Miriam Defensor-Santiago, born Miriam Palma Defensor, is a Filipina lawyer, politician, and a Senator of the Philippines, with a focus on Constitutional Law. She is the founder and current leader of the People’s Reform Party as well as its former presidential candidate. Santiago was born in Iloilo City, Iloilo to District Judge Benjamin A. Defensor and Dimpna Palma Defensor, a school principal. In her youth, she graduated as class valedictorian in both elementary and high school levels. She completed her secondary education at Iloilo High School (now Iloilo National High School).
Despite a three-month bout with illness, Santiago attended the University of the Philippines in Diliman. There she continued to participate in numerous oratorical, public speaking, and debate contests. She became the first female editor-in-chief of the university’s student newspaper, The Philippine Collegian and was twice made Corps Sponsor of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Her classmates include the likes of former Senate President Franklin Drilon, San Juan Representative Ronaldo Zamora, and Eli Pamatong.
Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano, born Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano, popularly known as Compañera Pia or Pia, is a Filipino lawyer, politician in the Philippines. She is the only daughter of the late Senator Renato “Compañero” Cayetano and German-American former school teacher Sandra Schramm. She has three brothers. Alan Peter is a current senator (until 2013) and a popular critic of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Rene Carl is an ex-councilor of Muntinlupa City and the owner of the collectible figurine store “Maxicollector”, while Lino Edgardo is a popular television and movie director and former beau of KC Concepcion.
From 1992 until 1995, she was an associate lawyer of the Castillo, Laman Tan, and Pantaleon Law Offices who specializes in corporate law and intellectual property laws. From 1996 to 1999 she was an officer for the legal and corporate affairs of the Belle Corporation and its affiliates including the gaming conglomerate BW Resources. In 2000, she was a general counsel of the Philweb Corporation. In 2001 she was appointed as chairman of the Maxi Group of Companies, a retailer and distributor of educational toys, infant apparel and accessories.
Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, born Ana Theresia Hontiveros, is a Filipino activist, journalist, and politician who is serving her second term as the party-list representative of the Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party to the Philippines’ House of Representatives since 2004. Having served as a journalist for ten years before venturing into politics, she is a recipient of the Kapisanan ng Mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas’ Golden Dove Award for Best Female Newscaster.
She also earned a Nobel peace prize nomination for her work as chair the Government Panel’s Reciprocal Working Committee on Socio-Economic Reforms in the Peace Talks with the National Democratic Front from 1998 to 1999. She is the older sister of Journalist and Television Host Pia Hontiveros.
Juan Romeo Nereus Olaivar Acosta, popularly known as Neric Acosta, is a politician, academician, and political scientist in the Philippines. He is a former member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representing the first district of the province of Bukidnon from 1998 to 2007.
Acosta was born on May 14, 1966 in Phillips, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. Acosta studied at Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School in Phillips, Bukidnon, graduating valedictorian in 1979. He studied in Xavier University during high school, graduating first honors in 1981. Acosta earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of the Philippines in 1986, and attended the UP College of Law but did not graduate.
Doctor Martin "Dr. B" Donato Bautista is a gastroenterologist who had spent the last 17 years working in Oklahoma, United States. Last year, he went home for good with his wife and four daughters and was later convinced to run under the Ang Kapatiran ticket.
Jose Mikael Mortel Bautista, more popularly known by his screen name Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr., or simply Bong Revilla, is a Filipino actor, politician and senator of the Republic of the Philippines. He was born Jose Mikael Mortel Bautista to Jose Acuña Bautista (better known as Ramon Revilla) and Azucena Mortel Bautista. In 1979, he finished his elementary education at Jesus Good Shepherd School in Palico II, Imus, Cavite. It is not documented whether he started or finished high School.
Revilla is known for his lead roles in numerous action movies during the 1980s and the 1990s. He also starred in a few movies alongside his father, Ramon Revilla. Recently, he has been involved in a number of comedy related movies and TV shows in former actor in GMA-7.
Jose Pimentel Ejercito, better known as Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a former film actor and a current Senator in the Philippines. He was born to former President Joseph Estrada and former senator Luisa Estrada. He is the half brother of incumbent San Juan City, Mayor Joseph V. Ejercito.
He was born in Manila, where he attended elementary and high school at the Ateneo de Manila University, and studied briefly in the University of the Philippines before formally transferring to the Lyceum of the Philippines where he studied Economics. He was mayor of San Juan from 1992 until 2001. He was elected to the Senate in 2004, where his term is set to expire in 2010. Estrada married Presentacion Vitug in 1989.
Teofisto de Lara Guingona III or TG, is a Filipino politician. Beginning in 2004, he has been elected to two terms in the House of Representatives of the Philippines, as the Representative from the Second District of Bukidnon. He is currently a member of the Partido Liberal.
Guingona III maintains an official blog, NAKUPO – Empowering the Filipino Consumer!. It initially focused on the privatization of the National Power Corporation, but has expanded its scope to a general advocacy of Filipino consumer rights. The blog also tackles issues such as food security and bringing down the cost of telecommunications services.
Ramon Naval Guico is the President of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and the current Mayor of the town Binalonan in Pangasinan. He recently launched the Ginhawa Mo, Gets (Gamot, Edukasyon, Trabaho, Serbisyo) Ko Agad Campaign which aims to strengthen the local government and provide faster and improved services to the people. He is running for Senator in the 2010 elections.
He is the third child of Ramon and Vicenta, of Pangasinan and Isabela. A born entrepreneur, Ramon at age 5 and all throughout his elementary and high school was already helping her mother, “Aling Quita” in their store. He was a known student leader and was the President of his high school student council. Ramon went to Baguio City for college and took up engineering at the University of Baguio. He met his future wife, Arlyn, a pharmacist, in the nearby town of Santo Tomas.
Jose de Venecia III is son of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. Jose "Joey" P. de Venecia III is son of Jose de Venecia, Jr.. He was born in 1963, first marriage to Victoria Perez, the daughter of Eugenio Perez, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1946 to 1953. He is the youngest of 4 children and the siblings are: Alexandra (Sandra), Leslie and Vivian. Their marriage, ended in a divorce, and Perez now lives in Albany, New York. He is married to businesswoman Karen de Venecia.
His school years were spent at the Ateneo de Manila and La Salle Greenhills. After which, he continued his studies in the USA and earned a College degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Finance from the Fordham University as a full scholar. While at Fordham, Joey also taught accounting to MBA students.
