Maria Clara Lobregat
Encyclopedia
María Clara Rafols Lorenzo Lobregat (April 26, 1921–January 2, 2004) was a Filipina
politician from Zamboanga City
, where she served as its first woman mayor and also a representative to the Philippine Congress.
from 1939 until 1940, a representative to the first Philippine Assembly
, and a delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention
, and Luisa Rafols of Cebu City
. Lobregat grew up in the cities of Zamboanga, Cebu
, and Manila
. She spoke Chavacano
, Cebuano
, English
, Tagalog
, and her native Spanish
.
on October 12, 1936 when President Manuel L. Quezon
created and established the chartered city of Zamboanga through the Philippine Commonwealth.
in 2004 until the present.
Throughout her political career, Lobregat lost in only one election – in 1984 for the lone seat at the Batasang Pambansa. Allied with the Marcoses, she lost to Mayor Cesar Climaco
who did not assume his post as assemblyman.
With Marcos gone and the then opposition-turned-administration splitting into factions, Lobregat easily won as representative of the Lone District of Zamboanga City
in the 1987 legislative elections and was reelected in 1992 and 1995. She ran and won the mayoralty in 1998, was reelected in 2001 and was set to file her certificate of candidacy for a third term on January 5 this year. Her son Celso, is had occupied the congressional seat she held from 1987 to 1998.
Her nephew, Luis Lorenzo, Jr., is Agriculture Secretary.
Lobregat’s net worth as of end of 2002, was P27.8 million, making her the richest Mindanao city mayor.
In her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) as of end of 2002, Lobregat listed 18 companies where she has "shareholdings" and listed as number 19, "other enterprises (resort and others)" where she also has "shareholdings."
Lobregat's business interests included banking, real estate, flower growing, mining, resort and resort development, recreation, petroleum, etc.
Lobregat, always seen in public wearing kimona and patadyong, was among three female representatives who figured prominently in the protest actions against the creation of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) in 1996. She, along with then South Cotabato representatives Luwalhati Antonino and Daisy Fuentes, were referred to by the media as “Tres Marias.”
Lobregat was a harsh critic of Moro National Liberation Front chair Nur Misuari, insisted that the controversial coconut levy funds were private funds; campaigned against the inclusion of her city in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the 1989 and 2001 plebiscite; ordered the Filipino deportees from Sabah in 2002 to be “screened” before entering her city, opposed the transfer of the regional seat from Zamboanga City to Pagadian City and was an avid supporter of the joint US-RP military exercise, Balikatan.
Lobregat was educated at the Pilar College in Zamboanga City, Maryknoll and St. Scholastica in Manila and is the recipient of an "honoris causa" -- Doctor of Humanities from the Ateneo de Davao University in 1979, Doctor in Business Administration from the Aquinas University in 1980, and Doctor in Educational Administration, Western Mindanao State University.
. Her remains were brought in the Zamboanga Metropolitan Cathedral. Her remains were finally rested at the Manila Memorial Park. She was succeeded by Vice-Mayor Erico Basilio A. Fabian as Zamboanga City Mayor. Her son, Celso L. Lobregat was elected City Mayor in the 2004 local elections.
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 from Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
, where she served as its first woman mayor and also a representative to the Philippine Congress.
Early life
Lobregat or "" was born April 26, 1921 in Zamboanga City, the second of five children of Don Pablo Lorenzo, who was a mayor of Zamboanga CityZamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
from 1939 until 1940, a representative to the first Philippine Assembly
Philippine Assembly
The Philippine Assembly was the lower house of the legislative body of the Philippines during the early part of American colonial period. It was created by the Philippine Organic Act, passed in 1902, which also established the Philippine Commission as the upper house of the Philippine Legislature,...
, and a delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention
Philippine Constitutional Convention election, 1934
In accordance to the Tydings-McDuffie Law, election of delegates to the 1934 Constitutional Convention was held on July 10, 1934.-Results:-See also:*Commission on Elections*Politics of the Philippines*Philippine elections*Philippine Constitution...
, and Luisa Rafols of Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
. Lobregat grew up in the cities of Zamboanga, Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
, and Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. She spoke Chavacano
Chavacano language
Chavacano or Chabacano, sometimes referred to by linguists as Philippine Creole Spanish, is a Spanish-based creole language spoken in the Philippines...
, Cebuano
Cebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
, and her native Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Political life
Lobregat was present in Malacañang PalaceMalacañang Palace
The Malacañan Palace, commonly known simply as Malacañang, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Philippines. Located at 1000 J. P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila, the house was built in 1750 in Spanish Colonial style. It has been the residence of every...
on October 12, 1936 when President Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...
created and established the chartered city of Zamboanga through the Philippine Commonwealth.
Personal life
Her son, Celso L. Lobregat, became representative to the former lone district of Zamboanga City in 1998 and later the Mayor of Zamboanga CityZamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
in 2004 until the present.
Career
Before 1971, Lobregat, mother of six, was president of the Philippine Coconut Producers Federation (COCOFED).Throughout her political career, Lobregat lost in only one election – in 1984 for the lone seat at the Batasang Pambansa. Allied with the Marcoses, she lost to Mayor Cesar Climaco
Cesar Climaco
Cesar Cortez Climaco was a Filipino politician who served as mayor of Zamboanga City for 11 years. A prominent critic of the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos, he was famed for his toughness in governance and colorful personality. He is also famous for his refusal to cut his hair until...
who did not assume his post as assemblyman.
With Marcos gone and the then opposition-turned-administration splitting into factions, Lobregat easily won as representative of the Lone District of Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
in the 1987 legislative elections and was reelected in 1992 and 1995. She ran and won the mayoralty in 1998, was reelected in 2001 and was set to file her certificate of candidacy for a third term on January 5 this year. Her son Celso, is had occupied the congressional seat she held from 1987 to 1998.
Her nephew, Luis Lorenzo, Jr., is Agriculture Secretary.
Lobregat’s net worth as of end of 2002, was P27.8 million, making her the richest Mindanao city mayor.
In her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) as of end of 2002, Lobregat listed 18 companies where she has "shareholdings" and listed as number 19, "other enterprises (resort and others)" where she also has "shareholdings."
Lobregat's business interests included banking, real estate, flower growing, mining, resort and resort development, recreation, petroleum, etc.
Lobregat, always seen in public wearing kimona and patadyong, was among three female representatives who figured prominently in the protest actions against the creation of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) in 1996. She, along with then South Cotabato representatives Luwalhati Antonino and Daisy Fuentes, were referred to by the media as “Tres Marias.”
Lobregat was a harsh critic of Moro National Liberation Front chair Nur Misuari, insisted that the controversial coconut levy funds were private funds; campaigned against the inclusion of her city in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the 1989 and 2001 plebiscite; ordered the Filipino deportees from Sabah in 2002 to be “screened” before entering her city, opposed the transfer of the regional seat from Zamboanga City to Pagadian City and was an avid supporter of the joint US-RP military exercise, Balikatan.
Lobregat was educated at the Pilar College in Zamboanga City, Maryknoll and St. Scholastica in Manila and is the recipient of an "honoris causa" -- Doctor of Humanities from the Ateneo de Davao University in 1979, Doctor in Business Administration from the Aquinas University in 1980, and Doctor in Educational Administration, Western Mindanao State University.
Death
She died of cardiac arrest at 11:30 p.m. January 2, 2004 at the Makati Medical CenterMakati Medical Center
Makati Medical Center is a 717-bed tertiary hospital in the Philippines. The hospital began operation on . Since its start in 1969, the Makati Medical Center has been the birthplace for many dramatic firsts in medical history in the Philippines, in Asia, and the world...
. Her remains were brought in the Zamboanga Metropolitan Cathedral. Her remains were finally rested at the Manila Memorial Park. She was succeeded by Vice-Mayor Erico Basilio A. Fabian as Zamboanga City Mayor. Her son, Celso L. Lobregat was elected City Mayor in the 2004 local elections.