Joker Arroyo
The Honorable Joker P. Arroyo | |
---|---|
Senator of the Philippines | |
In office June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2013 | |
Chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee | |
In office July 23, 2001 – June 30, 2007 | |
Preceded by | Aquilino Pimentel Jr. |
Succeeded by | Alan Peter Cayetano |
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Makati | |
In office June 30, 1998 – June 30, 2001 | |
Preceded by | District established |
Succeeded by | Teodoro Locsin Jr. |
Constituency | 1st district |
In office June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998 | |
Preceded by | Maria Consuelo Puyat-Reyes |
Succeeded by | District dissolved |
Constituency | Lone district |
22nd Executive Secretary of the Philippines (Presidential Executive Assistant -1986) | |
In office February 25, 1986 – September 15, 1987 | |
President | Corazon Aquino |
Preceded by | Juan Tuvera |
Succeeded by | Catalino Macaraig Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | Ceferino Paz Arroyo, Jr. LL.B) |
Profession | Lawyer |
Website | Senate Profile |
Ceferino "Joker" Paz Arroyo Jr.
Early life
Joker Arroyo was born on January 5, 1927, in
Education
He completed his elementary education at the Naga Central School I in
Career
As a lawyer
He started his professional career as lawyer in 1953. Most of his clients belonged to the middle class and low income families.
On September 23, 1972,
Arroyo and other lawyers joined in questioning other Marcos' acts before the Supreme Court: 1) the ratification of the Marcos-dictated 1973 Constitution; 2) Amendment Six that empowered President Marcos to exercise lawmaking powers alongside the
Arroyo participated in the trials of political detainees such as Senator
Arroyo actively participated in street demonstrations. He was gassed, injured and hospitalized during protest rallies and incarcerated in a military stockade. He was one of the founders of the civic group Movement for the Advancement of the Brotherhood, Integrity, Nationalism and Independence (MABINI) and the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).
When Corazon Aquino decided to challenge Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 Snap Presidential Election, Arroyo served as counsel for Aquino during the snap election. During the first EDSA Revolution, he served as one Aquino's key advisers.
Political career
As Executive Secretary
Arroyo was appointed as the Presidential Executive Assistant, later reverted as
Aside from being Executive Secretary, he became chair of the Philippine National Bank and executive director for the Philippines at the Asian Development Bank from 1986 to 1990.
Arroyo has received various awards and commendations for his significant contributions to the law profession and public service. Among these are the Philippine Bar Association's Most Distinguished Award for Justice as a "man beholden to no one except to his country" and a Senate Resolution No. 100 enacted in the 8th Congress commending him for his invaluable services to the Filipino people.
As congressman
Arroyo ran independent for the position of congressman in the
In November 2000, he was one of the last congressmen to sign the endorsement for the
As Senator
Arroyo chaired the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, the Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee, and the Senate Public Services Committee during the 13th Congress. He claimed to have never traveled abroad on government money and his Statement of Assets and Liabilities remained almost unchanged from the time he entered public service in 1986.[14][15] He was reelected in 2007 under the administration TEAM Unity coalition. He retired from public service on June 30, 2013.
Arroyo had accused Mr. Benigno Aquino, Jr. of consolidating power and behaving like a dictator when, in 2011, the president led a successful effort to impeach Renato Corona, the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Arroyo was one of only a handful of senators who voted to acquit. The Aquino administration called the impeachment and conviction a significant victory in its anticorruption efforts.[16]
Personal life
Joker Arroyo was married twice. His first wife was Gregg Shoes entrepreneur Odelia Gregorio. Their eldest daughter is Ma. Antonia Odelia "Maoi" Gregorio Arroyo, CEO of Hybridigm Consulting, the first biotechnology commercialization firm in the Philippines. Maoi was hailed by Entrepreneur Magazine[17] as one of the top 35 entrepreneurs under 35 in the Philippines. His second daughter, Ma. Zef Francisca "Baba" Arroyo, is an entrepreneur, artist, and pastry chef. His second wife was successful lawyer Felicitas S. Aquino, a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission. Their daughter is Joker's namesake and a champion equestrian, whose career highlights include a team gold medal for the Philippines at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, among many other medal performances with the Philippine team. The younger Joker graduated from the British School Manila in 2006, and Yale University in 2010.
Although they have the same surname, Joker Arroyo is not related to former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo.[18][19]
Death
Arroyo died on October 5, 2015, in San Francisco, California, after an unsuccessful heart surgery.[20] He was 88.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Ceferino Arroyo, Jr.'s Birth Register
- ^ "Joker Arroyo: I don't do pork". Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 11, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ a b "Lawyer, senator Joker Arroyo, 88". Philstar.com. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ "Motu Proprio". Human Rights Violations Victims' Memorial Commission. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Zeferino Arroyo's Death Certificate
- ^ "Eusebia Bance Paz 1898-1949". Ancestry. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ Ceferino Arroyo and Eusebia Paz's Marriage Register
- ^ "Official Week in Review: August 27 – September 2, 1961". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. September 4, 1961. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ Chua-Eoan, H. "The Philippines The Joker Was Not Laughing", Time p. 1, September 21, 1987. Retrieved February 21, 2007.
- ^ Toms, S. "The Philippine name game", BBC News, January 14, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2007.
- ^ Torrevillas, Domini M. "Joker remembered". philstar.com. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ Mydans, S. "Aquino, Under Pressure, Removes Her Closest Adviser", The New York Times, September 18, 1987. Retrieved February 21, 2007.
- ^ Chua-Eoan, H. "The Philippines The Joker Was Not Laughing", Time p. 2, September 21, 1987. Retrieved February 21, 2007.
- ^ "Joker Arroyo retains title of 'Scrooge' of Congress", INQ7.NET, February 16, 2004. Link is inactive as of February 21, 2007.
- ^ "Joker Arroyo retains title of 'Scrooge' of Congress - Feb. 16, 2004". Archived from the original on February 23, 2004. Retrieved December 15, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) retrieved on February 21, 2007. - ^ "Joker Arroyo, Who Challenged Martial Law in the Philippines, Dies at 88". New York Times. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ Entrepreneur Magazine April 2006.
- ^ Avendaño, Christine (October 8, 2015). "Joker Arroyo: He led fight against Marcos". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "Remembering Joker Arroyo: Colleagues give heartwarming tribute". ABS-CBN News. October 8, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ Branigin, William (October 7, 2015). "Joker Arroyo, key anti-Marcos figure in Philippines, dies in U.S. at 88". Washington Post.