Richard “Dick” Juico Gordon is a Filipino politician, head of the Philippine National Red Cross, and senator of the Republic of the Philippines.

Early life and career

He was born on August 5, 1945 to James Leonard Tagle Gordon and Amelia Juico Gordon, (who were both mayors of Olongapo City). On 1954, he completed his e

Gordon, who was ranked fifth in the 2004 senatorial elections, can seek re-election in 2010. But he has been aspiring to become president since 1992 yet.

“I think among those who have declared (to run for president), I can see that I am the most ready (to manage the country) but I am not a candidate yet,” Gordon said in a press conference.

He said he knows the job of a president.

“If I need to be president tomorrow or today, I already know what to do right away,” Gordon said.

He said he has been handling many executives positions in the past, including 13 years as Olongapo City mayor, chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and as secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

“We envisioned Subic Bay, we created the free port, we took over the free port and nothing was stolen. Today, SBMA has 87,000 jobs,” Gordon said.

He said that when he was Tourism secretary, the DOT was able to increase tourists with his “Wow Philippines” program.

“In the Senate, I think everybody knows that I put up the automated election law. It’s already implemented. I sponsored the tourism bill, which should have been approved last year,” Gordon said.

Experience

According to Gordon, he has been the governor of the Philippine National Red Cross for the last 26 years, and has helped thousands of less fortunate people through the years not because he is in politics but because he wanted to help.

He has served as chairman of the Pacific-Asia Tourism Association (PATA), governor of the International Red Cross, and chairman of the East Asia Pacific of the World Tourism Organization.

“I think I’m ready (to become president of the Philippines) except that I don’t want to say that I am running right now because I am not ready to announce that,” Gordon said.

He said he is not a traditional politician and he will pale in comparison to those who already declared candidate for president with “their horrendous money which is even questionable where they got it.”

“So, the point is, I will make it a point to announce it in a proper time,” Gordon said.

On the billboards in Metro Manila showing his face and that of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, he said it does not mean a Gordon-Garcia or Garcia-Gordon tandem in 2010.

“We are just putting up a Cebuano-Filipino in Metro Manila. You must know that I was the one who installed the statue of Lapu-Lapu at Bagumbayan (Luneta),” Gordon said.

Gordon said that with the billboard, Garcia represents the Cebuanos in Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, Gordon said a deserving candidate for president does not have to be super rich to become president, but that the person must have dignity, capability and honesty to lead the country.

Gordon said that although he has money, he will not spend that for a presidential election. He said that if Filipino voters are already mature, they will even contribute
money for the president they are going to vote just what happened to Barack Obama in the US.

Sunstar