Profile :: The Honorable Ignacio "Toting" Bunye
Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson
Tel#: 63(2) 7345929
Fax#: 63(2) 7356167
Website: http://www.news.ops.gov.ph

Former Muntinlupa Congressman Ignacio "Toting" Bunye formally assumed the post of presidential spokesman on January 20, 2003.

Bunye was the press secretary from July 16, 2002 to January 19, 2003.

Before he joined politics in l986, Bunye had been a reporter of DZMT, the radio station of the old Manila Times, and later as reporter of the Daily Star

A lawyer by profession, Bunye has served in various executive positions at the Ayala Group of Companies, including as Assistant Vice President of the Ayala Investment and Development Corporation and the Bank of the Philippine Islands.

When former President Corazon Aquino took over power after the downfall of former President Ferdinand Marcos in l986, Bunye was designated Officer-in-Charge of the municipality of Muntinlupa.

He became the duly elected Mayor of Muntinlupa from l988 to l995. As Muntinlupa Mayor, Bunye served as Chairman of the then Metropolitan Manila Authority in a concurrent capacity, from l991-1992.

In l995, Bunye was again reelected as Mayor of Muntinlupa for his last three-year term. During his 12-year stewardship, Muntinlupa metamorphosed from a fifth-class municipality into a highly-urbanized city.

Adopting proven corporate practices that he gained from working in the private sector, Bunye streamlined operations and cut red tape, thus making Muntinlupa City a business-friendly community which is what it is today.

Toward the end of his term as Mayor, Bunye laid the foundation for the establishment of the Ospital ng Muntinlupa through the acquisition of a five-hectare lot within the Filinvest Corporate City, which is also the site of the future Civic Center Complex.

Barred by law to seek a fourth consecutive term as mayor, Bunye ran for Congress in l998 and became the first Congressman from the lone district of Muntinlupa City.

In Congress, Bunye continued to champion the cause of local governments, especially in providing them with greater fiscal autonomy.

Originally a member of the minority, Bunye became one of the fiscalizers of the 11th Congress. But with the change of leadership toward the end of the 11th Congress, he became the Senior Deputy Majority Floor Leader.

A valedictorian during his elementary and secondary education, Bunye finished both his AB in Political Science and Bachelor of Laws from the Ateneo de Manila. He also hold a Master’s Degree in Management from the Asian Institute of Management.

Bunye, who is a lifetime member of the National Press Club, has written a number of articles published in the Daily Star, including a four-part series entitled "War Vignettes," a first-person account of events immediately after the Tet Offensive in South Vietnam in l968.

He also wrote a one-hour documentary entitled "The Other War," a first person account of the activities of the Philippine Civic Action Group in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. The documentary was broadcast in l967 by radio station DZMT.

Bunye is married to Dr. Miraflor Oca-Bunye and has three children.

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