One of the respected and outstanding legal
minds of the House of Representatives, past and present,
SEC. RAUL M. GONZALEZ (RMG), started his political career
in 1995 when he handily won the lone congressional seat
of Iloilo City in 1995. The 4th child of the late Delfin
O. Gonzalez, the last sitting Mayor of Jaro, Iloilo, and
Estrella Jover Maravilla, a school teacher, RMG was educated
in private and public schools and was always at the top
of his class. He finished a Bachelor of Arts (AB) degree
at the Colegio de San Agustin, now University of San Agustin,
as a Rector's scholar, and graduated LlB-Bachelor of Laws,
from the University of Sto. Tomas in 1955, graduating
at the top 10 of his class.
RMG took the Bar Examination in 1955 and
in the same year, passed with a grade of 99% in Remedial
Law and 95% in International Law. In the same year, he
also topped the Judge advocate General's Office (JAGO)
examinations.
He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the
Reserve Force of the AFP in April 1953, and given the
Serial #0-86095 INF after completing 4 years ROTC as an
Honor Star Medalist. He now holds the rank of Lieutenant
Colonel in the AFP Reserve Force
Upon passing the Bar, RMG became professor
of law in the University of Sto. Tomas, the Far Eastern
University, the Philippine College of Commerce (now Polytechnic
University of the Philippines). He was also a professorial
lecturer at the Philippine Normal University Graduate
School, Assumption College and the College of Holy Spirit,
and lectured at the UP Law Center, Division of Continuing
Legal Education.
Sec. Gonzalez completed seminars on Public
Administration at the Institute of Public Administration,
University of the Philippines, sponsored by the City of
Manila, 1960-61; completed various seminars on Constitutional
and Labor Laws at the Law Center, University of the Philippines,
Division of Continuing Legal Education; and finished courses
on Credit and Collection Management at the De La Salle
University Graduate School of Business.
He held various positions in government,
starting as a legal assistant to the Governor of Iloilo
in 1960; Senior Legal Assistant to the Mayor of Manila
in 1961; Executive Member of the Board of Censors for
Motion Pictures, Office of the President, 1963-1969; Senior
Committee Counsel to the Committees on labor and Immigration,
Philippine Senate; and was Consultant and Counsel to the
Committee on Education, House of Representatives from
1970-1972; and, represented the Committee Chair in all
Board of Trustees and Regents in all State Colleges and
Universities (except the University of the Philippines).
Affiliation with Local Organizations
* President, Integrated Bar of the Philippines
(IBP), Manila IV, 1979-1981;
* Governor and Ex-officio Vice-President - Integrated
Bar of the Philippines (IBP) for Greater Manila, 1979-1981;
* President, National Bar Association of the Philippines
since 1981 to the present;
* Chairman, Citizens Legal Aid Society of the Philippines;
* President, All Asia Bar Association-Philippine Branch,
with HQ in Kochi City, Japan;
* Chairman, Philippine Committee of NETWORK- the Lawyers
Committee on Human Rights based in New York;
* Past President - Manila Maharnilad Lions Club;
* Comptroller, Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Philippines;
* Chairman, Chapter Presidents' Congress, IBP;
* Past Vice President, UST Law Alumni Foundation, Inc.;
* Past president Valle Verde VI Homeowners Association.
A Lawyer of International Stature
* Vice President, Liberty International,
HQ in Dacca, Bangladesh;
* Vice President, Afro-Asian Bar Association, HQ in New
Delhi, India;
* Governor, Asian Legal Research Institute, HQ in Kochi
City, Japan;
* Governor, World Movement for Independence of Justice,
HQ in Montreal, Canada;
* Fellow Asian Center for Research & International
Center for Asian Studies, HQ in Hong Kong;
* Fellow Scandinavian Institute for Asian Studies, University
of Copenhagen, Denmark 1984;
* Member, Centre for Independence of Judges & Lawyers
- Geneva, Switzerland.
International Recognition
* Invited by the USIS and the US State
Department as special guest of the American Bar Association
in July 1985, and was guest speaker in the ABA Human Rights
Committee regarding human rights problems during Martial
Law in the Philippines - Shoreham Hotel.
* Lectured at the (1) Heritage Foundation; (2) Ethics
& Public Policy Center; (3) Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace, (4) US Congressional Research Service;
(5) briefed the Philippine Desk, US State Department;
(6) briefed the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, US
State Department; (7) briefed, Bureau of Human Rights,
US State Department; (8) delivered lecture at the Georgetown
University Law Center;
* Was guest of the British Government, August - September
1987 and was special guest of the Law Society of Scotland
in Edinburg, Scotland;
* Addressed the Canadian Human Rights Foundation at a
Symposium on Human Rights, University of Prince Edward
Island in Charlotte - Town, Canada in 1986.
* Conducted lectures at the University of Copenhagen,
University of Oslo, University of Turku, Finland, University
of Helsinki, University of Stockholm, and University of
Lund;
* Delivered a lecture at the Tampere, Peace Research Center
in Tampere, Finland Sept 20, 1984;
* In November 1981, presented a paper during the 1st Asian
Lawyers' Conference in Kochi City, Japan;
* Presented papers on Legal Aid at an International Symposium
held in Tokyo, sponsored by the Federation of Japan Bar
Associations, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court,
the Japan Social Welfare Council and the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees in November 1984;
* Presented a paper during the 14th International Symposium
on Asian Studies at the International Center for Asian
Studies and Asian Research Service, July 27-30, 1993 -
Hong Kong;
* Plenary Speaker, 22nd Biennial Conference of the International
Bar Association, New York, September 1986. Hilton Ballroom;
* Presented a paper during the First Joint Philippine-Korea
International Relations Conference, December 7 - 11, 1982,
entitled "Asian & East Asia Disarmament &
Survival".
* Chair of Philippine Delegation, "3rd International
Dialogue on Transition to Global Society"at Landegg
Academy, Winacht, Switzerland, September 7 -11, 1992;
* presented a paper entitled "The Meaning of Justice,"
sponsored by the Council of Europe, UN Commission on Human
Rights, UNESCO, the University of Maryland and the International
Council of Women;
* Chaired the International Delegation on behalf of Liberty
International during the 2nd World Human Rights Conference,
Vienna, June 14 - 24, 1993, and sponsored a resolution
for UN funding for Legal Aid to 3rd World Countries;
* Co-Chaired the plenary session of the 1st International
Workshop on Human Rights on June 28, 1994, sponsored by
the International Bar Association at the Philippine Village
Hotel;
* Chair of Philippine Congressional Delegation during
the Bilateral meeting with the President/Speaker of the
Parliament of Thailand on December 14, 1995 in Bangkok;
* Member, Philippine Delegation to the 5th ASEAN Summit
in Bangkok, Thailand, December 13 - 17, 1995;
* Member, Philippine Delegation during the State visit
of President Fidel V. Ramos to the kingdom of Cambodia,
December 17 - 18, 1995;
* Delegate 87 & 88th ILO conferences, Geneva Switzerland,
June 1999 & June 2000;
* Delegate and plenary speaker, Inter-Parliamentary Union
Conference, Berlin, October 1999;
* Represented the Philippines in a dialogue with the Director
General of the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland on June 15,
2000 on the future of WTO in the Philippine;
* Guest of Honor & Speaker - Philippine-American United
Senior Citizens Foundation, Inc. of New Jersey, USA, June
20, 2000.
* Member, Philippine delegation ( representing the House
of Representatives), the 8th APEC Summit from November
22 - 26, 1996;
* Alternate Delegate to the ILO Conference in Geneva,
June 20-24, 1996;
* Designated by the Speaker of the HOR to represent the
House in a reciprocal visit to the German Parliament in
Bonn, June 26, 1996;
* Accredited observer during the negotiations between
the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the Philippine
Panel on the peace process, held at Hotel Mercure, the
Hague, June 27, 1996;
* Special guest of the Parliament in The Netherlands on
June 27, 1996;
* Observer in the Bosnia War Crimes Trial in The Hague,
Netherlands, June 27, 1996;
* Speaker at the International Policy Dialogue in Berlin,
Germany, on Nov. 26-27, 2001, sponsored by UNDP and the
German Govt. on the subject of Globalization;
* Chaired, Phil. Delegation to the 4th. Association of
Asian Parliamentarians for Peace on Aug. 30, -Sept. 3,
2003.
Other Important Positions in the Philippine
Government
* Tanodbayan (OMBUDSMAN) and concurrently
Special Prosecutor from April 4, 1986 until December 30,
1988;
* Prosecuted the infamous Aquino-Galman double murder
cases;
* Chaired the Escalante Massacre Fact Finding Commission
and prosecuted the case against the accused;
* Member of the Presidential Party during President Corazon
Aquino's 1st State Visit to the USA in September 1986;
* Member of the 1st Philippine Panel which negotiated
with Westinghouse on the Bataan Nuclear Plant in September
1986;
* Adviser to the Philippine Delegation to the ASEAN Ministers
Conference at the Waldorf Hotel in New York, October 1986;
* Senior Member of the Philippine Presidential Blue Ribbon
Commission which initiated the investigation on the so
called "Behest Loans" of the Marcos cronies;
* Consultant and Adviser to the Philippine Centennial
Commission;
* Chairman, Graciano Lopez-Jaena National Centennial Committee;
* Co-Chaired the Ombudsman-Senate panel which investigated
charges against the Presidential Commission on Good Government
on charges filed by the Solicitor General;
* Lead Prosecutor - Impeachment Article No. III, Impeachment
of Former President Joseph Estrada;
* Chairman, House Panel, Joint Committee to Canvass Presidential
and Vice Presidential Election Results, 2004 elections.
As Leader of the Bar
Chaired several lawyers' delegations to
various international legal conferences: Belgrade in 1980;
Berlin in 1980; Paris in 1980 and 1981; Kuala Lumpur in
1982; New Delhi in 1982; Karachi in 1984; New York in
1986; Montreal in 1982 and in 1983; Kochi City, Japan
in 1981 and 1982; Tokyo, Japan in 1984; Washington D.C.
in 1985.
Other Awards and Citations
Various awards of merits and plaques of
commendation from not less than 50 civic groups and organizations,
among others:
* "Most Outstanding Thomasian Award
in the field of Human Rights" "Distinguished
Leadership Alumnus Award"
* "College Editors' Guild"
* "Special Leadership Award"
* "Philippine Trial Lawyers Association"
* "Distinguished Leadership Award"
* "Most Outstanding Human Rights Trial Lawyer Award"
* "Outstanding Legal and Political Personality Award"
* "Certificate of Merit" from various media
groups
* "Certificate of Merit and Recognition" from
Armed Forces of the Philippines
* "One of the 22 Most Outstanding Alumnus of the
University of San Agustin" "Outstanding Alumnus
of the College of Law, UST"
* Guest of Honor during the closing observance of Philippine
Independence Day celebrations, Brussels, Belgium, June
30, 1996.
* Delegate, World Scouts Parliamentary Union, Manila Hotel,
Aug. 17-21, 1997.
* Delegate, The Asian Regional Forum on Economic Revitalization,
May 30-31, 1997
* sponsored by the World Parliamentarians for Global Action
- Manila Hotel.
* The Congressman with 100% attendance throughout the
10th & 11th Congress
* Outstanding Congressman - Legislator of the Year and
Public Servant of the New Millennium.
* Outstanding Congressman - League of Press Association
of the Philippines.
Family
Married to Dr. Pacita Trinidad of Zambales
- a Doctor of Medicine and former Congressman of the 2nd
District of Zambales.
Children:
* Raul, Jr. - a lawyer, City Councilor
of Iloilo City, 2001 - 2004, and representative Lone Congressional
District of Iloilo City 13th. Congress;
* Jose Mari - AB graduate- connected with the Dept. of
Welfare and Development (DSWD), Welfare of the Disabled;
* Dennis - Doctor of Philosophy, Summa Cum Laude, University
of Louvain, Belgium, and Chairman of National Book Development
Board (NBDB);
* Marigold - a practicing Doctor of Medicine; and,
* Charmaine - topnotcher in the medical licensure examinations
and also a practicing doctor.
(Addendum : Master of Laws, based on new
curriculum that law graduates who completed four (4) years
bachelor's degree and four (4) years college of law proper
are considered Master of Laws.)
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