Gerardo Roxas | |
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Senator of the Philippines | |
In office December 30, 1963 – September 23, 1972 |
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Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Capiz' 1st District | |
In office December 30, 1957 – December 30, 1963 |
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Preceded by | Carmen Dinglasan Consing |
Succeeded by |
Vacant Post later held by Mariano H. Acuña |
Personal details | |
Born |
Gerardo Manuel de Leon Roxas August 25, 1924 Manila, Philippine Islands |
Died | April 19, 1982 New York City, New York, USA |
(aged 57)
Resting place | Manila North Cemetery |
Nationality | Filipino |
Political party | Liberal Party |
Spouse(s) | Judith "Judy" Araneta |
Children | Maria Lourdes "Ria" A. Roxas-Ojeda Manuel "Mar" A. Roxas II Gerardo "Dinggoy" A. Roxas, Jr. |
Residence | Roxas City, Capiz |
Alma mater | De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines |
Profession | Politician |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Gerardo Manuel de Leon Roxas, Sr. (August 25, 1924 – April 19, 1982), better known as Gerry Roxas or Gerardo M. Roxas, was one of two children of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He was the father of Gerardo "Dinggoy" A. Roxas, Jr. and former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel "Mar" A. Roxas II.
As a representative of the First District of Capiz and, later, as a Senator of the Republic of the Philippines (1963 to 1972), Gerry Roxas sponsored legislation that benefited the masses, improved living conditions, provided employment and family income and in general, promoted equitable sharing in the wealth of the nation. He also wrote many bills of national importance and was consistently voted by the Philippines Free Press and other national publications as one of the outstanding Senators of the Philippines.
Born in Manila on August 25, 1924, Gerry Roxas was heir to a tradition of public service and leadership. His father, Manuel Acuña Roxas of Capiz, was the first President of the Republic. His mother, Trinidad De Leon of San Miguel, Bulacan, was the daughter of the late Senator Ceferino De Leon, who was a member of the Malolos Congress which drafted the revolutionary Constitution of 1896. He finished elementary school at the De La Salle College and high school at the Ateneo de Manila. He studied law at the University of the Philippines College of Law and graduated in 1949. The following year, he was admitted to the Philippine Bar. In 1955, Gerry Roxas married Judy, the daughter of J. Amado and Ester Araneta, with whom he had three children: Maria Lourdes ("Ria"), Manuel II ("Mar") and the late Gerardo, Jr. (“Dinggoy”)
In 1957, he was elected Congressman of the First District of Capiz and won with an overwhelming majority. He was re-elected in 1961. Gerry Roxas led the Liberal Party senatorial slate in 1963 and, after an exciting contest, emerged the top-notcher, obtaining the highest number of votes cast for a national candidate. In 1965, he ran for Vice-President as the running mate of then President Diosdado Macapagal. In the unfinished counting of the abruptly stopped Comelec tabulation, he lost by merely 26,724 votes, the narrowest margin ever recorded in our country’s Vice-Presidential elections. He ran for re-election in the 1969 senatorial elections and emerged as the sole survivor of the entire Liberal Party senatorial slate.