Gary Alejano

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Cajoloand the surname or paternal family name is Alejano.

Gary Alejano
Alejano in 2016
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives for Magdalo Party-List
In office June 30, 2013 –June 30, 2019 ServingwithAshley Acedillo (2013–2016)
Personal details
Born	Gary Cajolo Alejano (1973-01-22) January 22, 1973 (age 52) Sipalay, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Political party	Magdalo
Other political affiliations	Liberal (2019)
Alma mater	University of Cebu Philippine Military Academy
Occupation	Soldier (formerly), politician
Military career
Allegiance	Philippines
Branch	Philippine Navy
Years of service	1995–2008
Unit	Philippine Marine Corps Presidential Security Group
Battles / wars	Moro conflict Oakwood mutiny Manila Peninsula siege

Gary Cajolo Alejano Sr. ^[1] is a Filipino politician and former soldier who was a member of the House of Representatives for Magdalo Party-List. He was a major participant in the Oakwood mutiny in 2003 and the Manila Peninsula siege in 2007, both involving military personnel who expressed grievances against perceived corruption in the Arroyo administration.

Early life and education

Gary Alejano was born in 1973 in Sipalay, Negros Occidental. He is the third eldest among a brood of five born to a farmer and a teacher. He pursued a degree in electrical engineering for two years at the University of Cebu before taking the physical admission examinations at the Philippine Military Academy with his trip to Manila supported by a South Korean martial arts group. ^[2]

Alejano kept his attempt to enter the PMA a secret from his mother who initially opposed him in becoming a soldier. ^[2] Nevertheless, Alejano entered the PMA and later graduated in 1995. ^[3]

Military career

Alejano was part of the Philippine Marines and held the rank of captain.. ^[3] He was part of the force reconnaissance unit who fought against Moro rebels in southern Mindanao. This included the 2000 campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) during the presidency of Joseph Estrada. He survived a shot near the head in Maguindanao during battle with the MILF, ^[2] and was nominated for the AFP Medal of Valor which remained pending as of 2017 due to his participation in mutiny. ^[4]

Oakwood mutiny

Main article: Oakwood mutiny

In July 2003, he was part of the Oakwood mutiny against the administration of president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and led by Antonio Trillanes, Gerardo Gambala and Nicanor Faeldon, where more than 300 armed forces personnel occupied the Oakwood Premier building in Makati and demanded the resignation of top military and police officials due to grievances in how the government supervised the military. ^[5] Alejano at the time was part of the Presidential Security Group. The mutiny failed and the soldiers were arrested and faced rebellion charges. ^[3]

Manila Peninsula siege

Main article: Manila Peninsula siege

In 2007, Alejano was part of the Manila Peninsula siege also led by Trillanes. He was dismissed in 2008 from the military after a court-martial found him guilty for violating the article of war. ^[3]

Political career

Alejano ran for mayor of Sipalay, Negros Occidental in the 2010 election but lost to incumbent mayor Oscar Montilla. ^[3] Magdalo also tried to run as a partylist group but its accreditation was blocked by the Commission on Election (COMELEC). ^[6]

After his loss, Alejano filed an election protest against mayor Montilla, and soon after filed another case against him before COMELEC that charged Montilla with vote buying and illegal use of government funds. The latter case, supported by human rights lawyer Harry Roque, was the first lawsuit filed with the help of Center Law, a group of lawyers largely from the University of the Philippines Diliman that aims to bring reforms to the Philippine electoral system. ^[7]

President Benigno Aquino III, Arroyo's successor who took office in 2010, granted Alejano and his companions in the two mutinies pardon. ^[3]

House of Representatives

Magdalo, after formally renouncing violence, was allowed to contest in the 2013 election. The group won two seats, which was filled by Alejano and Ashley Acedillo. ^[3]

The group lost a seat in the 2016 election which preceded the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. Alejano as first nominee remained in the lower house. Alejano filed an impeachment case against Duterte in March 2017 for allegedly adopting a state policy that encourages extrajudicial killings by police officials and "vigilante groups" during the Philippine drug war, his unexplained wealth, and corrupt practices as mayor of Davao City. ^{[3] [8]} The case was dismissed by the House Justice Committee as chaired by Reynaldo Umali after they deemed it to be insufficient in substance. ^[9] He has been critical of Duterte's war on drugs and his policy on the South China Sea dispute. ^[10]

Magdalo kept its seat in the 2019 election, but Manuel Cabochan took over since Alejano ran for the Senate. ^[11] Magdalo failed to win any seats in the 2022 and 2025 elections. ^{[12] [13]}

2019 Senate bid

Alejano ran in the 2019 Senate election under the Liberal Party banner. ^{[14] [15]} He was part of opposition Otso Diretso coalition. ^[16] Like the rest of the slate, Alejano eventually lost, receiving 4,726,652 of votes and placing 23rd in the official results. ^[17]

References

1. "Alejano, Gary Sr. Cajolo (Liberal Party)". UP sa Halalan. April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
2. Punzalan, Jamaine (April 5, 2019). "Alejano in 'most difficult' election fight without Arroyo as nemesis". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
3. Fonbuena, Carmela (March 16, 2017). "Gary Alejano, mutineer and ex-Marine, leads impeach bid vs Duterte". Rappler. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
4. Dizon, Nikko (March 18, 2017). "Alejano takes fights vs presidents to Congress". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
5. Punongbayan, Michael (April 25, 2008). "Oakwood takeover was no coup, Biazon tells Makati court". The Philippine Star . Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved April 2, 2024. Testifying before the Makati Regional Trial Court, the retired Armed Forces chief said compared to the 1987 and 1989 military uprisings, the 2003 Oakwood mutiny was not a coup because the soldiers did not call for President Arroyo's removal from Malacañang...
6. Crisostomo, Sheila (October 28, 2009). "Comelec denies Magdalo's application for accreditation". Philstar.com . Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
7. "Alejano files election raps vs Montilla". SunStar . SunStar Publishing Inc. June 18, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
8. Villmayor, Felipe (March 16, 2017). "Philippine Lawmaker Moves to Impeach Duterte". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
9. Cepeda, Mara (May 15, 2017). "Alejano slams House as Duterte puppet after losing impeachment bid". Rappler. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
10. "Magdalo's Alejano to run for senator in 2019". ABS-CBN News. June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
11. Deona, Marga (June 8, 2019). "Rappler Talk: Magdalo's Manuel Cabochan on his new role as party-list representative". Rappler. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
12. Buan, Lian (October 2, 2024). "Magdalo eyes House return. Which opposition will it be?". Rappler. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
13. Flores, Dominique Nicole. "LIST: Final party-list ranking in the 2025 elections". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
14. Arceo, Acor (June 5, 2018). "Opposition lawmaker Gary Alejano to run for senator". Rappler. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
15. Cepeda, Mara (October 15, 2018). "Magdalo congressman Gary Alejano files candidacy for senator". Rappler. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
16. Talabong, Rambo (February 16, 2019). "Service sans the uniform: Former military, policemen seek gov't posts in 2019". Rappler. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
17. Gutierrez, Jason (May 14, 2019). "Philippines Election: Duterte Allies Sweep Senate, Unofficial Results Indicate". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 30, 2025.