The killings on Wednesday saw one victim gunned down outside a church in the central Philippines and the other, a member of the ruling coalition, shot in a southern province that is notorious for its ruthless political culture.

Both men were candidates for mayors in small towns, and bring the number of people reported to have been killed in the run-up to the elections to at least 65.

In one of the incidents, two motorcycle-riding gunmen fired repeatedly at Luis Mondia, 55, outside a Catholic church in the central city of Jaro, local police investigator Horizon Villanueva said.

After sustaining gunshot wounds to his neck and shoulder, Mondia — who was planning to run for mayor of Pulupundan — died hours later in hospital, Villanueva told reporters.

In the other killing, gunmen killed Errol Sinsuat, a member of President Gloria Arroyo’s ruling party, as he drove his motorcycle through Cotabato city, local chief of police Senior Superintendent Willie Dangane said.

A policeman who responded to the shooting was also fired upon and wounded, Dangane said.

Sinsuat, 38, had been planning to run in the national elections for mayor of Blah Sinsuat, just outside Cotabato City in Maguindanao province. His killing was likely related to politics, Dangane said.

Sinsuat’s killing took place roughly 20 kilometres (12 miles) from a rural area of Maguindanao where 57 people were slaughtered on November 23, allegedly by the private army of a powerful local clan, the Ampatuans.

Andal Ampatuan Jnr allegedly led the massacre to prevent a rival from challenging him in the May elections for the post of Maguindanao governor.

Ampatuan Jnr and 197 others, including his father and other members of his family, have been charged with the massacre, which is the country’s worst known case of political violence.

Elections in the Philippines, have long been plagued by violence, with politicians resorting to gunmen to eliminate rivals and intimidate voters.

More than one million unlicensed firearms are believed to be on the streets of the Philippines, on top of the roughly 1.8 million legal ones, according to police estimates.

Philippine authorities imposed a gun ban on January 10 in a bid to contain the pre-election violence, apparently with little effect.

"Based on pre-election trends we are monitoring, 2010 may be the most violent elections in recent history," Rommel Banalaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, told AFP.

Under the terms of the ban, which will last until June 9, civilians with permits to carry guns are forbidden from taking them out of their homes.

Politicians are not allowed to have armed bodyguards, a common practice normally.

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“My family does not understand why I am getting into politics. (My father) does not really want me to run. His advice to me was to stay in the private sector if I want to help,” said Vivienne Tan, an entrepreneur and educator.

Despite this, the slim, smartly-dressed Tan is throwing herself completely into the role of candidate, mixing with the weathered, sun-tanned street vendors and bus drivers whose votes she is seeking.

Tan, 41, is running in the May national elections for a congressional seat in a grimy, blue-collar suburb of the Philippine capital, a long way from the skyscrapers of Manila’s financial district in which her father rules.

Her 74-year-old father, who was a close ally of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was listed by Forbes magazine last year as the second richest man in the Philippines and 522nd richest in the world with a net worth of 1.4 billion dollars.

His business empire includes national flag-carrier Philippine Airlines, while he also has interests in banking, tobacco, real estate and alcohol.

Ethnic Chinese tycoons such as Tan have largely avoided running for national posts in the Philippines, usually preferring to wield power behind the scenes by providing funding to politicians.

But Tan said she had long dreamed of directly entering politics.

“I am an independent person. I have an independent mind and I know what I am doing and I know what I want to do with my life and what I want to do is to be able to serve,” she said after giving a speech recently on the campaign trail.

Tan’s father has long been a controversial figure because of his close ties to Marcos, whose dictatorship ended in 1986 with a “people power” revolution.

The government has for years been trying to prove that Tan’s assets were ill-gotten through illegal deals during the Marcos years, but it has met with little success.

Vivienne Tan sought to distance herself from any comparison with her father and insisted she was not running to protect his interests.

“That’s my father. That’s not me. Leave all that to my father,” she said.

“I can’t do anything (about that reputation). All I can say is when I enter congress, they will know what I can do.”

Tan attributed her independence to her experiences in the United States where she studied mathematics, computer science, fashion design and manufacturing. She also worked there in a law firm and a shipping company.

Except for a stint as her father’s assistant in Philippine Airlines, she has also avoided getting involved in her family’s businesses.

Instead, Tan set up business schools and worked on social projects promoting entrepreneurship in the Philippines.

However, while Tan said she and her friends were funding her campaign, she conceded she was prepared to dig into her family’s enormous pockets if needed.

“If necessary, maybe I will approach them. We will see when we cross that bridge,” she said.

Despite her powerful family name, Tan is facing an uphill battle in her bid to enter the nation’s lower house.

Her opponent is incumbent congressman Vicente Crisologo, a scion of an established political family known to play rough in elections.

Crisologo spent five years in jail for burning down two villages that backed a rival politician in 1970.

“Even I’m a bit scared of him because of his experiences and his reputation,” Tan said.

Tan has positioned herself as a reformer against a traditional politician she accuses of not truly helping the people of her district.

“It’s time to trash the old politics that does not truly uplift and inspire the people,” Tan told a crowd of supporters, most of them female market vendors, this month.

But political science assistant professor Gladstone Cuarteros, of the De La Salle University in Manila, said he doubted Tan’s chances in this election because her opponent was so well-entrenched.

“The key is mobilising voters and, in the case of Mr Crisologo, he started as city councillor and he has been very strong in that area while Vivienne Tan is new in the area,” he told AFP.

“That area has a large number of urban poor and these voters will consider the previous help that was given to them,” he said, citing the many times Crisologo resisted efforts to demolish squatter shanties in his district.

Despite a three-month bout with illness, Santiago attended the University of the Philippines in Diliman. There she continued to participate in numerous oratorical, public speaking, and debate contests. She became the first female editor-in-chief of the university’s student newspaper, The Philippine Collegian and was twice made Corps Sponsor of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Her classmates include the likes of former Senate President Franklin Drilon, San Juan Representative Ronaldo Zamora, and Eli Pamatong.

In 1965, Santiago graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. It took her only three and a half years to complete her degree. Upon graduation, she was elected to the Pi Gamma Mu and Phi Kappa Phi international honor societies. Miriam took the 1969 Bar Exams and barely passed with a 78% Bar rating. Santiago decided to teach Political Science to undergraduates at Trinity College of Quezon City. She then attended the University of Michigan Law School from 1974 to 1976, earning the degrees of Master of Laws and Juris Doctor.

Santiago continued enrolling in short courses, attending seminars and participating in conferences locally and abroad. In 1995, at the age of fifty, she completed the academic requirements for a Master of Arts in Religious Studies at the Maryhill School of Theology with an average grade of 1.25. In 1996, at the age of fifty-one, she attended the Summer Program of Instruction for Lawyers at Harvard Law School. In 1997, at age fifty-two, she attended the Summer Program in Law at Oxford University.

In 1986, Santiago was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Professionals of the Philippine Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 1988, she sought and won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service, which claims to be the Philippine equivalent of the Nobel Prize. In 1996, The Australian Magazine ranked Santiago 69th among "The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World", sharing the honor with former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos who ranked 58th.

Santiago is married to Atty. Narciso Yap Santiago Jr., her former classmate at the University of the Philippines. Narcisco was once an undersecretary for Interior and Local Governments, and is currently a presidential adviser for revenue enhancement. He is also a businessman. Santiago’s brother, Benjamin Jr., is a retired general who served as Philippine Air Force commander and Armed Forces Chief of Staff. He is currently an ambassador-at-large for counter-terrorism. Two of her cousins are congressmen. Matias Defensor represents the third district of Quezon City, where Santiago resides, and Arthur Defensor represents the third district of Iloilo, Santiago’s hometown. Santiago’s nephew, Michael Defensor, is a former presidential chief of staff who ran and lost in a Senate seat in the 2007 elections.

Santiago was appointed by President Corazon Aquino as Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation in 1988. She served in that capacity until 1989. She was Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform from 1989 to 1991.In her tenure as Commisioner of Immigration,she cleanses it and launched an anti-corruption crusades.When a congressman delivered a priveleged speech against her for conducting a raid involving the arrest of foreign pedophiles occupying a village in his district,Miriam labeled him as a "Fungus Face".But finally the recognition of her dangerous work came,she earned the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service. After President Corazon Aquino declared her intention not to seek another term in the 1992 elections, Santiago ran for president, seeking Aquino’s endorsement. She founded the People’s Reform Party as her vehicle.

Santiago ran for the Senate of the Philippines in 1995 elections, again as a candidate of her own People’s Reform Party. She was elected to the senate and served as a senator from 1995 to 2001. As a Senator, Santiago became a vocal critic of the Ramos Administration.And was named as Most Outstanding Senator several times.She was among the topnotchers for the number of bills filed,and she is most impressive in Senate debates with her meticulous preparations. Santiago again ran for president in the 1998 elections and invited fellow Senator Francisco Tatad to be her running mate. Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino candidate Joseph Ejercito Estrada won the election and became president, though Santiago again made claims of electoral fraud. After the election, Santiago returned to the Senate.

During President Estrada’s impeachment trial Santiago was one of eleven senators who voted against opening a bank envelope that purportedly contained damning evidence of President Estrada’s guilt. The vote ended the impeachment trial which led to the Second People Power Revolution which removed Estrada from office. Santiago ran unsuccessfully for reelection in the 2001 elections. Three years later, in the 2004 elections, Santiago ran again for senator, this time joining President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s K4 coalition and won. She currently holds the position of chairperson and lone member of the People’s Reform Party.

Santiago was a professor of political science in Trinity College of Quezon City from 1971 to 1974 and concurrently Special Assistant to the Secretary of Justice from 1970 to 1980. She was also a member of the Board of Censors for Motion Pictures from 1977 to 1979. She served as a legal officer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland from 1979 to 1980. She was also a legal consultant of the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. in 1982. She was appointed as a Regional Trial Court Judge from 1983 to 1987. She taught Law at the University of the Philippines from 1976 to 1988. From 1992 to 1995 and from 2001 to 2004, she has lectured at the University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and the University of Perpetual Help Rizal.

Other Information

• Born : June 15, 1945
• Birth place : Iloilo City, Philippines
• Nationality : Filipino
• Political party : People’s Reform Party (1992-present)
• Spouse : Narciso Y. Santiago, Jr.
• Residence : Quezon City
• Occupation : Lawyer, Politician
• Profession : Lawyer, Politician
• Religion : Roman Catholic

Links

• Miriam Defensor Santiago’s Official Website
• Detailed Biography from the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation
• Miriam Defensor Santiago’s Blog
• Biography from the Senate of the Philippines

From 1992 until 1995, she was an associate lawyer of the Castillo, Laman Tan, and Pantaleon Law Offices who specializes in corporate law and intellectual property laws. From 1996 to 1999 she was an officer for the legal and corporate affairs of the Belle Corporation and its affiliates including the gaming conglomerate BW Resources. In 2000, she was a general counsel of the Philweb Corporation. In 2001 she was appointed as chairman of the Maxi Group of Companies, a retailer and distributor of educational toys, infant apparel and accessories.

She ran for a Senate seat in the 2004 elections. Initially she was a virtual unknown to the electorate but with the liberalization of political advertisements, she gained popularity with her TV advertisement as a runner, cyclist, and as a tri-athlete, and as a new host of her father’s TV program Compañero y Compañera for a short stint. She won the election landing in the sixth position.

During 112th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Manila, Cayetano was elected President of the 10th Meeting of Women Parliamentarians during the sidelines of the annual meeting. On April 17, 2008, Pia was elected for a 2 year term, president of the Committee of Women Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) during its 118th General Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa. As the first Filipino and Asian to head it, she ran unopposed and takes over from Uruguay’s Monica Xavier.

Four years into her term, Pia has been responsible for crafting and co-authoring a number of landmark laws as chairperson of the Senate committees on health and demography and on environment and natural resources. These include the "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law of 2008" (Republic Act 9502), "Oil Spill Liability Law" (RA 9483), "Biofuels Law" (RA 9367), "Hospital Detention Law" (RA 9349), "National Anti-Rabies Law" (RA 9482), and the “Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008” (RA 9512).

Pia recently relinquished her committees following the Senate leadership change late last year, but his has not stopped her from pursuing the passage of other measures to improve public health and promote the welfare of women and children. These measures include: (1) The "Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act" (Senate Bill No.1698) which seeks to promote breastfeeding among working mothers by mandating lactation stations in public places and the workplace; (2) The bill strengthening the regulatory capacity of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (SBN 2645); and (3) The "Picture-Based Health Warning Law" (SBN 2377), which will require all cigarette and tobacco product packages to bear highly visible picture warnings showing the health hazards of smoking

Apart from being a senator, Cayetano is a mother of two (Maxine and Nadine). She is an advocate of sports as part of a holistic youth development program, the prevention of diseases and the need of a healthy and fit lifestyle. She is the founder of Gabriel Symphony Foundation which she established after the death of her son Gabriel who was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies. The foundation helps children with disabilities and life threatening ailments. She is also the founder of the Compañero Rene Cayetano Foundation in memory of her father, which helps the underprivileged in the areas of health, education, and environment. She is a member of Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization and a spokesperson of the Philippine Cancer Society and the Universal Birth Registration Project.

A sports enthusiast, Cayetano has participated in the following international events: 2009 Tokyo Marathon, 2007 4th Ironman Western Australia and Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore, 2006 New York Marathon and Venice Marathon, 2005 World Duathlon Championship Newcastle, Australia, 2004 Clark Air Base Duathlon and 2002 Chronicle Marathon San Francisco, California.

Other Information

• Born : March 22, 1966
• Birth place : Michigan, United States
• Political party : Nacionalista Party
• Residence : Taguig City
• Relations : Alan Peter Cayetano (brother); Renato "Compañero" Cayetano (father)
• Children : Maxine and Nadine
• Alma mater : University of the Philippines
• Occupation : Lawyer; Politician
• Profession : Lawyer; Politician
• Religion : Evangelical Christian

Links

• Senator Pia Cayetano site
• Senate of the Philippines – Pia Cayetano
• Cayetano Foundation
• I-Site.ph Pia Cayetano
• Pia Cayetano’s personal blog

She also earned a Nobel peace prize nomination for her work as chair the Government Panel’s Reciprocal Working Committee on Socio-Economic Reforms in the Peace Talks with the National Democratic Front from 1998 to 1999. She is the older sister of Journalist and Television Host Pia Hontiveros.

She has raised her profile in the UK, by making a formal complaint about a popular satirical British TV show Harry & Paul. This allegedly "racist" sketch depicts a wealthy southerner (played by Harry Enfield) who keeps a poor lethargic northerner (played by Paul Whitehouse) as a pet. This poor northerner is encouraged to mount the southerner’s Filipina maid. Risa Hontiveros described the September episode of Harry & Paul as "revolting and disgusting". This is only one of a series of sketches during the show’s run in which Harry is seen to treat Paul’s character as a dog or other family pet as an example how class and the north/south divide devalues anyone of a lower social status, be they northern or ethnic domestic staff.

In Hontiveros-Baraquel’s career as a politician and activist, she has been affiliated with a number of organizations and movements, including Coalition for Peace (served as Secretary-General from 1988 to 1992), National Peace Conference (serving on its Governing Council since 1990), Government Panel for Peace Talks with the National Democratic Front (chairing the Panel’s Reciprocal Working Committee on Socio-Economic Reforms from August 1998 to June 1999), Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas (Pandayan/Forge for a Socialist Philippines), a democratic socialist political organization (re-elected as Chairperson In August 2001), Pilipina, a socialist feminist organization, Amnesty International Pilipinas (member of the Board of Directors), Institute for Politics and Governance and Akbayan-Citizens Action Party (Executive Committee member).

Hontiveros-Baraquel currently serves as a member for the House Minority of the following Committees of the 14th Congress: Appropriations, Ethics and Privileges, Foreign Affairs, Good Government and Public Accountability, Health, Higher and Technical Education, Human Rights, Natural Resources, Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, People Participation, Rules, Trade and Industry and Women and Gender Equality

Other Information

• Born : February 24, 1966
• Birth place : Manila, Philippines
• Nationality : Filipino
• Political party : Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party, Liberal Party
• Spouse : Francisco Baraquel Jr. (Deceased
• Relations : Television Journalist Pia Hontiveros (Sister)
• Children : Four (Not Named)
• Residence : Matandang Balara, Quezon City
• Alma mater : Ateneo de Manila University (BS Social Science, Cum Laude)
• Occupation : Activist
• Profession : Journalist
• Religion : Roman Catholic

Links

• Risa Hontiveros Baraquel: Not Your Typical Politico
• Hontiveros-Baraquel, Ana Theresia ‘Risa 14th Congress House of Representatives
• Rep. Risa Hontiveros on Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party
• On Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics
• On I-Site

Acosta was born on May 14, 1966 in Phillips, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. Acosta studied at Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School in Phillips, Bukidnon, graduating valedictorian in 1979. He studied in Xavier University during high school, graduating first honors in 1981. Acosta earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of the Philippines in 1986, and attended the UP College of Law but did not graduate.

Acosta obtained a Master of Arts in Public Affairs With Distinction (International Relations and Political Studies concentration) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1987. He was conferred a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science from the University of Hawaii, as a scholar of the East West Center, in 1994. He similarly attended the special programs on Leaders in Development Program (1999) and Environmental Economics (2002) at the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University. In the year 2004, Acosta was recognized as the first Filipino World Fellow of Yale University.

Acosta first ran and won as a provincial board member of Bukidnon from 1995 to 1998. He ran and won a seat as Representative of the First District of Bukidnon province in Northern Mindanao for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2007. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Ecology and Vice Chairman of the Committees on Science and Technology, Human Rights, and Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives.

He is the principal author of many environmental laws in the Philippines, including the groundbreaking Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Management Act, and the Biodiversity Protection Act. The Clean Air Act of 1999 received various awards and citations, including the Oscar Escobar Environmental Award and the Citizens’ Movement Against Pollution Award, both in 2002. He has represented the Philippines in numerous international forums, including the United Nations Special Assembly on HIV/AIDS and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, where he served as the Deputy Secretary General.

From 1998-2001, he served as the national chairperson of the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas, the youth arm of the Liberal Party (Philippines), where he is now Secretary General. He is also at present the Secretary General of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats. In 2009 he was selected to run under Noynoy Aquino for the senate in the 2010 elections along with Akbayan Congresswoman Risa Hontiveros, Congressman of Muntinlupa City Ruffy Biazon and Former Senate President Frank Drillon.

Acosta has authored various articles on politicsSearch for Global Identities" won the plum prize during a competition for the magazine Intersect-Japan and the PHP Institute of America in Japan in 1995. His articles on political and public life regularly appear in the Perspectives section of t, leadership and governance, development, education, and the environment, and has published widely in various magazines and national dailies. He co-authored a book entitled "The Philippine Political Culture (View from Inside the Halls of Power)" in 2001. He has also published "Population, Poverty, and Politics" (2001), and "Alternative Political Campaign Strategies" for the Friedrich Nauman Stiftung-Philippines in 2005. Meanwhile, his essay on "Internationalization and the he website thelobbyist.biz.

In recognition of his contributions to policy-making, education, and advocacy work, Acosta was included in NewsBizAsia’s 100 Most Influential Filipinos (2002), and was cited by Asiaweek as representing the "youthful, hopeful change for the country." Adding to his numerous accomplishments, he was also selected as one of The Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) – Asia Pacific by the Osaka, Japan Junior Chamber (1995).

Acosta is married to Carina Chotirawe, a full-time professor at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. They have a son, Inigo Juan, born on February 11, 1996. Acosta is also featured in the recently released book Profiles encourage: Ordinary Filipinos making an extraordinary difference (Anvil Publishing) along with others who have made significant contributions in Philippine society.

Other Information

• Born : May 14, 1966
• Birth place : Phillips, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, Philippines
• Nationality : Filipino
• Political party : Liberal Party
• Spouse : Carina Chotirawe
• Children : Inigo Juan
• Residence : Bukidnon
• Education : University of the Philippines; Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1987; University of Hawaii; Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University
• Occupation : Politician, Academician, Author, Political scientist
• Profession : Politician, Academician, Author, Political scientist

Links

• Official Website of Neric Acosta
• Philippine House of Representatives
• Ateneo School of Government
• Liberal Party of the Philippines
• National Institute for Policy Studies
• Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
• Lipad Pinoy! Kaya Natin. Gawin Natin.
• The Lobbyist
• The Philippine Imperative
• Neric Acosta on Leadership
• Yale World Fellows

Other Information

• Born : September 22, 1962
• Birth place : Quezon City, Philippines
• Nationality : Filipino
• Political party : Ang Kapatiran
• Profession : Gastroenterologist, Doctor

Links

• Data files on I-Site.ph

Revilla is known for his lead roles in numerous action movies during the 1980s and the 1990s. He also starred in a few movies alongside his father, Ramon Revilla. Recently, he has been involved in a number of comedy related movies and TV shows in former actor in GMA-7.

He married Lani Mercado (Jesusa Victoria Bautista Revilla) in 1987 in a civil wedding. They have six children namely: Leonard Bryan (born November 22, 1986), Jose Lorenzo (Ramon "Jolo" Revilla III, born March 15, 1988), Inah Felicia (born October 2, 1989), Ma. Viktoria Gianna (born August 15, 1995), Ma. Franzel Loudette (born October 15, 1997) and Ramon "Ram" Vicente (born December 8, 1998). He also has another son out of wedlock with Lovely Guzman, a University of the Philippines political science graduate, formerly of St. Ignatius Village.

In the Philippine Centennial celebrations, Revilla portrayed General Emilio Aguinaldo. To highlight the celebrations, he and Lani remarried in a church wedding using the same costume they used in the centennial program. He is also the older brother of Strike Revilla, the incumbent mayor of their hometown of Bacoor, Cavite. While Andrea Revilla is sister and currently married to Rizal Governor Casimiro "Jun" Ynares III. Bong has his youngest brother Ram, named after his youngest son who is also in showbiz. Bong’s children, Bryan, Jolo and Inah, are also third-generation stars of Revilla Family.

As a native of Cavite, he made several films focusing on his home province. Revilla also made several charity works for the province through the RRJ Foundation Inc. He was invited by former NBI director Epimaco Velasco to be his running mate as vice governor of Cavite. In the 1995 local elections, Velasco and Revilla won as governor and vice governor beating the Remullas who dominated the Cavite political arena since the 1980s.

In February 1998, Velasco resigned as governor of Cavite when he was appointed as secretary of Interior and Local Government repl

acing then Senatorial candidate Robert Barbers. Revilla assumed as the chief executive of the province. In the May 1998 local elections, Revilla defeated Cavite Congressman Renato Dragon for the position of governor.

Revilla returned to his acting career and became a TV actor in GMA-7′s sitcom Idol ko si Kap. In 2002, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed Revilla as Chairman of the Videogram Regulatory Board (now Optical Media Board). Revilla became a popular figure in reducing optical media piracy in the Philippines. Due to his efforts, he was given a Plaque of International Recognition for Efforts Against Piracy by the Motion Picture Association of America on July 23, 2003 and the Huwarang Lingkod Bayan Award by the Consumers League of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. on October 25, 2003.

In February 2004, he resigned as Chairman of the VRB and recommended Eduardo "Edu" Manzano as his replacement. His father, Ramon Revilla, ended his term as senator on June 30, 2004. Revilla Sr. was elected senator in 1992, reelected in 1998, and could not run for third term according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Bong Revilla ran for the position of Senator under the administration K-4 coalition. He won and received the second highest number of votes from the national electorate.

On March 28, 2007, he jumped onto a bus being held hostage in the Philippines in order to ensure the safety of the students on the bus and try and talk the hostage taker into giving themselves up.

Other Information

• Born : September 25, 1966
• Birth place : Manila, Philippines
• Nationality : Filipino
• Political party : Lakas-CMD (1995 – present)
• Spouse : Lani Mercado (Jesusa Victoria H. Bautista)
• Children : Bryan, Jolo and Inah
• Residence : Imus, Cavite
• Occupation : Actor, Politician
• Profession : Actor, Politician
• Religion : Roman Catholic

Links

• Official Website of Ramon Bong Revilla Jr.
• Bong Revilla at iGMA.tv
• Bong Revilla at the Internet Movie Database
• i-Site.ph – Bong Revilla
• Senate of the Philippines – Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.

He was born in Manila, where he attended elementary and high school at the Ateneo de Manila University, and studied briefly in the University of the Philippines before formally transferring to the Lyceum of the Philippines where he studied Economics. He was mayor of San Juan from 1992 until 2001. He was elected to the Senate in 2004, where his term is set to expire in 2010. Estrada married Presentacion Vitug in 1989.

On July 23, 2007, Jinggoy was voted Senate president pro tempore, while Kiko Pangilinan is majority leader (following the assumption of Sen. Manny Villar to the chamber’s leadership of the 14th Congress).

On August 15, 2007, the Supreme Court (Voting 13-0), in an 18-page decision upheld the Sandigabayan’s decision to grant bail to Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada in connection with his plunder case now awaiting promulgation before the graft court. On September 11, 2007 Estrada introduced Senate bill 1556, proposing to make ROTC mandatory for all college students, male and female.

Other Information

• Born : January 23, 1963
• Birth place : Manila, Philippines
• Political party : Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP)
• Spouse : Ma. Presentacion Vitug
• Relations : Joseph Estrada (father)
• Residence : San Juan City
• Occupation : Actor, Producer, Politician
• Profession : Actor, Producer, Politician
• Education : University of the Philippines, Lyceum of the Philippines
• Religion : Roman Catholic

Links

• Senate of the Philippines – Biography of Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
• Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada’s Blogspot

Guingona III maintains an official blog, NAKUPO – Empowering the Filipino Consumer!. It initially focused on the privatization of the National Power Corporation, but has expanded its scope to a general advocacy of Filipino consumer rights. The blog also tackles issues such as food security and bringing down the cost of telecommunications services.

Guingona III also contributes to another blog, The Opposite of Apathy, together with San Juan City mayor JV Ejercito, former Representative Gilbert Remulla, lawyer Adel Tamano and professor Danton Remoto.

His father, Teofisto Guingona, Jr., was the 13th Vice President of the Philippines, serving from 2001 to 2004. He is married to Ma. Victoria Guingona.

Other Information

• Born : April 19, 1959
• Also known as : TG
• Nationality : Filipino
• Political party : Liberal Party
• Spouse : Ma. Victoria Guingona
• Relations : Teofisto Guingona, Jr. (father)
• Residence : Bukidnon

Links

• Member Information: Teofisto Guingona III