Franklin Drilon
Encyclopedia
Franklin Magtunao Drilon (born November 28, 1945) is a Filipino
politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines
in 2000 and from 2001 to 2006. Drilon currently serves his third term in the Senate. He is also the Chairman of the Liberal Party
and a Senior Counsel of the ACCRA Law Offices
, Iloilo
and is the eldest son of Cesar Drilon, Sr. and Primitiva Magtunao. He took his elementary education at the Baluarte Elementary School in Molo, Iloilo, Iloilo and graduated in 1957. He finished his secondary education at the U.P. - Iloilo College
(now University of the Philippines High School in Iloilo) in 1961. In college, he went to the University of the Philippines
where he initially took up Bachelor in Arts in 1965. At U.P., he was the associate editor to the Philippine Collegian and served as councilor of the U.P. Student Council
. Among his classmates were future politicians Miriam Defensor-Santiago
and Ronaldo Zamora. In 1969, he completed his Bachelor of Laws
(LL.B.) at the U.P. College of Law
. In the same year he took the bar examination
and finished with the third highest score. In the same year, he served as an associate lawyer to the Sycip, Salazar, Luna, Manalo & Feliciano Law Offices (now SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
). He moved to the Angara, Abello, Concepcion, Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW) in 1974, where he currently serves as Senior Counsel. He was elevated to partner in 1975, co-managing partner in 1981 and managing partner in 1986. He was also a Bar Examiner on Labor and Social Legislation in the 1979 and 1984 bar examination
s. He also became the Vice-President and Governor of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and the Vice-President, Board Member and Treasurer of the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP).
As Labor Secretary, He was able to establish industrial peace in the post-Marcos era, a requisite for increased investments and employment. He was fair yet firm in dealing with the conflicting demands of management and labor.
As Justice Secretary, he was instrumental in the prosecution and conviction of Mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan, Laguna, who masterminded the rape-slaying of a UP Los Baños coed and the murder of her friend; and Claudio Teehankee Jr., who figured in the gun slaying of Maureen Hultman. The two are locked up in jail, a testimony to the uncompromising belief of Drilon that everyone is equal before the bar of justice.
were drafted for the Senate candidate line-up of the newly created party Lakas Tao. But Drilon opted to help Mrs. Aquino finish her term. He was again given the opportunity to run as a Senatorial candidate of the Lakas-Laban
coalition in the 1995 election
. He got the fourth highest number of votes in that Senate race. In 1998, he bolted Lakas and joined the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino
(LAMMP) and supported Joseph Estrada
to the presidency. He was selected as Senate Majority Floor Leader the same year. In 1999, he was among who voted in favor on the ratification of the Visiting Forces Agreement.
died of cancer the same year, he made concessions with Blas Ople
in sharing the seat of the Senate President. They agreed that Ople will serve as Senate President from 1999-2000 and he would serve from 2000-2001. Ople served his term from July 1999-July 2000. Drilon was installed as Senate President in July 2000.
On October 2000 he issued a statement about the Juetengate Scandal of President Joseph Estrada
. He was removed the next month through a Senate revamp and Aquilino Pimentel Jr. was installed as Senate President. On December 2000, an impeachment
case was filed on the Senate. On January 13, 2001, he was one of those who voted in favor of the opening of the second bank envelope. Their vote was outnumbered and Drilon was remembered as the Senator who cried in front of Senate President Pimentel together with Senator Loren Legarda
. Joseph Estrada
was ousted in January by the second EDSA People Power Revolution. He allowed Pimentel to occupy the Senate Presidency until the end of the regular session on June 2001.
, to which Arroyo's father, Diosdado Macapagal
served as chairman in the 60's, invited Drilon to be its member. Days after, Drilon was elected chairman of the political party. Before the 2004 elections
, Drilon invited Senator Rodolfo Biazon
as its member. Biazon bolted Raul Roco's Aksyon Demokratiko {AD} just days after he joined convention as its new member.
Drilon had close contacts with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo since 2001 and actively supported her when she ran for a fresh mandate to the presidency. That relationship ended in July 8 when Drilon together with Biazon and some prominent members of the Liberal Party
decided to withdraw support from her and asked for her resignation. In Arroyo's 2005 State of the Nation Address, Drilon was the only one noticed not applauding throughout the entire program. Drilon has been a vocal critic of the NorthRail project, a Chinese government-backed project to overhaul Manila's decrepit railway system. The railway will be the first double-tracked railway in the country, and will eventually extend to Clark in Pampanga and, say the architects, as far north as San Fernando, La Union. In 2006, Drilon was succeeded as Senate President by Senator Manny Villar
.
. Mrs. Drilon died of the disease in September 1995, two months after her husband assumed his Senate seat. Two years after, Drilon proposed to close family friend Mila Serrano-Genuino, who was a widow. They married with former Presidents Aquino and Ramos as wedding sponsors.
Drilon is a member of the Rotary Club, Makati Chapter. He was an active member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
(IBP) where he was a former President of the Pasay-Makati-Mandaluyong-San Juan
Chapter. Although he was born in Iloilo, he is a registered voter of Greenhills, San Juan
.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines
President of the Senate of the Philippines
The President of the Senate of the Philippines, or more popularly known as the Senate President, is the presiding officer and the highest ranking-official of the Senate of the Philippines. He/she is elected by the entire body to be their leader...
in 2000 and from 2001 to 2006. Drilon currently serves his third term in the Senate. He is also the Chairman of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
and a Senior Counsel of the ACCRA Law Offices
Early life and career
Drilon was born on November 28, 1945 in Iloilo CityIloilo City
The City of Iloilo is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines and the capital city of Iloilo province. It is the regional center of the Western Visayas, as well as the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area...
, Iloilo
Iloilo
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
and is the eldest son of Cesar Drilon, Sr. and Primitiva Magtunao. He took his elementary education at the Baluarte Elementary School in Molo, Iloilo, Iloilo and graduated in 1957. He finished his secondary education at the U.P. - Iloilo College
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
(now University of the Philippines High School in Iloilo) in 1961. In college, he went to the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
where he initially took up Bachelor in Arts in 1965. At U.P., he was the associate editor to the Philippine Collegian and served as councilor of the U.P. Student Council
Student council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
. Among his classmates were future politicians Miriam Defensor-Santiago
Miriam Defensor-Santiago
Miriam Defensor Santiago is a Senator of the Philippines. She is a lawyer, former trial judge and professor of constitutional and international law. She served as the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation in 1988 and the Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform from 1989...
and Ronaldo Zamora. In 1969, he completed his Bachelor of Laws
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
(LL.B.) at the U.P. College of Law
University of the Philippines College of Law
University of the Philippines College of Law or UP Law is the law school of the University of the Philippines. Since 1948, it has been located at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, the flagship campus of UP's seven constituent universities. Until the 1970s, night classes of...
. In the same year he took the bar examination
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...
and finished with the third highest score. In the same year, he served as an associate lawyer to the Sycip, Salazar, Luna, Manalo & Feliciano Law Offices (now SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan is the largest law firm in the Philippines. Founded in 1945, the firm is now a full-service firm with 125 lawyers practicing out of its four offices in Makati, Cebu, Davao and Subic Bay....
). He moved to the Angara, Abello, Concepcion, Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW) in 1974, where he currently serves as Senior Counsel. He was elevated to partner in 1975, co-managing partner in 1981 and managing partner in 1986. He was also a Bar Examiner on Labor and Social Legislation in the 1979 and 1984 bar examination
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...
s. He also became the Vice-President and Governor of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and the Vice-President, Board Member and Treasurer of the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP).
Political Career (1987-1995)
Drilon served the government and public corporations through the following positions:- Department of Justice
- Secretary, (1990-1991; 1992-1995)
- Chairman, Board of Pardons and Parole
- Vice-Chairman, Judicial and Bar Council (JBC)
- Member, National Unification Commission
- Chairman, Presidential Committee on Human Rights (PCHR)
- Executive Secretary (1991-1992)
- Chairman, Cabinet Cluster on Political & Security Matters (Cluster "E")
- Member, National Security Council (NSC)
- Vice-Chairman, Committee on Privatization (COP)
- Member, Joint Legislative-Executive Foreign Debt Council
- Department of Labor and Employment
- Secretary, (1987-1990)
- Deputy Minister for Industrial Relations, Department of Labor and Employment (1986-1987)
- Member, Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC)
- Commissioner, Social Security Commission
- Chairman, National Labor Relations Commission
- Chairman, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
- Chairman, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
- Chairman, Employee Compensation Commission
- Trustee, Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund)
- Board Member, National Housing Authority
- Chairman, National Manpower and Youth Council
- Chairman, National Wages Council
- Chairman, National Maritime Polytechnic
- Vice-Chairman, Public Sector Labor-Management Counci
- Chairman, Philippine National Bank (PNB)
- Director, Philippine Air Lines (PAL)
- Director, Land Bank of the Philippines
- Board Member, Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation
- Board Member, Population Commission
- Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD) of Region VI
As Labor Secretary, He was able to establish industrial peace in the post-Marcos era, a requisite for increased investments and employment. He was fair yet firm in dealing with the conflicting demands of management and labor.
As Justice Secretary, he was instrumental in the prosecution and conviction of Mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan, Laguna, who masterminded the rape-slaying of a UP Los Baños coed and the murder of her friend; and Claudio Teehankee Jr., who figured in the gun slaying of Maureen Hultman. The two are locked up in jail, a testimony to the uncompromising belief of Drilon that everyone is equal before the bar of justice.
First Term (1995-2001)
In 1992, most of the Aquino cabinetCabinet Secretary
A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...
were drafted for the Senate candidate line-up of the newly created party Lakas Tao. But Drilon opted to help Mrs. Aquino finish her term. He was again given the opportunity to run as a Senatorial candidate of the Lakas-Laban
Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino
The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino is a political party in the Philippines founded in 1988.There are no results available of the last elections for the House of Representatives, but according to the website of the House, the party holds 7 out of 235 seats . The party is divided into two factions...
coalition in the 1995 election
Philippine general election, 1995
The senatorial election was held in the Philippines on May 8, 1995. Filipinos protected the ballot boxes with their lives and campaigned against traditional politicians who used bribery, flying voters, violence, election rigging, stealing of ballot boxes and etc...
. He got the fourth highest number of votes in that Senate race. In 1998, he bolted Lakas and joined the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino
Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino
Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino was the umbrella political coalition party of the opposition during the 1998 Philippine Presidential Elections that led to the presidency of then Vice President Joseph Estrada...
(LAMMP) and supported Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
to the presidency. He was selected as Senate Majority Floor Leader the same year. In 1999, he was among who voted in favor on the ratification of the Visiting Forces Agreement.
Second Term (2001-2007)
Drilon ran again for the Senate as independent but was under the People Power Coalition senatorial line-up. The lineup was carefully chosen and the first letter of the candidate's surname (except for Roberto Pagdanganan) ended up with the line VOT FOR D CHAMMP. The line became a hit, and it led to the election of most of the coalition's senatorial candidates including Drilon. He again served as Senate President from 2001 to 2006.First Term (2000)
When Marcelo FernanMarcelo Fernan
Marcelo "Celing" Briones Fernán was a Filipino lawyer and political figure. He is the only Filipino to have served as both Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and as Senate president...
died of cancer the same year, he made concessions with Blas Ople
Blas Ople
Blas Fajardo Ople was a Filipino journalist and politician who held several high-ranking positions in the executive and legislative branches of the Philippine government, including as Senate President from 1999 to 2000, and as Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2002 until his death...
in sharing the seat of the Senate President. They agreed that Ople will serve as Senate President from 1999-2000 and he would serve from 2000-2001. Ople served his term from July 1999-July 2000. Drilon was installed as Senate President in July 2000.
On October 2000 he issued a statement about the Juetengate Scandal of President Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
. He was removed the next month through a Senate revamp and Aquilino Pimentel Jr. was installed as Senate President. On December 2000, an impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
case was filed on the Senate. On January 13, 2001, he was one of those who voted in favor of the opening of the second bank envelope. Their vote was outnumbered and Drilon was remembered as the Senator who cried in front of Senate President Pimentel together with Senator Loren Legarda
Loren Legarda
Loren Legarda is a Filipino broadcast journalist, environmentalist, and politician of Visayan ancestry, notable as the only female to top two senatorial elections . During the 2004 Philippine general election, she ran for the position of Vice-President as an Independent with Fernando Poe, Jr...
. Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
was ousted in January by the second EDSA People Power Revolution. He allowed Pimentel to occupy the Senate Presidency until the end of the regular session on June 2001.
Second Term (2001-2006)
When the session resumed in July 2001, Pimentel was replaced by Drilon as Senate President. Pimentel bolted the administration coalition and joined forces with the opposition coalition. In 2003, Administration coalition partner Liberal PartyLiberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
, to which Arroyo's father, Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was 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...
served as chairman in the 60's, invited Drilon to be its member. Days after, Drilon was elected chairman of the political party. Before the 2004 elections
Philippine general election, 2004
The senatorial election was held in the Philippines on May 10, 2004. The major coalitions that participated are the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan composed of parties that support the candidacy of president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino ,...
, Drilon invited Senator Rodolfo Biazon
Rodolfo Biazon
Rodolfo "Pong" Gaspar Biazon is a politician in the Philippines. He is a former Senator. He was elected Senator in the 1992 election for a term of 3 years. He was elected to his first six-year term in the 1998 election, and was re-elected in the 2004 election...
as its member. Biazon bolted Raul Roco's Aksyon Demokratiko {AD} just days after he joined convention as its new member.
Drilon had close contacts with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo since 2001 and actively supported her when she ran for a fresh mandate to the presidency. That relationship ended in July 8 when Drilon together with Biazon and some prominent members of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
decided to withdraw support from her and asked for her resignation. In Arroyo's 2005 State of the Nation Address, Drilon was the only one noticed not applauding throughout the entire program. Drilon has been a vocal critic of the NorthRail project, a Chinese government-backed project to overhaul Manila's decrepit railway system. The railway will be the first double-tracked railway in the country, and will eventually extend to Clark in Pampanga and, say the architects, as far north as San Fernando, La Union. In 2006, Drilon was succeeded as Senate President by Senator Manny Villar
Manny Villar
Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. is a Filipino businessman and politician. He is currently a Philippine Senator, president of the Nacionalista Party...
.
Personal life
Drilon was married to fellow lawyer and ACCRA senior partner Violeta Calvo with whom he had two children, Eliza and Patrick. During his candidacy for a Senate seat in 1995, Drilon often traveled to the US to be with his wife who was then being treated for lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. Mrs. Drilon died of the disease in September 1995, two months after her husband assumed his Senate seat. Two years after, Drilon proposed to close family friend Mila Serrano-Genuino, who was a widow. They married with former Presidents Aquino and Ramos as wedding sponsors.
Drilon is a member of the Rotary Club, Makati Chapter. He was an active member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
(IBP) where he was a former President of the Pasay-Makati-Mandaluyong-San Juan
San Juan, Metro Manila
The City of San Juan or simply San Juan is a city in Metro Manila in the Philippines. Before the creation of Metro Manila, it was part of Rizal Province. Currently the smallest city in the region and the country in terms of area, San Juan is one of the smallest among the cities and municipalities...
Chapter. Although he was born in Iloilo, he is a registered voter of Greenhills, San Juan
San Juan, Metro Manila
The City of San Juan or simply San Juan is a city in Metro Manila in the Philippines. Before the creation of Metro Manila, it was part of Rizal Province. Currently the smallest city in the region and the country in terms of area, San Juan is one of the smallest among the cities and municipalities...
.