Senators from Capiz Throughout History

Even Before the Roxases came to power in and from Capiz, Capizenos have already gone to the front stage of Philippine politics. Philippines Senators from Capiz in History Jose Altavas (Mike: This guy is the grand ascendant of my very good childhood friends, Tanya Conlu and Dax Altavas, to this day his grand children are still in politics.  The Altavases have choice beach-front properties in Roxas City.) Senator Jose Altavas was born in Balete, Capiz, on September 11, 1877, to Jose Altavas Sr., and Andrea Cortez. He studied at the Ateneo de Manila, University of Santo Tomas, and Escuela de Derecho, Manila. He was admitted to the bar in 1901.Senator Altavas held various positions in the government : Municipal Councilor of Capiz (1903 – 1906); member of the provincial board of Capiz (1906 - 1907); Delegate to the First Philippine Assembly (1907 – 1909); Provincial Governor of Capiz for two terms (1910 – 1916); Senator from Iloilo, Capiz and Romblon (1916 – 1922); and Representative from the second district of Capiz (1925 – 1928). He was a member of the “goodwill” Legislative Delegation to Japan in 1917 and was elected Delegate, from the first district of Capiz, to the constitutional convention in 1934.Senator Altavas was married to Socorro Laserna with whom he had seven children. Jose M. Hontiveros (Mike:   Great Grand-Dad or Grand Grand Dad of famous pop singer Barbie Almalbis, Rissa and Pia Hontiveros.ÂThe Senator's son and the late grandpa of rockstar Barbie Almalbis,  Lolo Rene Hontiveros was a very good friend of my maternal grandpa Fred Villanueva.  Together they were part of the Happy Nine Group in Roxas City) Senator Jose M. Hontiveros was born in Tangalan, Capiz, on March 19, 1899 to Leon Hontiveros and Genoveva Miraflores. He attended the Colegio de Nuestra Senora del Rosario, the Liceo de Manila, and the University of Santo Tomas, graduating in 1911 from the last named institution, cum laude, with the degree of LL. B., and took and passed the bar examinations the same year. He practiced law since 1912 and was a member of the law firm, Montinola and Hontiveros 1919-24; and of the law firm, Hontiveros, Abeto & Tirol, in 1929.Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, he held the following positions: Justice of the Peace, Capiz, Capiz (1913-1916); Provincial Governor of Capiz (1916-1919); Auxiliary Judge, Court of First Instance (1929-1931); Judge of the Court of first Instance, 19th judicial district (1931-1933); and of the 22nd judicial district (1933-1934).He was senator from 1922 to 1928, from the Seventh Senatorial District comprising Iloilo, Capiz and Romblon.He was elected Delegate from the 3rd district of Capiz to the Constitutional Convention on July 10, 1934, and took an active part in the framing of the Constitution of the Philippines. Antonio Belo y Villaruz (Vicky Belo's Grand Dad  -by adoption as she was adopted by her dad, the late Assemblyman, member of parliament and prominent lawyer, Enrique Belo -- Antonio Belo was himself a prominent lawyer in the 1800s, and took in land as payment for his legal services from Capiz gentry.  Amongst his clients were the Ignacios, my great grand dad and my grandpa Lolo Peping.) Senator Antonio Belo was born in Panay, Capiz on January 11, 1877.He received his early education from a private Spanish school. He obtained the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws. He devoted his time to the practice of law.He was at one time a member of the municipal council of Romblon, Romblon; Justice of the Peace of Capiz, Capiz; and law clerk at the House of Representatives. He was elected Senator from the Seventh Senatorial District comprising the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Romblon and served from 1928-1934. Ludovico Hidrosollo (Mike:  LIttle is known of this early senator from Capiz, mom says she used to know someone in the bank who was a grandchild of this guy.  His middle name is Advincula. We know some Advinculas) Senator of The Ninth Philippine Legislature (the meeting of the legislature of the Philippine Islands under the sovereign control of the United States from 1931 to 1934.) and Director of Non-Christian Tribes; director, North Mindanao Mining Co., Inc.; res., 1033 Oregon, Ermita, Manila; tel. 5-48-19.     Manuel A. Roxas (Mike:  and of course, the Roxases, who dominate Capiz politics . . . they don't need an introduction from me) Senator Roxas was born on January 1, 1892 in Capiz, Capiz to Gerardo Roxas and Rosario Acuña.After graduating his early education in the public school of Capiz. He went to Hongkong to study for sometimes, later transferred to Manila High School to finish his secondary course. He took up law at University of the Philippines and graduated in 1913.In 1913 to 1916, after his bar examination whom he got 1st place, he then became professor at the Phil. Law School and National University.Senator Roxas began his political career in 1917 as a member of the municipal council of his hometown Capiz in Panay Island. He was governor of the province of Capiz from 1919 to 1921 and was then elected to the Philippine House of Representative, subsequently serving as Speaker of the House and a member of the Council of State. In 1934, Senator Roxas was a member of the convention that drew up a constitution under the revised Philippine Independence and Commonwealth Act. He also served as Secretary of Finance in the Commonwealth government from 1938 to 1940.Senator Roxas was elected president of the Commonwealth in 1946 as the nominee of the Liberal wing of the Nationalista Party and when independence was declared on July 4, he become the first president of new republic.Senator Roxas did not stay long in office because of heart attack in April 15, 1948 leaving his wife Doña Trinidad De Leon with whom he had two children. Gerardo M. Roxas Born in Manila on August 25, 1924, Gerry Roxas was heir to an illustrious tradition of public service and leadership. His father, Manuel Acuña Roxas of Capiz, was the first President of the Republic. His mother, Trinidad de Leon of San Miguel, Bulacan, was the daughter of the late Senator Ceferino de Leon, who was a member of the Malolos Convention which drafted the revolutionary Constitution of 1896. He finished elementary school at the De La Salle College and high school at the Ateneo de Manila. He studied Law at the University of the Philippines and graduated in 1949. The following year, he was admitted to the Philippine Bar. In 1955, Gerry Roxas married Judy, the daughter of J. Amado and Esther Araneta, with whom he had three children: Maria married to Augusto I. Ojeda, Senator Manuel “Mar” A. Roxas II and the late Congressman Gerardo “Dinggoy” A. Roxas Jr. In 1957, he was elected Congressman of the First District of Capiz and won with an overwhelming majority. He was re-elected in 1961. Gerry Roxas led the Liberal Party senatorial slate in 1963 and, after an exciting contest, emerged the topnotcher, obtaining the highest number of votes cast for a national candidate. In 1965, he ran for Vice-President as the running mate of then President Diosdado Macapagal. In the unfinished counting of the abruptly stopped Comelec tabulation, he lost by merely 26,724 votes, the narrowest margin ever recorded in our country’s Vice-Presidential elections. He ran for reelection in the 1969 senatorial elections and emerged as the sole survivor of the entire Liberal Party senatorial slate.aThe son of the founder and first President of the Liberal Party. He was the running mate of President Macapagal in the 1965 election. He lost by a slim margin and is believed to be cheated in the elections. The Liberal Party’s rebirth came under the leadership of Sen. Roxas when the Party fell into hard years during the Marcos administration. The Party was in opposition to Martial rule and the conjugal dictatorship when he assumed its leadership. He sought to increase the party’s legitimacy as the ideological alternative to the Nacionalistas by consulting representative of farmers, labor, youth and other sectors. Anna Dominique Coseteng (MikeCoseteng's Dad is from Capiz and she is a maternal aunt to my childhood bestfriend Dax Altavas whose Mom is a Marquez-Lim) Senator Anna Dominique Marquez-Lim Coseteng was born in Manila on the 18th of December 1952.For her early schooling she went to St. Paul’s College, Maryknoll College and St. Maur’s Convent in England. She attended Notre Dame College of California and the University of the Philippines in the tertiary level.At the age of 18 years, she was appointed Assistant to the President of the Mariwasa Group of Companies. From 1970 to 1981, she was Curator and Proprietress of Galerie Dominique. In 1991, she published the Sinaunang Habi – Philippine Ancestral Weave.She was elected member of the House of Representatives for the Third District of Quezon City in 1987. In 1992, she was elected Senator of the Philippine Republic where she was Chairperson of the Committee on Women and Family Relations and the Committee on Cultural Communities. She was also Vice-Chairperson of the Committees on Cooperatives, on Public Works and on Trade on Commerce.In 1995, she was re-elected Senator and served until 2001. She was the Chairperson of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resource Development and the Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization. She was also Vice-Chairperson of various Senate Committees.As a public official, she was a convenor of many conferences which include: the National Convention on the Prevention of Family Violence; International Association of Women in Radio and Television; Wakasan Ang Karahasan Laban sa Kababaihan sa Loob ng Tahanan; Regional Consultations on the Prevention of Family Violence; Sisterhood is Global: Dialogues in the Philippines; Advocates for the Study and Ratification of the Constitution, and the Legislators’ Dialogue on International Standards.She is a recipient of numerous awards such as: One of the Top Human Advocate in the Senate (1992-1995), one of the Twelve Outstanding Freshmen Solons in 1991, one of the Top Ten Outstandng Representatives in 1991, Gawad Maria Clara Trophy. – A Symbol of Filipina Womanhood in 1990; Outstanding Cogresswoman in 1989 and one of the Top Ten Lawmakers and Achievers in 1988.Having visited almost more than 2,000 municipalities in the Philippines, she has been an Adopted Daughter of Antique, Nueva Ecija, Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur, Ivisan in Capiz, Banate in Iloilo, Hilongos, Dagami and Tunga in Leyte and Binalonan in Pangasinan.The Senator speaks fluent English, Tagalog and Chinese and is at home with several dialects in the Philippines.Her family includes a son and a daughter. Manuel A. Roxas III 'Mr. Palengke' is Senator MAR Roxas, the son of the illustrious Senator Gerry Roxas, and the grandson of the venerable President Manuel Roxas whose public service careers have greatly benefited the country. MAR graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1974 and the Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. Before entering public service, MAR worked as an investment banker, mobilizing venture capital funds for Small and Medium Enterprises.MAR's public service life began in the House of Representatives in 1993. After his congressional stint, he was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry; and then in 2004, he was elected to the Senate with a staggering 20 million votes, the largest ever obtained by a candidate in any Philippine election.Owing to his record of accomplishments as a public servant and political leader, the international community described MAR as "one of the young leaders in politics and business who will bring Asia and the Pacific to the forefront of world affairs." At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, MAR was named as "one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who is expected to shape the future." Recently, the Singapore Government has awarded him as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Fellow.