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of the Philippines 1987–1992 |
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Palawan 1965-1971, 1987–1992 |
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1986-1987 |
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1984-1986 |
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1971-1972 |
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| Political Party: | Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (1987–2000) |
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| Born: | February 4, 1928 Puerto Princesa City, Palawan |
| Died: | March 20, 2000 (aged 72) Makati City, Metro Manila |
| Spouse: | Cecilia Aldeguer Blanco |
Ramon Villarosa Mitra, Jr. (born February 4, 1928: Puerto Princesa, Palawan — died March 20, 2000: Makati City), was a prominent politician and a pro-democracy activist of the Philippines.
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Early life and career
Mitra was born inside the Iwahig Penal Colony in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan to Ramon P. Mitra y Mariño and Purification Villarosa. He attended public school for elementary education and took his secondary education in San Beda College, Manila. He finished his Liberal Arts degree in Baguio City and obtained his Bachelor of Laws in San Beda.
Mitra was appointed as a Philippine Foreign Service Officer in Washington, D.C. and at the United Nations from 1954 to 1961; in 1961 he was appointed as special assistant to the Office of President Quirino. He then became a senior technical assistant to the Office of the Mayor Villegas of Manila from 1962 up to 1965.
Political life
Mitra was elected congressman representing Palawan for two terms from 1965 and was minority leader within five years. He resigned during his second term to run for the senate and was elected senator in 1971. During the campaign, he was nearly killed in Plaza Miranda by hand grenades at the anti-Marcos political rally of the Liberal Party. In September 1972, his term was cut short by Martial Law. Mitra was one of the first arrested and jailed when Marcos declared martial law. "I am a Martial Law Victim," he would say.
In 1978, Monching ran for the Interim Batasang Pambansa together with Sen. Ninoy Aquino. In 1984 he was elected as an Assemblyman to the Regular Batasang Pambansa. After the People Power Revolution in 1986, Mitra joined the Aquino administration and was appointed as Agriculture Minister. After the restoration of the House of Representatives, he ran as Congressman representing the second district of Palawan. He was eventually elected as Speaker of the House at its inaugural session.
In 1991, Mitra, who was also the party president of the LDP Party, was selected in a party convention as the candidate for the presidency ahead of Defense secretary Fidel Ramos. Ramos bolted the party and formed his own party- the Lakas ng Tao Party. Mitra's bid was difficult because he was branded as a traditional politician and suffered many controversies including the alleged use of the congressional printing press for his election materials. More painfully, the Widow of his friend did not support him. This together with all the other issues brought Mitra's defeat in the 1992 election.
In 1995, he agreed to create a coalition with Fidel V. Ramos and formed the Lakas-Laban Coalition. In the 1995 elections, he ran for senator but lost. In the 1998 elections, he returned to the political spotlight as a key supporter of Joseph Estrada's successful presidential campaign. Estrada rewarded Mitra by naming him President of the state-owned Philippine National Oil Corporation.
Personal life
"Monching," as he was popularly known, was married to Cecilia Aldeguer Blanco in April 1959; they had six children, all of which are boys. Mitra's sons are continuously in the service of the Motherland; his third son, Ramon who grauated from the Philippine Military Academy in 1988 served in the Philippine Marine Corps and is now part of the senatorial slate for May 2010 elections of the Nacionalista Party. Bernardo, his fourth son, has been working for government in various capacities since 1989 and his youngest, Abraham, is currently on his 3rd term as Congressman of the second district of Palawan and is currently running for the office of the Governor.
During a noisy night rally of farmers and fishermen in the midst of the 1992 presidential elections, everyone grew quiet as Monching spoke of his rags to riches story:
"All candidates say they're going to do something about poverty," he said in soft, soothing tones. "I don't doubt the sincerity of their words. But do they really know how it is to be poor? Do they really know how it is to be hungry, really hungry? I do. "Do they know how to throw a fishing net, how to fish from a boat through the long night? I do... The farmer who follows the carabao, what he thinks and what he feels, is something I know very well."[1]
With that, the white-haired, white-bearded candidate confessed he was a "love child" born out of wedlock, reared barefoot and hungry, who caught crocodiles as a youth and was shunned by his affluent father. From those humble roots, Monching rose to be a lawyer, diplomat, senator and martial law prisoner, millionaire rancher and eventually, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ramon V. Mitra was one of the nation's most powerful politicians.[2]
He had a life-long involvement with cattle. He was Chairman of the Farm Management Enterprises Corporation which owned and operated farm cattle ranches and was a breeder of gamecocks, thoroughbred horses, and cattle. When Monching conceded defeat in the 1992 presidential race, he found solace within the fences of his ranch and after which, continued to live his life as a farmer.
Mitra, at the age of 72, died at the Makati Medical Center from liver cancer. One of his last requests was to be buried beside a lighthouse in Palawan, with simple funeral rites unlike his predecessors in the House. In one of his last interviews, he said "the lighthouse overlooks the ocean where all boats entering and leaving Puerto Princesa Bay pass by. By making that my final resting place, I can continuously guide and protect my people."
A building was named after him serving as the West Wing in the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.
Currently, his grandchildren are following in his footsteps in politics by serving as student leaders in their respective schools- two of which are PAREF Woodrose School and Xavier School.
References
- ^ Los Aneles Times Newspaper Archive Latimes.com
- ^ Los Aneles Times Newspaper Archive Latimes.com
External links
- House of Representatives of the Philippines
- PCSD pays tribute to the father (Ramon Mitra, Jr.) and author of SEP (Strategic Environmental Plan) R.A. 7611
| Preceded by Salvador H. Escudero III |
Minister of the Department of Agriculture 1986–1987 |
Succeeded by Carlos G. Dominguez |
| Preceded by Restored |
Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines 1987–1992 |
Succeeded by Jose C. de Venecia, Jr. |
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