Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo, often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. She is the longest-serving president since Ferdinand Marcos. Before her presidency, she was the 10th vice president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001 under President Joseph Estrada, becoming the first female vice president. 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 continues to serve in this role. She also served as the speaker of the House from 2018 to 2019, and as deputy speaker from 2016 to 2017 and 2022 to 2023. Alongside former president Sergio Osmeña, she is one of only two Filipinos to hold at least three of the four highest offices: vice president, president, and house speaker.
Diosdado Ignacio Jose Maria "Dato" Macapagal Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2016. He represented Camarines Sur's 1st district from 2007 to 2010, and the 2nd district from 2010 to 2016. Born into the Macapagal family, his mother, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, served as the 14th president of the Philippines, while his grandfather and namesake, Diosdado Macapagal, was the 9th president.
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970. He was the father of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who followed his path as President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010.
Carlos Polestico Garcia, often referred to by his initials CPG, was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist, guerrilla and Commonwealth military leader who was the eighth President of the Philippines. A lawyer by profession, Garcia entered politics when he became representative of Bohol’s 3rd district in the House of Representatives. He then served as a senator from 1945 to 1953. In 1953 he was the running mate of Ramon Magsaysay in the 1953 presidential election. He then served as vice president from 1953 to 1957. After the death of Magsaysay in March 1957, he succeeded to the presidency. He won a full term in the 1957 presidential election. He ran for a second full term as president in the 1961 presidential election and was defeated by Vice President Diosdado Macapagal.
National University commonly known as NU, colloquially National U, is a private non–sectarian university located in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. The founder of the university, Mariano F. Jhocson Sr., established the institution on August 1, 1900, as Colegio Filipino in Quiapo, Manila. It is considered as the first private nonsectarian and coeducational institution in the Philippines and also, the first university to use English as its medium of instruction, replacing Spanish.
Regidor Lim de la Rosa, professionally known as Rogelio de la Rosa, was a Filipino actor and politician. He was one of the most popular Filipino matinee idols of the 20th century. He is also remembered for his statesmanship, and in particular, for his accomplishments as a diplomat. Elected to the Philippine Senate from 1957 to 1963, he was the first Filipino film actor to parlay his fame into a substantial political career, paving the way for other future Filipino entertainers-turned-politicians such as Senators Ramon Revilla Sr., Tito Sotto, Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada, Lito Lapid, Freddie Webb, Robin Padilla, and President Joseph Estrada.
Jose Wright Diokno, also known as "Ka Pepe", was a Filipino nationalist, lawyer, and statesman. Regarded as the "Father of Human Rights," he served as Senator of the Philippines, Secretary of Justice, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Human Rights, and founder of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), the premier group of Filipino human rights lawyers. Diokno is the only person to top both the Philippine Bar Examination and the board exam for Certified Public Accountants (CPA). His career was dedicated to the promotion of human rights, the defense of Philippine sovereignty, and the enactment of pro-Filipino economic legislation.
Romeo J. Callejo Sr. was the 152nd associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the court on August 26, 2002, by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and served until his mandatory retirement on April 27, 2007.
José Yulo was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines during the Japanese Occupation and was Speaker of the National Assembly of the Philippines from 1939 until World War II started in 1941. Yulo served in all of the branches of government: the legislative as House Speaker, congressman, and senator; the executive as Secretary of Justice and member of the Cabinet; and the judiciary as the Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He and his family also owned the Canlubang Sugar Estate that they bought in 1948.
The Far Eastern University – Institute of Law, also known as FEU Law or IL, is the Legal Education Board-accredited law school of the Far Eastern University. It is one of the four earliest institutes that comprised the university in 1934.
The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law or "UST Law" is a law school in Manila, Philippines. It is administered under the jurisdiction of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest existing university in the Asia. It is one of the three law schools of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, with the other two being the Faculty of Canon Law and the Graduate School of Law.
Jose "Joe" Bulaon Lingad, also known by his initials JBL, was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as governor of Pampanga from 1948 to 1951 and representative of Pampanga's 1st district from 1969 to 1972. He also became commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs then subsequently secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment. He is one of the victims of the Martial law at the hands of Ferdinand Marcos in 1980.
Simeon V. Marcelo is a Filipino lawyer and was the third Ombudsman of the Philippines. As the Ombudsman, he acted as protector of the people against the illegal and unjust acts of those who are in the public service. He investigated government officials, including members of the police and the military, who were suspected of committing graft and corruption. Notably, he served as the principal private prosecutor in the impeachment case of Former President Joseph Estrada, the 13th President of the Republic of the Philippines. After 3 years as Ombudsman, he resigned due to serious health problems. He was then replaced by Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez.
Arsenio Hilario Sison Lacson Sr. was a Filipino lawyer, journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as 1st to be elected and 15th Mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive likened by Time and The New York Times to New York City's Fiorello La Guardia, he was the first Manila mayor to be reelected to three terms. Nicknamed "Arsenic" and described as "a good man with a bad mouth", Lacson's fiery temperament became a trademark of his political and broadcasting career. He died suddenly from a stroke amidst talk that he was planning to run in the 1965 presidential election.
Jose Bayani "Pepito" Hidalgo Laurel Jr., also known as Jose B. Laurel Jr., was a Filipino politician who was elected twice as speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. A stalwart of the Nacionalista Party, he was the party's candidate for the country's vice president in the 1957 elections.
Juan Miguel "Mikey" Macapagal Arroyo is a Filipino politician and former actor who served as the Representative of Pampanga's 2nd district from 2019 to 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2010. He previously served as the vice governor of Pampanga from 2001 to 2004. Born into the Macapagal family of Pampanga, his mother, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, served as the 14th president of the Philippines, while his grandfather, Diosdado Macapagal, was the 9th president. His father, First Gentleman Atty. Mike Arroyo, former Speaker of the House and Vice President, is a descendant of Philippine Revolutionary General, Gen. Aniceto Lacson of Negros Occidental.
Alberto Segismundo Cruz was a Filipino poet, short story writer and novelist. Three of his novels have been published by Ateneo de Manila Press.
Neptali Alvaro Gonzales, better known as Neptali Gonzales, Sr., was a Filipino politician who served as the President of the Philippine Senate from 1992 to 1993, 1995 to 1996, and 1998.
Ancestral houses of the Philippines or Heritage Houses are homes owned and preserved by the same family for several generations as part of the Filipino family culture. It corresponds to long tradition by Filipino people of giving reverence for ancestors and elders. Houses could be a simple house to a mansion. The most common ones are the "Bahay na Bato". Some houses of prominent families had become points of interest or museums in their community because of its cultural, architectural or historical significance. These houses that are deemed of significant importance to the Filipino culture are declared Heritage House by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), previously known as the National Historical Institute (NHI) of the Philippines. Preservation is of utmost importance as some ancestral houses have come into danger due to business people who buy old houses in the provinces, dismantle them then sell the parts as ancestral building materials for homeowners wishing to have the ancestral ambiance on their houses. These ancestral houses provide the current generation a look back of the country's colonial past through these old houses.
Bar topnotchers in the Philippines are bar examinees who garnered the highest bar exam grades in a particular year. Every year, the Supreme Court releases the bar top ten list. The list contains the names of bar examinees who obtained the ten highest grades. It is possible for more than ten examinees to place in the top ten because numerical ties in the computation of grades usually occur.
