Manuel M. Villar Jr.

Note: this biography is lifted from the senate website


Manny Villar was born to humble beginnings in Moriones, Tondo, Manila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., hailed from Cabatuan, Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba came from Orani, Bataan.

At an early age, he helped his mother sell seafood at the Divisoria market in order to support his siblings and himself to school. With the burning desire for a better future and strong determination to improve his family’s lives, Manny finished his studies at the University of the Philippines (UP) where he earned his Bachelor’s and Masters’ degrees in Business Administration. He started his professional career as an accountant and financial analyst for prominent corporations before venturing into his own business.

Armed with an initial capital of only P10,000 and a solid determination to succeed, Manny went on to establish the largest homebuilding company in the country today.

Manny Villar received several awards including the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1986, 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, Manny Villar was named the Most Distinguished Alumnus—the highest recognition given by the University of the Philippines — for his exemplary public service and achievements.

In 1992, he entered politics and was elected Congressman of Las Pinas and Muntinlupa for three terms in a row, consistently posting landslide victories. In 1998, he was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives.

He was elected Senator of the Republic in the year 2001. In July 2006, with the staunch support of a majority of his colleagues, he assumed the Senate Presidency during the third regular session of the 13th Congress. He has previously held the position of Senate President Pro-tempore and the chairmanship of the Committees on Finance, Foreign Relations, Public Order, and Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries.

Manny Villar is the first post-war public official who became both Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President.

He is the President of the Nacionalista Party—the country’s grandest political party.

Manny Villar dreams to help and inspire Filipinos to fulfill their dreams thru hard work and determination (Sipag at Tiyaga) – the same values that helped him conquer poverty and succeed in life.

Benigno "NoyNoy" Aquino III

Benigno Simeón Cojuangco Aquino III (born February 8, 1960) is the son of Benigno Aquino Jr., a former senator and Marcos critic and Corazon Aquino, a former Philippine president. A current Senator to the 14th Congress of the Philippines, he served as former Representative of the 2nd District of the province of Tarlac to the 11th, 12th, and 13th Congress of the Philippines (1998-2007).

Biography

Noynoy, as he is fondly called, was born in Manila to a clan of politicians. He is the only son of Benigno Aquino, Jr. and former President Corazon C. Aquino. He has four other siblings, Kristina Bernadette, Maria Elena, Aurora Corazon and Victoria Eliza.

He completed his elementary, secondary, and college education at the Ateneo de Manila University where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Economics in 1981. After graduation, Noynoy became a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress in 1983. He also worked humbly as a retail sales supervisor for Nike Shoes and as an assistant for advertising and promotion for Mondragon Philippines, both in 1985 to 1986. He also was the vice president and treasurer for Best Security Agency Corporation from 1986 to 1993 and served as executive assistant for administration (1993-1996) and fields service manager (1996-1998) for Central Azucarera Tarlac.

Political career

He is a member of the Liberal Party, the banner of the political opposition. He ran for congressman in 1998 and served as Representative of the 2nd District of Tarlac until 2007. During his term, he served on numerous committees, namely:

• Civil, Political & Human Rights (Vice-Chairman), Public Order & Security, Transportation & Communications, Agriculture, Banks & Financial Intermediaries, Peoples’ Participation, Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, Appropriations, Natural Resources, Trade & Industry (11th Congress)
• Civil, Political &Human Rights, Good Government, Public Order & Security, Inter-Parliamentary Relations & Diplomacy (12th Congress)
• Banks & Financial Intermediaries, Energy, Export Promotion, Public Order & Safety (13th Congress)

He was then elected as Senator in the 2007 midterm elections under the Genuine Opposition, a coalition comprising a number of parties, including his own Liberal Party. With more than 14.3 million votes, Aquino's tally was the sixth highest of the 37 candidates for the 12 vacant seats elected from the nation at large. He assumed his new office on June 30, 2007.

Presidential run

A few weeks after her mother's death, a petition for Aquino to run as president on the 2010 election was sponsored by different organizations. “Noypi” or “Noynoy Para sa Pilipinas” was formed by several groups to support the presidential bid of Senator Aquino. Senator Mar Roxas, who has previously announced his own desire to run for the 2010 elections gave way for Aquino's candidacy.

Aquino was still uncertain if he would run for the presidency and went to the Carmelite Convent in Zamboanga on September 4, 2009 for a few days of spiritual retreat. He said he wanted to be enlightened before making a decision.

After his retreat, Aquino made the announcement of his bid for the presidency on September 9, 2009 at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan.

According to a Special Survey by the Social Weather Station, Aquino was preferred by 50% of the 1,200 respondents from a pre-selected list of presidential candidates.

Personal life

Noynoy Aquino remains to be single, but has been rumored to have had past relationships with Korina Sanchez, Bernadette Sembrano, and actress Diana Zubiri. At age 49, Aquino remains single but is in a relationship with Valenzuela City councilor Shalani Soledad.

Recognition

He is part of the Philippine Tatler's list of Who's Who of the Philippines.

for full information about Noynoy Aquino visit his website.

Datu Pakung "Pax" Mangudadatu

Hon. Pakung S. Mandudadatu also known as Pax Mangudadatu is the newly elected Representative of the 1st district of Sultan Kudarat with Tacurong City under the administration's Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) party.

He was born in Buluan, Cotabato (now Buluan, Maguindanao). He served as municipal mayor of Lutayan before he ran for governor of the province in 1998. During his campaign for governor, he and Rep. Angelo Montilla created the SK UNA political party. He defeated Sultan Kudarat Vice Gov. Rose Jamison for governor of the province and making history as the first Muslim governor of the Christian-dominated province. He served as provincial governor for nine years from 1998-2007. During his campaign for his last term as governor last 2004, he was challenged by his ally Rep. Angelo Montilla who he defeated. He was reelected as governor and his son, Mayor Suharto Mangudadatu of Lutayan won the lone district congressional race.

Last May 14, 2007, he was elected as representative of the first district of the province over his rival Angelo Montilla. Again, he made history for being the first representative of the first district of the province; While his son, Rep. Suharto Mangudadatu, succeeded him as provincial governor.

Datu Zaldy Ampatuan

Zaldy Ampatuan (born August 22, 1967) is the Governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and was elected on August 8, 2005. He is former chairman of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats for ARMM, but was ejected when his brother, Andal Ampatuan Jr., was accused of carrying out the Maguindanao massacre. He is one of the sons of Andal Ampatuan Sr., head of the powerful Ampatuan family political clan in Maguindanao province.

On December 8, 2007, P1,000 bills rained at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) when 2 Mindanao governors played Santa Claus. Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and his father Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan distributed the bills near the VIP lounge, before a 5:20 p.m. flight for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for “30 to 40 minutes."