John Castriciones

John Rualo Castriciones (born January 8, 1962) is a Filipino lawyer, public servant and writer who serves as the Secretary of Agrarian Reform of the Philippines since his appointment by President Rodrigo Duterte on December 1, 2017.[1] He was formerly Undersecretary for Operations of the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the same administration.[2] A member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1994, Castriciones also served in various capacities under two previous administrations and as a law school professor at his alma mater Arellano University.[2][3] His appointment to the Agrarian Reform portfolio was approved by the Commission on Appointments on May 29, 2018, after being bypassed earlier by the commission on March 14, 2018 and reappointed by Duterte on March 22, 2018.[4][5][6]

John Castriciones
Castriciones in 2018
14th Secretary of Agrarian Reform of the Philippines
Incumbent
Assumed office December 1, 2017
President	Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded by	Rosalina Bistoyong
Undersecretary for Operations of the Department of the Interior and Local Government
In office July 1, 2016 – November 30, 2017
President	Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded by	Rafael Santos
Succeeded by	Epimaco V. Densing III
Personal details
Born	John Rualo Castriciones January 8, 1962 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Political party	PDP–Laban Partido Federal ng Pilipinas
Alma mater	Trinity University of Asia (AB PolSci) Philippine Military Academy San Beda University Arellano University (LL.B.) University of Notre Dame
Profession	Lawyer, Professor

Early life and education

Castriciones is a native of the province of Nueva Vizcaya. He was born on January 8, 1962 to a family of farmers in the municipality of Bayombong.[3][5] As a young cadet-student at the Philippine Military Academy during Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos, Castriciones was accused in the 1981 hazing death of fellow cadet Andres Ramos and was sentenced to five years of hard labor by a seven-man military court in July 1982.[7] He was pardoned four year laters by the then newly installed President Corazon Aquino.[8]

Castriciones then enrolled at the Trinity University of Asia in Quezon City, formerly Trinity College, and graduated magna cum laude with a political science degree.[3] He went on to attend San Beda University, former San Beda College, and Arellano University to pursue legal studies where he was consistenly in the Dean's List. Castriciones passed the Philippine Bar Examination in 1990.[2] He later earned an LL.M. master's degree in Comparative Government and International Law from Notre Dame Law School in London, U.K. in 1998.[2][3]

Castriciones finally completed his military training at the Philippine Military Academy in 1994 as part of the Maharlika Class.[2]

Career

Castriciones started practicing law in 1993 and has since litigated in both Inferior and Superior Courts, Administrative Bodies, Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan.[9] He served as legal counsel for several corporations and government officials in his more than 20 years of private law practice. Castriciones eventually founded his own law firm, the Castriciones Legal Consultancy, where his lawyer children also practice.[2]

While a private lawyer, Castriciones also taught at Arellano University School of Law where he specialized in Corporation Law, Obligations and Contracts, Sales Investment Law, Public and Private International Law and Civil Procedure.[3] He is also a former lecturer in the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) program of the Supreme Court of the Philippines for three years.[3] Castriciones has also authored several books throughout his career, including Internal Revolution: Political Vengeance and Societal Perdition (2011); A Risen Catholic Christian Soldier (1998); Philippine Military Academy Hazing Case: A General’s Son Dies (1990); and Sagutin Natin (1984).[2][9]

Castriciones entered the government sector in 2009 as Director of the Department of Transportation's Investigation, Security and Law Enforcement Service (ISLES) under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.[2] He also served as Legal Consultant of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and as assistant spokesman and deputy chairman of Task Force Gabay at Tagapagligtas sa Karagatan of the Transportation department.[2] He was reappointed to the same post in the Transportation department under President Benigno Aquino III.[10]

During the 2016 Philippine presidential election, Castriciones served as PDP–Laban's vice-president for Luzon who also supported the candidacy of then-mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte, as president of the Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte for President Movement (MRRDPM).[11] He was eventually appointed by Duterte as Undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government upon his assumption to office.[2]

In February 2018, Castriciones helped form the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas where he currently serves as the party's president. The political party supports the Duterte administration's campaign for a shift to federalism.[12] Castriciones, who earlier expressed interest in running for a senatorial post in the 2019 Philippine Senate election, announced in October 2018 that he was dropping out of the senatorial race and will be keeping his post as Agrarian Reform secretary. [13]

See also

• Department of Agrarian Reform
• Partido Federal ng Pilipinas

References

1. Placido, D. (1 December 2017). "Duterte names DILG exec acting agrarian reform chief". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
2. "About the Secretary". Department of Agrarian Reform. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
3. "Cabinet Secretaries Castriciones, Romulo-Puyat, Guevarra, COMELEC Commissioner, DFA senior officials, AFP Chief and ranking officers breeze through the CA" (PDF). Commission on Appointments. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
4. Ager, M. (29 May 2018). "CA body confirms DAR Secretary Castriciones". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
5. Reganit, J.C. (14 March 2018). "CA suspends confirmation of DAR Secretary". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
6. Ganibe, D. (11 April 2018). "Castriciones reappointed as acting DAR secretary". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
7. Hollie, P. (15 August 1982). "Philippine Military Academy is under attack". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
8. Orellana, F. (2 June 2018). "Courage slams confirmation of Castriciones as DAR chief". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
9. "John R. Castriciones". Land Bank of the Philippines. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
10. "Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) - Career Executive Service Board" (PDF). Department of Transportation (Philippines). Retrieved 7 August 2019.
11. Nonato, V. (30 October 2015). "'Insulted' Diño withdraws PDP–Laban candidacy". BusinessWorld. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
12. Pilapil, J. (18 December 2018). "Federal party wants Duterte as chairman". The Manila Times. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
13. Mayuga, J. (17 October 2018). "Castriciones drops senatorial plan, opts to keep DAR post". BusinessMirror. Retrieved 7 August 2019.