Early life

Orlando Parga-Figueroa (born on February 6, 1939) is a former Senator of Puerto Rico

Senate of Puerto Rico

The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...

 born in Mayaguez

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...

 and currently resides in Caguas

Caguas, Puerto Rico

Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....

 with his wife, Teresita. His father, Orlando Parga Tossas, was a leader of the StatehoodRepublican Party (SRP) and a right-hand man to SRP leader Miguel A. García Méndez

Miguel A. García Méndez

Miguel Angel García Méndez was a recognized businessman, lawyer, statesman, and banker in Puerto Rico. He was a lifelong statehood supporter for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico...

. He is currently a political analyst for Radio Isla, one of Puerto Rico's radio networks.

Political career

"Orlandito", as he is known even in his senior years to distinguish him from his also-prominent father and namesake, became well-known in his own right when he was elected state president of the Republican Youth in 1957, a post to which he was reelected in 1960 and 1964. In 1968, he ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives under the SRP, which would disappear following that year's elections as the splinter New Progressive Party (NPP) won the Governorship, control of the House and Puerto Rico's non-voting seat in Congress. Over the next two decades, he served several top NPP officeholders, including Governor Ferré, San Juan Mayor and Governor Carlos Romero Barceló

Carlos Romero Barceló

Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...

, San Juan Mayor Baltasar Corrada del Río

Baltasar Corrada del Río

Baltasar Corrada del Río is a former politician from Puerto Rico. He held various high political offices in the island, including President of the Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission, Resident Commissioner , Mayor of the capital city of San Juan , Puerto Rico's 15th Secretary of State and...

 and Guaynabo Mayor Alejandro Cruz

Alejandro Cruz

Alejandro Cruz was a Puerto Rican athlete and politician who was mayor of the city of Guaynabo during the 1980s and early 1990s. He became known across Puerto Rico also as Junior Cruz.-Biography:...

. He ran unsuccessfully for Senator at-large in the 1991 and 1995 NPP primaries, and was finally elected to the post in a 1999 special election to fill the vacancy left by former Senate President Roberto Rexach Benitez

Roberto Rexach Benítez

Roberto Rexach Benítez is a Puerto Rican politician, and former Senator and Representative. Rexach Benítez served as the tenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 1996...

' resignation.

Parga has devoted his whole life to the struggle to convert Puerto Rico into the 51st state of the Union. A prominent Republican who did not abandon the now-defunct Statehood Republican Party when the splinter New Progressive Party

New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico

The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...

 was created in 1967, he is known as "Mr. Republican" in Puerto Rican political circles. While many of his political views are clearly conservative, he has assumed liberal views on some issues, such as consumer protection.

Senate years

After his 1999 special election win, he was nominated and elected to a full term in 2000 and served as Senate Minority Whip from 2001 to 2004, when he was elected to his second full term as Senator at-large. He currently serves as Vice President of the Puerto Rico Senate and, after being suspended from party offices within the New Progressive Party

New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico

The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...

 for his refusal to support defeated 2004 NPP gubernatorial candidate Pedro Rossello

Pedro Rosselló

Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...

's bid to replace Kenneth McClintock

Kenneth McClintock

Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...

 as President of the Senate, was recommended for expulsion from the party in March, 2006, recommendation that was rejected by the party's General Assembly on August 20, 2006, when it issued a generic censure in its stead. Within the Senate, he has chaired since early 2005 the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Government Reports. As a result of the May 2005 split within the majority delegation, he assumed the chairmanship of the Federal, Industrial and Economic Affairs Committee of the Senate and of the Cordova and Fernos Congressional Internship Joint Committee. After Senator Héctor Martínez

Héctor Martínez Maldonado

Héctor Javier Martínez Maldonado is a Puerto Rican attorney and politician who served as a state senator of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Martínez was convicted of bribery by a federal jury on March 8, 2011...

 resigned the chairmanship of the Senate's Public Safety Committee, Parga was appointed its acting chair by the Senate President.

After public revelations that the Puerto Rico Capitol's surveillance camera system was being misused, in November 2005 he was appointed to chair the tripartisan Blue Ribbon Committee looking into the matter. His refusal to cover-up sworn statements suggesting administrative irregularities in the administration of the House of Representatives triggered the New Progressive Party directorate to recommend his expulsion, along with Senate President Kenneth McClintock

Kenneth McClintock

Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...

.

On July 5, 2007, Parga announced that, rather than file for reelection under the NPP banner, he would aspire to become the first independent candidate to win election to the Senate and put all his Senate leadership positions at McClintock's disposal. The Senate President immediately reiterated his trust in him, although he would no longer appear in the slate of NPP candidates that, over 31 years had benefitted from McClintock's straight party vote. In November 2008 he was not reelected while running as an independent.

Current life

Former Senator Parga currently is a political commentator on local radio in Puerto Rico and serves as a consultant to Secretary of State

Secretary of State

Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....

 McClintock and the Office of Legislative Services of Puerto Rico

Office of Legislative Services of Puerto Rico

The Office of Legislative Services of Puerto Rico was created on January 27, 1954 to provide research, translation, library and legislative drafting services to all members of the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly. Its duties are similar to those of the Congressional Research Service.The Office is...

.

Sources

http://www.endi.com/noticia/portada/noticias/se_independiza_de_los_partidos/242497

http://www.endi.com/noticia/portada/noticias/dara_guerra_por_su_esposo/242499

http://www.senado.pr.us