Raul Gonzalez
56th Secretary of Justice
In office
November 16, 2007 – January 11, 2010
PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo
Preceded byAgnes Devanadera
Succeeded byAgnes Devanadera
In office
September 1, 2004 – September 2, 2007
Preceded byMerceditas N. Gutierrez
Succeeded byAgnes Devanadera
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
In office
July 27, 1998 – June 30, 2004
Preceded byAgapito Aquino
Succeeded byBenigno Aquino III
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Iloilo City
In office
June 30, 1995 – June 30, 2004
Preceded byRafael Lopez-Vito
Succeeded byRaul Gonzalez, Jr.
Personal details
Born
Raul Maravilla Gonzalez

(1930-12-03)December 3, 1930
La Carlota, Negros Occidental, Philippine Islands[1]
DiedSeptember 7, 2014(2014-09-07) (aged 83)
Quezon City, Philippines[2]
NationalityFilipino
Political partyLakas-CMD (2004-2014)
Other political
affiliations		Nacionalista (1995-2004)
EducationUniversity of San Agustin
University of Santo Tomas
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer

Raul Maravilla Gonzalez (December 3, 1930 – September 7, 2014) was the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and was the Secretary of Justice of the Philippines. He was replaced by Agnes Devanadera in 2009 from the orders of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Early life and education

Gonzalez was born on December 3, 1930, in La Carlota, Negros Occidental. He was the fourth child of Delfin Quimbiong Gonzalez (son of Leon Gonzalez and Felisa Quimbiong), the last mayor of the former town of Jaro in the province of Iloilo; and Maria Estrella Jover Maravilla (daughter of Tranquilino Maravilla and Consuelo Jover), a school teacher who were married on April 3, 1925, in Iloilo City.[3]

Gonzalez completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at the Colegio de San Agustin (now University of San Agustin) and his Bachelor of Law degree at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law in 1955.

Gonzales took the Philippine Bar Examination in 1955 and in the same year, passed with a grade of 99% in Remedial Law and 95% in International Law. He also topped the Judge Advocate General's Office (JAGO) Examinations.[4]

After passing the Bar, Gonzalez became professor of law in the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law, the Far Eastern University Institute of Law, and the Philippine College of Commerce (now Polytechnic University of the Philippines). He was also a professorial lecturer at the Philippine Normal University-Manila Graduate School, Assumption College and the College of Holy Spirit. He also lectured in the University of the Philippines Law Center Division of Continuing Legal Education.

Government service and political career

Gonzalez served in the Philippine government in various capacities. He started as a Legal Assistant to the Governor of Iloilo in 1960 before serving as Senior Legal Assistant to the Mayor of Manila in 1961. Gonzalez was Executive Member of the Board of Censors for Motion Pictures under the Office of the President from 1963 to 1969, and Senior Committee Counsel to the Committees on Labor and Immigration in the Philippine Senate, among other positions. Gonzalez fought the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos by filing several petitions before the Supreme Court when only a few dared. These cases are now part of constitutional law and are part of the curriculum of every law school in the Philippines.

In 1989, after the restoration of democracy, Gonzalez was suspended by the Supreme Court from the practice of law for an indefinite period as a Tanodbayan for ignorance of the law.[5][6] He denied that he asked the Supreme Court to lift his suspension but according to the decision, penned by Justice Campos[7] He was reinstated four years later, in 1993.

Gonzalez entered politics in 1995, running for and winning as the representative of the lone Legislative district of Iloilo City. He kept the position for a total of three terms until 2004, the maximum consecutive allowed by the Philippine Constitution. His eldest son Raul Jr ran for the same position and won two terms immediately after his.

In 2000, as a congressman, he was one of the public prosecutors during the impeachment trial of then President Joseph Estrada. The trial ended abruptly in January 2001 when the President was replaced by then-Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Following 2004 election, he was hounded by vote-buying controversies after he promised barangay captains from the city of Iloilo to deliver 12-0 senatorial sweep for the administrations party in the midterm elections. The sweep did not occur. He also promised another cash incentives and free trip to Hong Kong if Iloilo City Council oppositionists Perla Zulueta and Lex Tupas were not to make it to the top 12 (which they did not).

On June 4, 2008, Gonzalez was appointed the Secretary of Justice by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.[8][9]

In a controversial statement made during the April 20, 2007 broadcast of a local news program, he stated that murdered American journalist Julia Campbell was partially to blame for her death. He stated that the Peace Corps volunteer was "a little irresponsible" and that "if she was not alone, it would not have happened.". He also called Campbell "careless" in the same statement.[10][11]

Private life

Gonzalez is married to Dr. Pacita Trinidad, a former Representative of the second district of Zambales, with whom he has four children. Their eldest son, Raul Gonzalez Jr., is a former Representative of Iloilo City. Another son is the current president of the National Book Development Board, an organization committed to upgrade the publishing industry in the Philippines.

Gonzalez was diagnosed end stage renal disease in September 2007. Later that year, he received a kidney transplant from his driver, Felicito Gunay.[12][13]

Death

Gonzalez died on September 7, 2014, of complications due to multiple organ failure.

References

  1. ↑ Raul Gonzalez's Marriage Register
  2. ↑ "Raul Gonzalez, former justice chief, dies". Rappler. Rappler, Inc. September 8, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ Delfin Gonzalez and Estrella Maravilla's Marriage Record
  4. ↑ Office of the President website profile Archived 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Time to resign". INQUIRER.net Blogs. Philippine Daily Inquirer. 2007-06-02. Archived from the original on 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2007-11-15. Gonzalez ... was suspended by the Supreme Court a few months later, in October 1988, essentially for insisting on a legal view already rejected by the court. (He was reinstated about four years later, in early 1993.)
  6. ↑ "Enrique A. Zaldivar vs. The Honorable Sandiganbayan and Hon. Raul M. Gonzalez, etc.; Enrique A. Zaldivar vs. Hon. Raul M. Gonzalez, etc.; G. R.Nos. 79690-707, G. R. No. 80578". 1989-02-01. p. 424. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-11-16. Alt URL
  7. ↑ "Enrique A. Zaldivar vs. The Honorable Sandiganbayan and Hon. Raul M. Gonzalez, etc., claiming to be and acting as Tanodbayan-Ombudsman under the 1987 Constitution, ect.; G. R. Nos. 79690-707, April 7, 1993". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. ChanRobles Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 2001-04-26. Retrieved 2007-11-16. In October, 1988, We suspended respondent Raul M. Gonzalez from the practice of law for an indefinite period.... purge himself in his own good time of his contempt and misconduct by acknowledging such misconduct, exhibiting appropriate repentance and demonstrating his willingness and capacity to live up to the exacting standards of conduct rightly demanded from every member of the bar and the officer of the courts.
  8. ↑ gmanews.tv, Gonzalez gets CA nod after four years
  9. ↑ abs-cbnnews.com, CA confirms Gonzalez, Puno and others
  10. ↑ "TV Patrol World". TV Patrol. Metro Manila. 2007-04-20. ABS-CBN. ABS-CBN Channel 2.
  11. ↑ "Campbell partly to blame for own tragedy- DOJ". Nation. GMANews.TV. April 19, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
  12. ↑ Abs-Cbn Interactive, Gonzalez 'fully awake, conversant' a day after kidney transplant Archived 2007-09-18 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Inquirer.net, Driver gives Gonzalez gift of life
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