Manuel Leuterio de Castro, Jr. (born July 6, 1949), better known as Noli de Castro or “Kabayan”, is a politician and former broadcast journalist in the Philippines. De Castro was elected Senator in 2001 and was elected as Vice President of the Philippines in 2004. He is also the current secretary for housing and urban development. He is the first independent Senatorial topnotcher and the first elected independent Vice-President.
On January, 2008, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) directory officially listed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s personal advisers and assistants (undersecretaries, directors and assistant secretaries) in the total of 54. These exclude those under the offices of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye and their bureaus and agencies attached to the Office of the President. Vice President Noli de Castro’s office pays only 3 officials: a chief of staff, an assistant chief of staff and a director for administration and finance.
MANILA, Philippines – Two men claiming to be sons from a previous marriage of Arlene Sinsuat de Castro, the wife of Vice President Noli de Castro, yesterday filed several complaints against her before the National Bureau of Investigation.
Jhoveenel Ombus Olor, 34, and his brother Arjurie Omar, 33, both of Calamba, Laguna, filed complaints for bigamy, perjury and falsification of documents against Arlene.
Vice President de Castro and his wife refused to comment on the cases, saying they would just let their lawyers respond to the charges.
THE LOPEZ FACTOR
But perhaps more than the reports of unethical journalistic practices, it is De Castro’s Lopez connection that is the public’s unspoken fear. Long a fixture in Philippine politics and business, the Lopezes preside over an interlocking web of business interests that range from power generation to power distribution, telecommunications to water concessions, infrastructure, to broadcasting and publishing. Because of some of their companies’ histories, the Lopezes are perceived by many as having monopolistic tendencies and prone to ruthless business tactics.
Numerous focus-group discussions conducted by the TV industry show that the viewing public perceives the Lopezes to be using ABS-CBN to further their interests. The question many Filipinos have now is this: Would they likewise use de Castro for their own ends if and when he becomes president?
Assets and Liabilities
- Total Assets (in pesos): 29,843,960.00
- Total Liabilities (in pesos): 5,960,750.00
- Net Worth (in pesos): 23,883,210.00
Businesses reported owned by VP Noli de Castro
- ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. (conjugal) , Quezon City, Stockholder
- Bayan Co. Inc. (conjugal), Quezon City, Part-owners
- MGB Foods Co. Inc., Quezon City, Part-owners
Awards
- Diploma
- Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) – Central Luzon State University, April 14, 2005, Science City, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija
THE Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, yesterday dismissed and terminated the election protest filed by Sen. Loren Legarda against Vice President Noli de Castro for failure to sufficiently prove her claim of fraud.
In a 20-page resolution penned by Senior Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, the tribunal dismissed for lack of legal and factual basis the first aspect of Legarda’s protest involving the correction of errors of the certificates of canvass and election returns.
Vice President Noli de Castro yesterday said that he has decided to decline President Gloria Macapagal Arroyos offer to name him secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Juliano Soliman will remain head of the department, he said in a statement. Read more
THOUGH many of his townmates in Pola, Oriental Mindoro, remember Sen. Manuel “Noli” de Castro with fondness and admiration, his critics scoff at him as nothing more than a bundle of discrepancies.
As the May 10 election draws nearer, allegations have been made more stridently in the media against the man the opinion surveys consistently say is most likely to win the vice-presidential race.
Author of 252 bills and resolutions, 140 of which he principally authored, including bills which, propose: Read more
