Ramon Mitra Jr.

Ramon Villarosa Mitra Jr. (February 4, 1928 – March 20, 2000) was a Filipino statesman, diplomat, and pro-democracy activist.

The Honourable Ramon Mitra Jr.
16th Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
In office July 27, 1987 – June 30, 1992
President	Corazon Aquino
Preceded by	Abolished Post last held by Nicanor Yñiguez
Succeeded by	Jose de Venecia Jr.
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Palawan's Second District
In office June 30, 1987 – June 30, 1992
Preceded by	Post created
Succeeded by	Alfredo Amor Abueg Jr.
Philippine Minister and Secretary of Agriculture
In office March 25, 1986 – March 9, 1987
President	Corazon Aquino
Preceded by	Salvador Escudero
Succeeded by	Carlos Dominguez III
Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) from Palawan
In office June 30, 1984 – March 25, 1986
Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Palawan's Lone District
In office December 30, 1965 – December 30, 1971
Preceded by	Gaudencio Abordo
Succeeded by	Vacant Post later held by himself
Senator of the Philippines
In office December 30, 1971 – September 23, 1972[1]
Personal details
Born	Ramon Villarosa Mitra Jr. February 4, 1928 Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippine Islands
Died	March 20, 2000 (aged 72) Makati, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Political party	Liberal LDP (1987–2000)
Spouse(s)	Cecilia Aldeguer Blanco
Children	Ramon Mitra III Bernardo Mitra Abraham Kahlil Mitra Raul Mitra Joaquin Mitra Eduardo Mitra Juan Mitra
Alma mater	San Beda
Profession	Politician

Early life and career

Mitra was born inside the Iwahig Penal Colony in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, to Ramon P. Mitra y Mariño and Purification Villarosa. He attended public school for elementary education and took his secondary education in San Beda College, Manila. He finished his degree in liberal arts in Baguio and obtained his Bachelor of Laws in San Beda College.

Mitra was appointed as a Philippine Foreign Service Officer in Washington, D.C. and at the United Nations from 1954 to 1961. In 1961, he was appointed as special assistant to the Office of President Quirino. He then became a senior technical assistant to the Office of the Mayor Villegas of Manila, from 1962 to 1965.

Political life

Representative (1965-1971)

Mitra was elected congressman representing Palawan for two terms from 1965 and was the minority leader within five years.

Senator of the Philippines (1971-1972)

He resigned, during his second term, to run for the senate and was elected senator in 1971. During the campaign, he was nearly killed in Plaza Miranda by hand grenades at the anti-Marcos political rally of the Liberal Party. In September 1972, his term was cut short by Martial Law. Mitra was one of the first arrested and jailed when Marcos declared martial law. "I am a martial law victim," he would say.

Assemblyman (1984-1986)

In 1978, Monching ran for the Interim Batasang Pambansa together with Sen. Ninoy Aquino. In 1984, he was elected as an Assemblyman to the Regular Batasang Pambansa. After the People Power Revolution in 1986, Mitra joined the Aquino administration and was appointed as Agriculture Minister.

Speaker of the House (1987-1992)

After the restoration of the House of Representatives, he ran for the second district of Palawan. He was eventually elected as Speaker of the House at its inaugural session. During his sterling leadership of the House, major bills were passed into laws of the country and instituted policies, aimed at enhancing the functions of the House as a legislative institution.

1992 presidential campaign

In 1991, Mitra, who was also the party president of the LDP Party, was selected in a party convention as the candidate for President of the Philippines, ahead of Defense secretary Fidel Ramos. Ramos bolted the party and formed his own party, the Lakas ng Tao Party. Mitra's bid was difficult because he was branded a "traditional politician" and suffered many controversies, including the alleged use of the congressional printing press for his election materials. Mitra lost the 1992 presidential election to Fidel Ramos.

Later career

In 1995, he agreed to create a coalition with Ramos and formed the Lakas-Laban Coalition. In the 1995 Philippine general election, he ran for senator but lost. In the 1998 Philippine general election, he returned to the political spotlight as a key supporter of Joseph Estrada's successful presidential campaign. Estrada rewarded Mitra by naming him president of the state-owned Philippine National Oil Corporation.

Personal life

"Monching," as he is popularly known, married Cecilia Aldeguer Blanco in April 1959; they had six sons, who are politically active. The third son, Ramon "Mon-Mon" Mitra, who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 1988, served in the Philippine Marine Corps, ran for a senatorial slate for May 2010 elections of the Nacionalista Party but lost. The fourth son, Bernardo Mitra, has been working for government in various capacities since 1989. The youngest son Abraham Kahlil Mitra, was the governor of Palawan from 2010 to 2013.

During a night rally of farmers and fishermen in the midst of the 1992 presidential elections, he told his story about his poor life:

All candidates say they're going to do something about poverty, I don't doubt the sincerity of their words. But do they really know how it is to be poor? Do they really know how it is to be hungry, really hungry? I do. Do they know how to throw a fishing net, how to fish from a boat through the long night? I do. The farmer who follows the carabao, what he thinks and what he feels, is something I know very well.[2]

With that, Mitra Jr. confessed he was a "love child" born out of wedlock, reared barefoot and hungry, who caught crocodiles as a youth and was shunned by his affluent father. From those humble roots, Monching rose to be a lawyer, diplomat, senator and martial law prisoner, millionaire rancher and eventually, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ramon V. Mitra was one of the nation's most powerful politicians.[3]

He had a lifelong involvement with cattle. He was Chairman of the Farm Management Enterprises Corporation which owned and operated farm cattle ranches and was a breeder of gamecocks, thoroughbred horses, and cattle. When Monching conceded defeat in the 1992 presidential race, he found solace within the fences of his ranch and after which, continued to live his life as a farmer.

Mitra, at the age of 72, died at the Makati Medical Center from liver cancer. One of his last requests was to be buried beside a lighthouse in Palawan, with simple funeral rites unlike his predecessors in the House. In one of his last interviews, he said "the lighthouse overlooks the ocean where all boats entering and leaving Puerto Princesa Bay pass by. By making that my final resting place, I can continuously guide and protect my people."

A building was named after him serving as the West Wing in the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.

References

1. Original Term until December 30, 1977, cut short pursuant to the Declaration of Martial Law on September 23, 1972.
2. Los Angeles Times Newspaper Archive Latimes.com
3. Los Angeles Times Newspaper Archive Latimes.com

External links

• House of Representatives of the Philippines
• PCSD pays tribute to the father (Ramon Mitra Jr.) and author of SEP (Strategic Environmental Plan) R.A. 7611