Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal,often referred to by her initials PGMA and GMA,is a Filipino academic and politician who previously served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. She is the longest serving president of the Philippines since Ferdinand Marcos. Before her accession to the presidency,she served as the 10th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001 under President Joseph Ejercito Estrada,making her the country's first female vice president,despite having run on an opposing ticket. She was also a Senator from 1992 to 1998. After her presidency,she was elected as the Representative of Pampanga's 2nd district in 2010 and later became the Speaker of the House of Representatives on 2018 to 2019. She was also serving in the congress as a Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2017 and from 2022 until 2023. She is one of the only 2 Filipinos to hold at least three of the four highest offices in the country:vice president,president,and house speaker,alongside former President Sergio Osmeña.
Lorna Regina "Loren" Bautista Legarda is a Filipina politician,environmentalist,cultural worker,and former journalist who is currently serving as a Senator and the incumbent president pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines since 2022. This also makes her the first woman to serve as Senate President Pro Tempore in the upper chamber's history. Before entering politics,she began her career as a news reporter until becoming a news anchor. She previously served three terms in the Senate from 1998 to 2004 and from 2007 to 2019. She is the longest-serving female Senator in the history of the Senate,and the only female in the Philippines to top two senatorial elections:1998 and 2007. Legarda was also the House Deputy Speaker during her three-year stint as the representative of Antique from 2019 to 2022.
Saint Michael's College of Laguna (SMCL) is an autonomous college in Biñan,Laguna,Philippines,formerly known as Biñan College. SMCL was founded by the nine Limaco sisters,on August 25,1975. Luisa Limaco-De Leon provided the idea of building the school,Pura Limaco financed the school's operations,while Milagros Limaco,a teacher,was later elected as the chairman of the board and director of the school. The school was named after the Limaco patriarch,Miguel,a philanthropist.
Lyceum of the Philippines University also referred to by its acronym LPU is a private,non-sectarian,coeducational higher education institution located at intramuros in the City of Manila,Philippines. It was founded in 1952 by JoséP. Laurel,who was the third president of the Republic of the Philippines.
Tourism is an important sector for the Philippine economy. The travel and tourism industry contributed 6.2% to the country's GDP in 2022;this was lower than the 12.7% recorded in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Coastal tourism,encompassing beach and diving activities,constitutes 25% of the Philippines' tourism revenue,serving as its primary income source in the sector. Popular destinations among tourists include Boracay,Palawan,Cebu and Siargao. While the Philippines has encountered political and social challenges that have affected its tourism industry,the country has also taken steps to address these issues. Over the past years,there have been efforts to improve political stability,enhance security measures,and promote social inclusivity,all of which contribute to creating a more favorable environment for tourism,such as the Boracay rehabilitation.
Maria Margarita Roxas Moran-Floirendo,professionally known as Margie Moran,is a Filipino beauty queen,actress and peace advocate who was the president of Ballet Philippines and is the chairperson of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She is best known for winning the second Miss Universe crown for the Philippines as Miss Universe 1973.
Richard Juico Gordon is a Filipino lawyer and politician who most recently served as a Senator from 2016 to 2022,and previously from 2004 to 2010. He is the chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross since 2004.
Ceferino "Joker" Paz Arroyo Jr. was a Filipino statesman and key figure in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was a Congressman for Makati from 1992 to 2001 and Senator from 2001 to 2013. Arroyo received various awards and commendations for his significant contributions to the law profession and public service. Among these are the Philippine Bar Association's Most Distinguished Award for Justice as a "man beholden to no one except to his country" and Senate Resolution No. 100 enacted in the 8th Congress citing his invaluable service to the Filipino people. He was also known for being the thriftiest legislator,earning the title of "Scrooge of Congress",as he only had few staff members without bodyguards and did not use his pork barrel funds. In 2018,Arroyo was identified by the Human Rights Victims' Claims Board as a Motu proprio human rights violations victim of the Martial Law Era.
Joaquin G. Bernas SJ was a Jesuit priest,lawyer,college professor and writer who was Dean Emeritus of the Ateneo de Manila Law School in Makati,Philippines. He was a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission which drafted the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
Rosario Manalo,is a Filipino career diplomat,political scientist,and educator in the Philippines. She is the Special Representative of the Philippines to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and has served as undersecretary of Foreign Affairs in charge of International Economic Relations from 1997 to 2001. Moreover,she has served as Philippine ambassador to Sweden,to France,to Belgium and to the European Economic Community.
Karina Roxas Constantino David was a Filipino activist,public servant,and musician best known for being a former chairperson of the Civil Service Commission of the Philippines,and for her opposition to the Martial Law dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos as part of the activist duo "Inang Laya". She also served as the chairperson of the Career Executive Service Board,a government entity supervising the top management personnel of the Philippine government. She was a member of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Board of Trustees.
Nilo Alcala is a Filipino-American composer and 2019 The American Prize Winner in Composition. He is the first Philippine-born composer to be commissioned by Grammy winner Los Angeles Master Chorale,and also to receive the Aaron Copland House Residency Award.
Mona Lisa Yuchengco is a Filipino-American community activist,publisher and filmmaker. She was born in Manila,Philippines and moved to San Francisco in 1982 with her two sons. Yuchengco graduated from Assumption College with degrees in Liberal Arts and Education and earned a master's degree in Business Administration from Ateneo University.
Leticia Valdez Ramos-Shahani was a Filipina senator,diplomat,and writer.
Far Eastern University,also referred to by its acronym FEU,is a private non-sectarian university in Manila,Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts,Business and Finance,FEU became a university in 1934 during the term of its first president,Nicanor Reyes Sr.
Helena Zoila Tirona Benitez was a Filipina academic and administrator of the Philippine Women's University.
Bernadette Fatima Tecson Romulo-Puyat is a Filipino government official,economist,and academic who served as the Secretary of Tourism under the Duterte administration from May 2018 to June 2022,heading the Philippines' Tourism industry through the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. She has since been appointed Deputy Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in charge of financial inclusion,regional operations,and the BSP's Program Management Office. Her previous positions include terms as a consultant for the Presidential Management Staff,Undersecretary for the Department of Agriculture,and lecturer at the UP School of Economics.
Stella Luz Alabastro Quimbo is a Filipino economist,academic,and politician who has served as the representative for Marikina's 2nd congressional district since 2019 as a member of the Liberal Party. She previously served as a commissioner of the Philippine Competition Commission from 2016 up until her resignation in 2019.
Joel M. Toledo is a poet,fictionist,critic,and journalist based in Quezon City,Metro Manila,Philippines. He has been granted residencies by the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio,Italy,and the International Writing Program (IWP) in Iowa,United States.
