Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (born April 13, 1968) is a Filipino politician who served as a representative representing the third district of Bukidnon for three consecutive terms, and was the Senate of the Philippines Majority Leader, replacing Senator Francis Pangilinan on November 17, 2008.^[3] He is on indefinite leave as a member of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD political party.

Zubiri announced his resignation on August 3, 2011 following allegations of poll fraud during the Senate elections in 2007.^[2][4][5][6] He is the first senator to do so, since all historical resignations from the senate prior to his resignation involved senators leaving to assume other positions in government.^[7]

Early life[link]

Zubiri was born in Makati City, Philippines to a Spanish-Ilonggo father hailing from Bacolod City and a Bicolana mother, and was raised in the province of Bukidnon. He speaks Cebuano, Tagalog, English, and his native Ilonggo. His father is the incumbent Bukidnon Provincial Vice-Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri, Jr.

Education[link]

Zubiri finished elementary and high school in Colegio San Agustin-Makati. He graduated from University of the Philippines Los Baños with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness. He also earned a Master of Environment and Natural Resources Management degree from the University of the Philippines Open University.

Political career[link]

House of Representatives[link]

After serving as chief of staff of his father, Rep. (now Bukidnon Governor) Jose Ma. R. Zubiri, Jr. from 1995–1998, he ran for the seat to be vacated by his father in the 1998 general elections representing the third district of Bukidnon. Winning easily in that election, he served his first term in the 10th Congress. He was subsequently re-elected to the Philippine House of Representatives in the 2001 and 2004 elections.

Senate[link]

After serving as a Congressman for three-terms, he was drafted by Lakas CMD to be one of their candidates in the pro-administration Team Unity ticket in the 2007 mid-term elections.

In the final tally for the 2007 senatorial race by the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec), Rep. Zubiri narrowly defeated opposition candidate Aquilino Pimentel III for the 12th and last slot in the Senate. Zubiri had a total of 11,001,730 votes against Pimentel's 10,983,358 votes.^[8] The margin of some 18,372 votes was hotly contested, particularly the votes from the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, where Pimentel had lost heavily to Zubiri.

Claiming the votes in Maguindanao were tainted,^[9] Pimentel petitioned the Philippine Supreme Court to invalidate the votes from Maguindanao, effectively disenfranchising a whole province. The Supreme Court voted unanimously 14 -0 against Pimentel and allowed the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) to count the votes in Zubiri's favor. Pimentel then returned to the Supreme Court for the second time. This time, he petitioned them to issue a restraining order against the proclamation of Zubiri. After oral arguments however the High Tribunal again voted to uphold the COMELEC's decision to proclaim Zubiri, consequently failing to grant Pimentel's petition.^[10] The next day, July 14, 2007, Zubiri was duly proclaimed elected to the Philippine Senate. However, the Court's judgment did not prevent Pimentel from bringing his poll protests to the Senate Electoral Tribunal.

On March 14, 2008, the Supreme Court in a 40-page decision penned by Associate Justice Minita Chico-Nazario, dismissed Aquilino Pimentel III's petition to stop the Commission on Elections from canvassing votes from the province of Maguindanao,^[11] a definite morale booster for Senator Zubiri.

More recently, he has been advocating a more in depth study of biofuels in order to prevent food shortages all the while allowing the production of alternative clean energy and biofuels so as to lessen dependence on imported oil and allow the Philippine economy a new avenue of economic success, especially in this day and age of constant rising oil prices.^[12]

Electoral protest[link]

The Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) on June 19, 2008 resolved to proceed with the election protest of Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III: "Indeed, there is reasonable ground to believe that the final outcome of the case could affect the officially proclaimed results of the 12th senatorial position in the May 14, 2007 national elections, hence, the election protest case deserves further proceedings by the tribunal."^[13]

Resignation[link]

On his privilege speech in the Philippine Senate on August 3, 2011, Zubiri announced his resignation from the Senate.^[2] In his speech, he said that his family was hurt by the "unfounded" accusations against him. "Without admitting any fault and with my vehement denial of the alleged electoral fraud hurled against me, I am submitting my resignation as a duly elected Senator of the Republic of the Philippines in the election for which I am falsely accused without mercy and compassion," Zubiri said in his speech. "My political detractors began calling me ugly names and dragging the name of my family in entirety. In other words, Mr. President, the trial by publicity has begun," he continued.

Recently, Zaldy Ampatuan, a suspect in the Maguindanao massacre case and suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor, claimed that during the 2007 polls, the camp of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered that votes from three senatorial candidates from the opposition in Maguindanao be transferred to Zubiri.

Senator Francis Pangilinan, a member of the SET likewise refused to comment on what the next procedure is for the vacancy left by Zubiri. "Let's just wait for developments if any," he said.^[14]

On August 11, Aquilino Pimentel III was proclaimed Senator of the Philippines.

Other Positions Held[link]

• Governor of the Philippine National Red Cross
• Member, Rotary Club of Makati
• Governor, Ranchers' Club Philippines 1989– University of the Philippines Los Banos chapter
• Chairman, Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines Bukidnon Chapter
• Chairman, Paglaum Foundation
• Member, Upsilon Phi Sigma Fraternity and Sorority (founded 1935)
• President of the KATALA Foundation
• President of the Philippine Deer Foundation

Laws[link]

• Biofuels Act
• The Magna Carta for Private School Teachers
• Act Providing for a Magna Carta of Students
• Act Instituting the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Repealing Republic Act No. 6425, as Amended
• Rent Control Law
• AFP Rate Base Pay Increase
• Wildlife Conservation Act
• Renewable Energy Act
• Cooperative Code of the Philippines

References[link]

External links[link]

• Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri's Official Website
• Official Website of the Senate of the Philippines

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.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)

Vina Morales
Morales at the Ikon Asean competition in 2007, holding her IKON Philippines trophy.
Born	Sharon Garcia Magdayao (1975-10-17) October 17, 1975 (age 36) Cebu, Philippines
Occupation	singer, actress and model
Years active	1986–present

Vina Morales (born Sharon Garcia Magdayao on October 17, 1975 in Bogo,^[1] Cebu City,^[2] Philippines) is a Filipina singer, actress and model.

Biography[link]

Career[link]

At age nine, Morales started singing with her church choir at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, which would lead her to a music career. A priest called Father Fritz D. Malinao, a songwriter in his church community, discovered Morales' talent and asked her to sing one of his compositions as an entry in the Cebu Pop Music Festival.^[3] The song, "Paglaum", ("hope" in Cebuano language), won the Grand Prize and earned the "Best Interpreter" award for young talents in the Philippines.

Representatives from Viva Films had seen her performance and offered her a singing and acting contract. She and her family moved to Manila where she auditioned for a film career in the Philippine film industry. She change her birth name from Sharon Garcia Magdayao to Vina Morales.^[4]

Morales' first film debut was Nakagapos na Puso, in which she co-starred with Lead Actress Sharon Cuneta. In her late teenage years Morales appeared in Utol Kong Hoodlum and a dual role in Anghel Na Walang Langit. She also appeared in The Sarah Balabagan Story.

Morales' recorded albums and performed in live concerts in the Philippines, including 2004's Mamahalin Ka Niya. She co-wrote the lyrics of one song called Paano Kaya Magtatagpo?, along with Filipino model, actor and musician, Piolo Pascual. The music was composed by Arnel de Pano. Later Morales and Pascual recorded the song as a duet. Other songs on the album include "Yakapin Mo Ako", Pangako and Saan Darating ang Umaga. In 2003, she held a multi-city US tour titled Vina Revealed and Vina's Hot.

Morales performed the song Yakapin Mo Ako when portraying singer Joey Albert on the biographical TV series Maalaala Mo Kaya. In 2002, she co-hosted a series of Philippine shows with Martin Nievera in the United States and Canada. She was chosen as being the first Filipino to sing at the New York International Music Festival, which was held at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2003. In 2006, she also did a tour of the United States to promote her celebrity status among the Filipino communities.^[5] In 2007, she starred in ABS-CBN's Maria Flordeluna, where she played her role as Elvira. She also represented the Philippines at the 2007 Ikon Asean singing contest and won the competition.

In 2010, she has been cast in the latest soap opera offering of ABS-CBN on the 60th anniversary entitled, Agua Bendita.^[6][7][8][9]

In 2011, She made her comeback in Primetime Via the third quarter offering of Nasaan Ka Elisa? a remake of the 2008 Colombian telenovela.

Personal life[link]

She has a younger sister named Shaina Magdayao^[10] who is also an actress and model. She is a single mom to her beautiful daughter Ceana born in 2009.^[11]

Filmography[link]

Movie[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Vina Morales at the Internet Movie Database
• Vina Morales at Star Magic