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Antonio Villegas

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Antonio J. Villegas
Antonio J. Villegas, Mayor of Manila, 1970
Mayor of Manila
In office
April 15, 1962 – December 30, 1971
Preceded byArsenio Lacson
Succeeded byRamon Bagatsing
Vice Mayor of Manila
In office
December 30, 1959 – April 15, 1962
Preceded byJesus Marcos Roces
Succeeded byJoaquin R. Roces
Personal details
Born(1928-01-09)January 9, 1928
Tondo, Manila, Philippines
DiedNovember 16, 1984(1984-11-16) (aged 56)
Reno, Nevada, United States
Resting placeManila North Cemetery, Manila, Philippines

Antonio J. Villegas (1928–1984) was a Filipino Mayor of Manila from 1962 to 1971. His term was in the middle of Manila's golden age, after the term of Arsenio Lacson as Mayor of Manila, and before the period of Martial Law in the Philippines.[1]

Early life

He was born on January 9, 1928 at Sales Street in Santa Cruz, Manila. He grew up in the swampy slums of the Abad Santos Avenue area in Tondo, Manila. Villegas always wanted to tell people that he was born during the Feast of the Black Nazarene, a feast held in Quiapo, Manila.[1] His father, Epifanio Trinidad Villegas (1905-1985), a brilliant lawyer with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines, was born in Camiling, Tarlac. His mother, Obdulia de Jesus Villegas (1908-1994), was born in Pampanga and raised in Mariveles, Bataan. He is the oldest son with nine siblings, Lucia Villegas-Balboa (1926-1993), Vitalico Villegas (1931-1998), Corazon Villegas-Tiglao (1933-), Epifanio Villegas Jr. (1935-), David Villegas (1938-), Obdulia Villegas-Demesa (1940-), Fe Villegas-Torres (1943-1996), Domingo Maximo Villegas (1946-2003), and Perla Villegas-Fernandez (1950-).

Villegas graduated valedictorian from Cosmopolitan College (1947), from Far Eastern University (AA, 1949), and from Manuel L. Quezon University Law School (LLB, 1953). He received the Doctorate of Law (LLD) degree from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law[2] (1963) and Doctorate of Humane Letters (LHD) honoris causa from Pamantasan Ng Lungsod Ng Maynila[3].

He was selected as one of two delegates of over 1,000 applicants from the Philippines to be awarded a scholarship to attend Harvard Law School[4], Boston, Massachusetts. Upon his return to Manila at the end of 1952, he began work on the campaign of Ramon Magsaysay for President while being excused by MLQ Law School Dean Africa from attending his last year of law school and simply required to sit for final exams which he passed with flying colors and ending up as MLQ Law School Valedictorian.

Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas and wife Lydia, 1968

On new year's day in 1953, he married Lydia Mirasol Alano at San Marcelino Church in Manila. She attended Saint Theresa's High School and graduated from University of Santo Thomas in 1951 with a bachelor degree in home economics. They have four children: Maria Teresita, Antonio Jr., Maria Victoria, and Lydia Antonieta.

In mid 1953, he took the Philippine bar exam and ranked in the Top 12 while receiving the highest scores in Civil Law, Equity Law, and Remedial Law. In 1954, he was appointed by President Magsaysay to draft his first presidential decree which established the Presidential Complaints and Action Commission (PCAC) and to serve as its Vice-Chairman with Manuel Manahan appointed to serve as PCAC Chairman. Upon the death of President Magsaysay in a plane crash in 1957, Villegas began work as corporate legal counsel for Yellow Taxicab. [5]

Vice Mayor of Manila

In 1959, at the age of 31, Villegas began his political career as a candidate for Manila Vice Mayor with the encouragements of friends like co-worker at Yellow Taxicab "Mel" Mathay who later became Mayor of Quezon City and feisty Radio personality "Paeng" Yabut. He had only three days to campaign for the Liberal Party nomination, which he won, and only 45 days to campaign for the office itself. He was elected by a landslide as Vice Mayor of Manila in the 1959 elections, polling more votes than the fourth-termer incumbent Mayor, Arsenio Lacson, without having previously run for any elective office. [1]

When Lacson died of stroke on April 15, 1962, Villegas assumed the chief executive post of the capital city of the Philippines. As the youngest Mayor of Manila at the tender age of 34, he received the TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) Award for Public Service in 1962.[6]

Mayor of Manila

After Lacson's sudden death in 1962, Villegas quickly decreed that the first overpass in the Philippines, located in Quiapo area of Manila, that he had constructed, should bear the name of Arsenio Lacson in his memory.[1]

He ran for reelection under the Liberal Party banner and won in 1963 against Congressman Roberto Oca and in 1967 against Congressman Pablo Ocampo. His victory along with his victorious council members was the only decisive victory enjoyed by the Liberal Party (LP) in 1967. All of the LP senatorial candidates except for Benigno Aquino were defeated by the opposing Nacionalista Party (NP). When Congressman Ramon Bagatsing switched parties in 1971 from NP to LP to run for mayor while Vice-Mayor Felicisimo Cabigao remained NP's bet for mayor, Villegas was left without a party. He ran under his newly formed Libre'ng Pilipino party with journalist J.V. Cruz as running mate. Lacking funds, he lost the 1971 election by a slim margin.

Immediately upon assuming the Mayor's post, Villegas started completing the projects Lacson failed to complete, such as a city hospital (the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center), a city university (the University of the City of Manila),[7] a city compost plant and a reclamation area in Tondo, Manila.[1]

The Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, which Villegas pushed to be built on April 15, 1962, began to be constructed on December 18, 1963.[8] It was finally built and blessed on January 31, 1969. It provided free health care, free surgery, free medicine, and free hospitalization to poor citizens of Manila.

On February 13, 1963, Villegas issued Executive Order No. 7 s-1963, creating a Planning and Working Committee to draw up a plan to establish the University of the City of Manila. It is the first university in the Philippines to have its official name in Filipino as Pamantasan Ng Lungsod Ng Maynila (PLM)[3], and it is also the first university in the country to be fully funded by a municipal government without need for financial assistance from any other source..[9] All students of PLM also known as "isko" received full scholarship throughout their four year degree program provided they maintain an honorable status. PLM attracted the brightest among the poor city residents and produced board exam top notchers in the fields of engineering, architecture, accounting, nursing, law, and medicine. PLM was officially established and started teaching its first live classes in 1967 under the leadership of its first president Benito F. Reyes. Its first graduating class were awarded their degrees during the 1971 commencement where Villegas also received a Doctorate in Humane Letters (LHD) honoris causa.

On March 1963, Villegas welcomed international delegates from the San Francisco - Manila Sister City Commission (SFMSCC) which was formed by Lacson two years prior in 1961. SFMSCC continues to exist to date. On June 1963, he traveled to San Francisco to strengthen the sister city ties and then proceeded to Sacramento to receive his Doctor of Laws from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, with California Supreme Court Judge Halbert handing his diploma.

On October 1, 1963, Manila Science High School, the Pilot Science High School of the Philippines, known as "Mataas na Paaralan ng Agham", was born in accordance to Municipal Resolution 426 signed by Villegas.[10] In 1965, Villegas issued his Executive Order No. 40. It directed the organization and establishment of a district Museum and Library to be known as the Kamaynilaan. By the authority of Ordinance Nos. 4834 and 5428 dated November 6, 1963 and March 25, 1966 respectively, a three storey concrete building was erected. It housed the Central Office of the Manila City Library. However, a year after Villegas's term ended, the Manila City Library was ordered to vacate the Kamaynilaan Building to give way to the Manila Action Center (which was later called the Manila Barangay Bureau).[11]

During his reelection on November 1963, Villegas ran on the platform of "Building a Better Manila." He and his running mate, Herminio A. Astorga for vice mayor, won decisively.

He formed his Kay Villegas Kami (KVM) movement with residents and key leaders from all districts in Manila, a precursor to what is now known as "Barangays" throughout the Philippines. After the election, his wife Lydia Villegas supplemented the KVK movement by establishing the "Women's Auxiliary Group" (WAG) whose purpose is to beautify Manila by keeping the streets and parks clean and by vigilantly reporting crimes to the police force, later known as "Manila's Finest." During weekdays, WAG wore bright RED Maria Clara dresses as they clean streets and parks of all four districts of the city on a rotational basis with one district per day. They were known as the "RED Ladies" and are mostly the wives of government officials, police officers, and public employees, and occasionally some actresses as well. When Ferdinand Marcos was elected President in 1965, his wife Imelda formed her own group of supporters and called them the "BLUE Ladies." After Mayor Villegas left office in 1971, Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and took the color RED and renamed his supporters "loyalists".

In 1966, Mayor Villegas formed Manila Film Festival, the father of the Metro Manila Film Festival and all other Philippine festivals,[12] to encourage local producers to develop world class quality movies that showcased the beauty of the Philippines and the greatness of the Filipino people. He appointed Attorney Expiridion Laxa to serve as the Chairman of the film festival which starts on June 14 and culminates on June 24, Manila's birthday. Most of the first batch of the festival films came up with English titles.[13] The BEST Films of Manila Film Festival included "Daigdig ng mga Api' (1966), "Dahil sa Isang Bulaklak" (1967), "Manila, Open City" (1968), "Patria Adorada" (1969), "Dimasalang" (1970), "Cadena de Amor" (1971), "Elias, Basilio at Sisa" (1972), "Nueva Vizaya" (1973), "Alaala mo Daigdig Ko" (1974). From 1975 to 1990, Manila Film Festival was discontinued as Metro Manila Film Festival took over. In 1991, Manila Film Festival resumed in June while Metro Manila Film Festival continue to be done in December. The best Manila film in 1991 was "Kailangan Ka Magiging Akin" followed by "Cordora" in 1992 and "Dolzura: Dahil Mahal Kita" in 1993.

In the international field, one of the more prominent places in the world became sister city with Manila - Taipei, Taiwan. It was realized on October 12, 1966.[14] Villegas, who came to Taipei for the Junior Chamber International Conference, received a gold key from Taipei Mayor Henry Kao on April 28, 1965.[15]

In 1967, Mayor Villegas ran for reelection and won by a landslide of 163,363 votes, compared to Pablo V. Ocampo with 117,488 votes, Salvador L. Marino with 17,342 votes, Artur V. Samaniego with 131 votes, Blandino P. Buan with 92 votes, and Pilipino Balingit with 11 votes. However, his running mate Vice Mayor Astorga lost with 78,648 votes to NP candidate Felicisimo R. Cabigao. with 79,437 votes.

On January 9, 1968, he published the "Dahong Alaala" (Remembrance Publication) which declares his "Libre'ng Pilipino" platform. He affirmed "Being beholden to no one except the people of Manila, I regard myself as fully free to act at to act at all times in accordance with their interests. In the coming four years, the public interest shall be my sole guide and I pray that I shall not be found wanting in the courage to uphold public welfare even in the face of criticism and at the price of unpopularity ..."

His government program entitled Libre'ng Pilipino, gave free basic City Hall services to Manila's citizens, such as free health services and free treatment in the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center. The program even included free marriage licenses and free textbooks.[1]

Villegas succeeded on relocating the squatters in the Intramuros area in one week. This act proved that he was tougher than his predecessor Lacson when it comes to facing a possible turnover squatter votes.[1] His closure plans on foreign-owned retail stores in the city, in accordance to the Retail Trade Nationalization Law, affected 3,288 Chinese, 59 Indian, and 56 American stores.[1]

Villegas made Andres Bonifacio the Hero of Manila and made June 24 as the annual commemoration of Araw ng Maynila (Manila Day).[1]

Death and Legacy

After losing in the 1971 local mayoralty elections to then Manila Congressman Ramon Bagatsing, Villegas left for the United States where he remained until his death on November 16, 1984.[16] The tomb of Francis Burton Harrison was laid beside Villegas's tomb in the Manila North Cemetery.[17]

During his term as Mayor of Manila, he was locally known as Yeba, which actually meant "Young, Executive, Brilliant Administrator" inscribed in a plaque awarded to him by the Alumni association of Far Eastern University. [18] He usually ended his correspondence with "Yeba!" in lieu of what he previously wrote, "May you always be a young, executive, brilliant administrator!" He also used "Yeba" as a campaign whoop where it meant "YEs, hindi BA?" (Yes, isn't it so?) after he drives his point during his speech. In response, the audience shouts "YEBA" which meant "YEs, BAkit hindi!" (Of course, why not!).[5]

Villegas hired nationally renowned linguists to create new Filipino terms, like Maharnilad (City Hall), Gatpuno (Mayor), "Gining" (First Lady), "Bulwagan" (Hall), "Lagusnilad" (overpass and underpass in front of Manila city hall.[1]

The Antonio J. Villegas Vocational High School, located in Tondo, Manila, was established in 1994 in honor of Villegas.[19] An award in the Metro Manila Film Festival, the Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award, was named in his honor.[20] In order to promote Philippine films, he banned foreign films from being shown at Manila movie houses during the Manila Film Festival from June 14 through June 24 (birthday of Manila). In order to promote national pride and prevent spectators from sleeping in the theaters, he required the playing of the national anthem at the beginning of each film show. In order to ban smoking from movie theaters, he composed and delivered a poem. "Hindi po nais namin kayo'ng pigilin, pero an usok as masamang hangin." This translates to "Not that we wish to stop you , but smoke is fowl stench." [18]

Writings

  • Manila, 1962: Mayor Antonio J. Villegas reports (1963)
  • Building a better Manila (1963)
  • "Manila: Its Needs and Resources (1966)"
  • "Dahong Alaala (1968)"
  • "To end the reign of misery and strife ... Libre'ng Pilipino (1971)"

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Joaquin, Nick (1990). Manila,My Manila. Vera-Reyes, Inc.
  2. ^ University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. McGeorge School of Law "UOP McGeorge School of Law". {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  3. ^ a b Pamantasan Ng Lungsod Ng Maynila. Ng Lungsod Ng Maynila "Pamantasan Ng Lungsod Ng Maynila". {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help) Cite error: The named reference "Pamantasan Ng Lungsod Ng Maynila" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ Harvard Law School. Law Shool "Harvard Law School". {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  5. ^ a b Villegas, Antonio Jr. YEBA: Young, Executive, Brilliant Administrator. unpublished.
  6. ^ "Antonio Villegas". Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  7. ^ "Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila: 42 years of existence". 2007-07-14. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  8. ^ "THE OSPITAL NG MAYNILA STORY". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  9. ^ "PLM University Profile". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  10. ^ "DepEd-Manila wants Manila Science HS to be renamed as Pres. Cory High School". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  11. ^ "MANILA CITY LIBRARY (MAIN)". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  12. ^ "Subsidize movie industry – Lito Atienza". 2010-02-04. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  13. ^ "Film Academy of the Philippines". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  14. ^ "THE 46 SISTER-CITIES OF TAIPEI". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  15. ^ "Manila Mayor: Manila And Taipei To Become Sister Cities". 1965-05-02. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  16. ^ "Villegas vs CA". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  17. ^ "LIM PAYS RESPECT TO GOVERNOR-GENERAL FRANCIS BURTON HARRISON". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  18. ^ a b Macabeta, Greg (2006). "Filipinas Magazine". Filipinas Magazine. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  19. ^ "Antonio J. Villegas Vocational High School (Official Page)". Retrieved 2012-01-21.
  20. ^ "Metro Manila Film Festival". Retrieved 2012-01-10.

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