Emilio de la Paz Jr.
Emilio de la Paz Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Minister of Justice | |
| In office July 9, 1986 – 1989[1] | |
| Appointed by | Corazon Aquino |
| Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) from Pasig–Marikina | |
| In office June 30, 1984 – March 25, 1986 Serving with Augusto Sanchez | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Emilio Nuñez de la Paz Jr. December 29, 1922 Philippine Islands |
| Died | July 15, 1999 (aged 76) Mandaluyong City, Philippines |
| Political party | UNIDO (1984–1986) |
| Alma mater | University of Santo Tomas (LL.B.) |
Emilio Nuñez de la Paz Jr. (December 29, 1922 – July 15, 1999), nicknamed Miling[2] or Emelito, was a Filipino lawyer and politician. De la Paz served as an UNIDO assemblyman of the district of Pasig–Marikina alongside Augusto Sanchez from 1984 to 1986, and had previously served as dean of the College of Law at the Lyceum of the Philippines University.
Early life and education
[edit]De la Paz was born in 1922 to politician and Spanish-language journalist[3] Emilio de la Paz Sr. (1895–1951) from Marikina, Rizal and Maria Nuñez. Both his uncle and his cousin, Wenceslao de la Paz and Enrique de la Paz respectively, served as mayors of Marikina, the former from 1931 to 1938 and the latter in 1945.[3]
De la Paz graduated from the Ateneo de Manila High School in 1940,[2] and earned a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Santo Tomas.[4]
Legal career
[edit]In the 1960s, de la Paz served as dean of the College of Law at the Lyceum of the Philippines University.[5]
In 1971, de la Paz and journalist-lawyer Augusto "Bobbit" Sanchez served as delegates in the 1971 Constitutional Convention, where they represented the 2nd district of Rizal.
Assemblyman of Pasig–Marikina (1984–1986)
[edit]In 1984, during the dictatorship of president Ferdinand Marcos, de la Paz was invited to run alongside Bobbit Sanchez in the Batasang Pambansa (transl. National Assembly) election for assemblyman of the district of Pasig–Marikina under the UNIDO electoral opposition alliance, but was hesitant to become a candidate due to his lack of funds. Barangay captain Harry Singh of Marikina Heights and his two colleagues attempted to convince him further, but when he remained unmoved, they decided to file a certificate of candidacy with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in de la Paz's name, which they later presented to de la Paz to finally persuade him to run.[6] During an UNIDO-Laban party meeting, former Marikina councilor Rodolfo B. Valentino became his campaign manager while Singh became his tactician.[7][better source needed]
Both de la Paz and Sanchez won their seats representing the district of Pasig–Marikina, defeating candidates Danny Floro and Dindo Fernando who both ran under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL; transl. New Society Movement), the administration party established by president Marcos.[7][better source needed] As assemblyman, de la Paz made Singh his chief of staff.
Department of Justice
[edit]In early 1986, after the ouster of president Marcos and his family in the People Power Revolution, de la Paz was appointed by president Corazon Aquino as an undersecretary at the Ministry of Justice (later the Department of Justice). By July 9, 1986, de la Paz was sworn in as deputy minister of justice.[4] Barangay captain Harry Singh later credited de la Paz with recommending Rodolfo Valentino's appointment as mayor of Marikina to president Aquino in 1986.[8]
As an undersecretary of justice during the Aquino administration, de la Paz assisted political detainees from the Marcos dictatorship in seeking legal recourse for their criminal charges.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Philippine Computer Directory. Quezon City: Computer Connection Inc. 1989. p. 270. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ a b Henares, Larry M. (December 8, 1990). "Ateneo HS '40: Gathering of the Eagles". Manila Standard. Kagitingan Publications, Inc. p. 11. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Santiago, Luciano P. R. (1998). "The Last Hacendera: Doña Teresa de la Paz, 1841-1890". Philippine Studies. 46 (3). Ateneo de Manila University Press: 342.
- ^ a b "Deputy justice minister sworn in" (PDF). Manila Bulletin. Manila: Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. July 10, 1986. p. 4. Retrieved May 20, 2025 – via Southeast Asia Report.
- ^ Cruz, Isagani A. (March 9, 2002). "Memories and felicitations". Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. p. A6. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
The succeeding roster of deans included Luciano Salazar, Jesus A. Barrera, Cecilia Muñoz Palma, Felix Makasiar, Emilio de la Paz Jr., and me.
- ^ Singh, Harry (June 20, 2019). "Sa aking personal na mga karanasan sa aking propersyon [sic] bilang electoral tactician..." [In my personal experiences in my profession as an electoral tactician...]. Facebook (in Filipino). Meta Platforms, Inc. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
Kinausap namin tatlo (kasama ko sina Ruben Montoya at Jojo Pinga) si Emelito ngunit talagang ayaw dahil sa kawalan ng perang gagastahin sa kampanya...
- ^ a b Singh, Harry (June 20, 2019). "Matapos ito, ay nagpatawag na ng meeting mga lider ng Unido Laban..." [After this, the leaders of Unido Laban called for a meeting...]. Facebook (in Filipino). Meta Platforms, Inc. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
Ang kalaban namin ay ang KBL party na ang kandidato ay sina Danny Floro (Pasig) ng Crispa at si Dindo Fernando (Marikina) at kanilang Marikina campaign manager ay si Mayor Munding de Guzman!
- ^ Singh, Harry (June 20, 2019). "Bago naganap ang EDSA uprising noong Pebrero, 1986..." [Before the EDSA uprising of February, 1986 occurred...]. Facebook (in Filipino and English). Meta Platforms, Inc. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
...but after 45 days ay inappoint ni Pangulong Cory Aquino based sa rekomendasyon ni Usec Emilio dela Paz ng DOJ sina Rudy Valentino as Mayor and Ponchit Salvador as Vice Mayor of Marikina!
- ^ Adversario, Patricia L. (March 5–11, 1986). "Is the PHCR up to its task?" (PDF). Veritas. Quezon City. pp. 22–23. Retrieved May 23, 2025 – via Southeast Asia Report.