Jovito Salonga

Jovito Salonga
Salonga in 1965
12th President of the Senate of the Philippines
In office
July 27, 1987  January 18, 1992
Preceded byAbolished
(Title last held by Gil Puyat)
Succeeded byNeptali A. Gonzales, Sr.
1st Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government
In office
February 28, 1986  March 5, 1987
PresidentCorazon Aquino
Succeeded byRamon A. Diaz
Senator of the Philippines
In office
June 30, 1987  June 30, 1992
In office
December 30, 1965  September 23, 1972
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Rizal's 2nd district
In office
December 30, 1961  December 30, 1965
Preceded byFrancisco S. Sumulong
Succeeded byFrisco F. San Juan
9th President of the Liberal Party
In office
April 20, 1982  June 1, 1993
Preceded byGerry Roxas
Succeeded byWigberto Tañada
Personal details
Born
Jovito Reyes Salonga

(1920-06-22)June 22, 1920
Pasig, Rizal, Philippine Islands
DiedMarch 10, 2016(2016-03-10) (aged 95)
Quezon City, Philippines
Political partyLiberal (1961–2016)
Spouse
Lydia Busuego
(m. 1948; died 2010)
Children5
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines Diliman (LL.B)
Harvard University (LL.M)
Yale University (SJD)
Profession
  • Lawyer
  • politician

Jovito Reyes Salonga, KGCR (Tagalog pronunciation: [hoˈvito sɐˈlɔŋga]; June 22, 1920 – March 10, 2016) also called "Ka Jovy," was a Filipino lawyer and politician, as well as a leading opposition leader during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from the declaration of martial law in 1972 until the People Power Revolution in 1986, which removed Marcos from power. Salonga was then elected as the 14th president of the Senate of the Philippines and the first one after the new Constitution was just ratified, serving from 1987 up to his retirement from politics in 1992.

Salonga was known as the “Nation’s Premier Fiscalizer.” He is the only person to top the bar exam and the senatorial race multiple times (with the sole record of three elections garnering the highest number of popular votes in 1965, 1971, and 1987 immediately after People Power).