.

In 1970, he was appointed Secretary of the Department of National Defense. He left his post in 1971 to run unsuccessfully for a Senate seat.

Enrile was appointed Defense Chief in 1972. One of Marcos' justifications for the declaration of martial law that year was terrorism. He cited the alleged bombing attack on Enrile's car on September 21, 1972.

In 1973, under the new modified parliamentary system then in place under the country's new constitution, 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 won an election for assemblyman representing Cagayan Valley for the Interim Batasang Pambansa in 1978.

As the 1980's began, Marcos began to disregard Enrile's authority as defense secretary when he changed the chain of command in the military. Under the new chain of command, the authority would evolve from him as president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces to his trusted military officer, General Fabian Ver, then the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Meaning, Enrile was bypassed and officers with close ties with him were being removed from command positions or being demoted and sometimes, would be retired forcibly from military service.

After opposition leader Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was assassinated on August 21, 1983, Enrile started to break away from the increasingly unpopular Marcos dictatorship. 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 Enrile's support, launched a coup d’état against Marcos in February 1986.

Marcos was alerted to the plot by then General Ver, and the conspirators took refuge in two military camps. From there, Ponce Enrile and then Lt. General Fidel Ramos, the head of the Philippine Constabulary (now the Philippine National Police) and concurrently vice-chief of staff of the armed forces, rallied opponents against Marcos in a citizens' revolt that became known as the People Power Revolution.

At the same time, Enrile revealed details of the public deception he had perpetuated while serving in the Marcos government. This included being aware of fraudulent voting 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 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 spread that Ramos and Enrile were among those involved in Aquino's assassination. It is alleged that, in order not to be accused along with the Marcoses, the two plotted a coup against the president.

Enrile served as Secretary of National Defense under Corazon Aquino, who had replaced Marcos as president, but he increasingly differed with Aquino, specifically on the administration's handling of insurgent leftist opposition. As a result, he was forced to resign as Defense Secretary in November 1986.

Congressional career[link]

First Senate term[link]

In May 1987, he won a seat in the 1987 election as one of two opposition members in the country’s 24-member Senate (the other being Joseph Estrada). In August 1987, an attempted 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 Camp Aguinaldo over suspicion of planning the coup with Lt. Col. Gregorio Honasan, but was released days later for lack of evidence.

Member of the House of Representatives[link]

In 1992, before his term in the Senate had 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 12 candidates who receive the greatest number of votes serve a six year term, the next 12 only three years. He ran instead for the House of Representatives of the Philippines. He was elected and represented the First District of Cagayan.

Second to fourth senate terms[link]

In 1995, he ran 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 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.^{[clarification needed]} That vote led to the second EDSA People Power Revolution that eventually ousted President 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 later. He ran for reelection as part of the Puwersa ng Masa coalition. Due to the issues that haunted him over 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) banner. He actively opposed the imposition of the Purchased Power Adjustment (PPA) on consumers' electric bills. Due to his exposé of the PPA and the Supreme Court decision in favour of a refund on electric bills, the public responded positively and elected him. He thus became a senator in three non-consecutive terms.

He is affiliated with the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP). Technically he belongs to an opposition party, but in the Senate, he stands as an independent and is part of the administration bloc. The minority bloc includes all of his party's members.

In 2010 election, he was been reelected as Senator. As of this date he is the oldest Philippine Senator at age of 88.

Senate Presidency[link]

Election[link]

On November 17, 2008, Senate President Manuel Villar resigned due to lack of support, and Enrile succeeded him the same day.^[1][2][3][4] Enrile was nominated by Panfilo Lacson; 14 senators supported the nomination and five abstained.^[2] 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[link]

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 as well the welfare of its officers and employees.

Maguindanao martial law[link]

The Senate also collaborated with the House of Representatives on two crucial issues which are now considered historical milestones. In December 2009, it used 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 in May 2010, Congress convened to constitute itself as the national board to canvass the votes for president and vice president, and proclaim the winners.

Re-election as Senate President[link]

Enrile was re-elected to a fourth term in the 2010 Senate election. He will be 92 years old should he complete his present term in June 2016. On July 26, 2010, he was re-elected President of the Senate. Enrile committed himself 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 life[link]

Manong Johnny, as he is often called, ("Manong" is an Ilocano affectionate term for an older brother) is married to Cristina Castañer, a 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 Enrile's company Jaka Group. The Jaka Group owns the Philippine Match Company, the Philippines' leading match maker.

Enrile has a half-sister, Armida Siguion-Reyna, who is a noted singer and stage/film actress.

Seeking clemency for those convicted of the Aquino assassination[link]

On August 21, 2007, the 24th anniversary of Senator Aquino's death, Juan Ponce Enrile stated that the case of the 14 soldiers incarcerated for 24 years for his assassination should be reviewed for clemency. Enrile paid for the legal services of the soldiers during their trial, and said the soldiers and their families had suffered enough. Fifteen soldiers of the Aviation Security Command had been sentenced to double life imprisonment for the double murder of Aquino and his alleged lone communist gunman, Rolando Galman, and one of them had since died. They were all acquitted on December 1985 by the Sandiganbayan's Manuel Pamaran, but when the entire proceedings were invalidated by the Supreme Court and the case retried, the Sandiganbayan's Regino C. Hermosisima, Jr. (promoted to Supreme Court Justice) convicted them again on September 28, 1990.^[5]

Ancestry[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• [1]
• [2]
• Juan Ponce Enrile's Assets and Liabilities
• Juan Ponce Enrile's Official Philippine Senate biography

Senatorial history of Juan Ponce Enrile v t e <14th Senators of the 15th Congress of the Philippines (2010-2013) 16th> Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (2010–present) # Senior Senators (2007–2013) Junior Senators (2010–2016) Edgardo Angara Joker Arroyo Alan Peter Cayetano Francis Escudero Gregorio Honasan Panfilo Lacson Loren Legarda Francis Pangilinan Aquilino Pimentel III (2011–present)## Antonio Trillanes IV Manny Villar Juan Miguel Zubiri (2007–11)## Vacant (since 2010)### Pia Cayetano Miriam Defensor Santiago Franklin Drilon Jinggoy Estrada Teofisto Guingona III Lito Lapid Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. Sergio Osmeña III Juan Ponce Enrile Ralph Recto Bong Revilla Tito Sotto Term ends June 30, 2013 Term ends June 30, 2016 # — Ponce Enrile was also the Senate president of the 14th Congress. ## —Zubiri resigned from office on August 3, 2011, replaced by Pimentel afterwards. ### — Vacant due to election of Benigno Aquino III to the presidency. v t e <13th Senators of the 14th Congress of the Philippines (2007-2010) 15th> Senate Presidents Juan Ponce Enrile (2008-2010) · Manny Villar (2006-2008) # Senior Senators (2004-2010) Junior Senators (2007-2010) Rodolfo Biazon Lito Lapid Jinggoy Estrada Pia Cayetano Miriam Defensor Santiago Richard Gordon Jamby Madrigal Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. Juan Ponce Enrile Bong Revilla Mar Roxas Vacant ## Edgardo Angara Benigno Aquino III Joker Arroyo Alan Peter Cayetano Francis Escudero Gregorio Honasan Loren Legarda Francis Pangilinan Antonio Trillanes IV Manny Villar Juan Miguel Zubiri Panfilo Lacson Term ended June 30, 2010 Term ends June 30, 2013 # — Villar was also the previous Senate president of the 13th Congress. ## — Vacant due to election of Alfredo Lim as the mayor of Manila. v t e <12th Senators of the 13th Congress of the Philippines (2004-2007) 14th> Senate Presidents Manny Villar (2006-2007) # · Franklin Drilon (2004-2006) Senior Senators (2001-2007) Junior Senators (2004-2010) Edgardo Angara Joker Arroyo Franklin Drilon Luisa Estrada Juan Flavier Panfilo Lacson Sergio Osmeña III Francis Pangilinan Juan Ponce Enrile Ralph Recto Manny Villar Vacant ## Rodolfo Biazon Lito Lapid Jinggoy Estrada Pia Cayetano Miriam Defensor Santiago Richard Gordon Alfredo Lim ### Jamby Madrigal Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. Juan Ponce Enrile Bong Revilla Mar Roxas Term ended June 30, 2007 Term ended June 30, 2010 # — Villar became the next Senate president during the 14th Congress. ## — Position vacated when Noli de Castro was elected to the vice presidency. ### — In 2007, Lim vacated his position prior to his election as the mayor of Manila. v t e <11th Senators of the 12th Congress of the Philippines (2001-2004) 13th> Senate Presidents Franklin Drilon (2001-2004) # Senior Senators (1998-2004) Junior Senators (2001-2007) Teresa Aquino-Oreta Robert Barbers Renato Cayetano ## Teofisto Guingona, Jr. ‡ Gregorio Honasan ‡ Robert Jaworski Loren Legarda Blas Ople ‡‡ John Henry Osmeña Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. Ramon Revilla, Sr. Tito Sotto Edgardo Angara Joker Arroyo Franklin Drilon Luisa Estrada Noli de Castro ‡‡‡ Juan Flavier Panfilo Lacson Sergio Osmeña III Francis Pangilinan Juan Ponce Enrile Ralph Recto Manny Villar Term ended June 30, 2004 Term ended June 30, 2007 # — Drilon's Senate presidency continued until 2006 during the 13th Congress. ## — Position vacated when Cayetano died in 2003. ‡ — The appointment of Gloria Arroyo to Guingona to vice presidency made his position to the Senate vacant from January 20, 2001. On May 14, 2001, Honasan was elected to fill in Guingona's unfinished term until 2004. ‡‡ — Ople was appointed Foreign Affairs secretary in 2002. ‡‡‡ — In 2004, de Castro vacated his position when he was elected to the vice presidency.

Roilo S. Golez
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Parañaque City's Second District
Incumbent
Assumed office June 30, 2004
Preceded by	Position created
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Parañaque City's Lone District
In office June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998
Preceded by	Freddie Webb
Succeeded by	Eduardo Zialcita
Personal details
Born	(1947-01-09) January 9, 1947 (age 65) Looc, Romblon
Political party	Liberal Party (2010-present) Independent (2005-2010)
Spouse(s)	Natalia Golez
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	Official Website

Roilo Golez (born January 9, 1947) is a Philippine politician on his sixth term as Member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the Second District of Parañaque City,^[1] one of the most industrialized districts of the Philippines. A veteran legislator, he was elected in 1992, 1995, 1998, 2004, 2007, and 2010 all by landslide victories and had served as Congressman for five terms: in the 9th Congress of the Philippines, 10th Congress of the Philippines, 11th Congress of the Philippines, 13th Congress of the Philippines and 14th Congress of the Philippines.^[2] He is now serving his sixth term as congressman in the 15th Congress of the Philippines.^[3]

Biography and career[link]

Roilo Golez was born on January 9, 1947 in the small town of Looc, Romblon in the Philippines. His parents were both public school teachers. He grew up in a low cost government housing project and is a product of public schools.^[4]

From rural Philippines, Golez rose to success in academics, sports, government, business, civic organizations and politics.^[5]

Roilo Golez went to the Philippine Military Academy and US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, major in Mathematics and Operations Analysis.^[4]

While at Annapolis, he distinguished himself in academics, leadership and sports. He was consistently in the Superintendent's Honor List. He was selected Company Commander, a high position in the Brigade of Midshipmen and was a Brigade Boxing Champion for four straight years, establishing a record as the first to achieve this feat since the Academy was established in 1845. So far, only fourteen midshipmen have won four brigade boxing championships in the Academy’s history.^[6]

After Annapolis, Golez took up Master in Business Administration (MBA) in the University of the Philippines where he graduated Valedictorian of his class.^[7]

Roilo Golez pursued a long career as a Public Servant^[8]:

• Three years as Postmaster General of the Philippines, where he received the prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men Award (TOYM) for public service excellence.
• Three years as a member of the Philippine Cabinet, serving as National Security Adviser, overseeing the country's counterterrorism and national security program.
• Fifteen years as Congressman of the Republic of the Philippines. He has consistently received the award One of the Most Outstanding Congressmen of the Philippines,^[2] has a perfect 100% attendance record, no absence, in all the sessions of Congress since he became a congressman in 1992.^[9] He is now in his sixth term as Congressman ^[10] and won all his election victories by landslide, thus earning the title “Landslide King of Paranaque.” He has served as Chairman of the Committee on Public Order & Security, Chairman of the Committee on National Defense and as Deputy Minority Leader.^[11] Golez is also credited for concreting the most number of roads and constructing the most number of school buildings in the history of Parañaque City.
• Twenty years as Governor of the Philippine National Red Cross where he received the Bayani Red Cross Gold Medal Award for heroism and bravery in the face of gunfire while leading a Red Cross rescue team to rescue wounded soldiers during the bloody December 1989 coup attempt.
• One year as National President of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.^[5]
• Two years as Fund Campaign Chairman of the Philippine Cancer Society.
• Four years as Division Fund Campaign Chairman of the Philippine Tuberculosis Society.
• Two years as Chairman of the Elks Cerebral Palsy Project.^[5]
• Four years as Governor of the Management Association of the Philippines.
• Twenty eight years as a Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Manila.
• Two years as National President of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines.
• Two years as President of the Philippine Olympic Academy.
• Five years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the St. Lukes Medical Center.
• Fourteen years as a Philippine Navy Officer, reaching the rank of Navy Captain (full colonel in the Army).
• Four years as Professor in the Master in Business Administration Program of the University of the Philippines.
• Four years as Professor of Management in the Asian Institute of Management.

Roilo Golez has extensive experience in corporate affairs, having served as Chief Executive Officer or Chief Operating Officer or Board Member in several major corporations in the field of shipbuilding, health products, fast foods, real estate, marketing, security equipment, telecommunications, banking, oil exploration and insurance.^[12]

References[link]

Official links[link]

• Congressman Roilo Golez's Official Website
• Official Blog of Congressman Roilo Golez

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roilo Golez

See also[link]

• Congress of the Philippines
• House of Representatives of the Philippines