Orlando S. Mercado
Orlando " Orly " Sanchez Mercado ( born April 26, 1946) was a Filipino politician who was not only a senator but also defense minister.
Life
Radio host and Marcos dictator -
Mercado, who grew up as the son of a teacher in Manila, started after seeing the Celedonio Salvador Elementary School and Manuel Roxas High School first political science at the University of the Philippines ( UP) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA Political Science ) from. In 1961 he took the first students of a public school the Philippines at a youth forum in New York City. A subsequent post-graduate studies in Communication Science at the UP, he finished with a Master of Arts (MA Communications ), where he financed his studies as a laborer in the city engineer of Manila office as well as a clerk in the Manila City Hall. Another job as a radio announcer at a public radio station he lost after he co-founded a union that called shortly after a strike.
Shortly thereafter, he became a police reporter at the ABS -CBN Broadcasting Corporation before it was 1969 to 1971 known presenter of ABS -CBN radio program Radio Patrol. He gained particular recognition for his portrayal of current events and his biting social comments. After the imposition of martial law by the dictatorial ruling President Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972 he was arrested and spent ten months in detention in a military prison in Fort Bonifacio.
After his release was Mercado producer and host of Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko, the longest running public program for assistance to the needy in various parts of the Philippines. For its appealing and current radio broadcasts, he has won several awards and received, among other things, the price as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men ( TOYM ) in 1978 in the area of public mass media.
In addition, he was also appointed associate professor (associate professor ) and head of the departments of Communication Studies at Miriam College and the University of Santo Tomas.
Towards the end of the reign of Ferdinand Marcos, he also began a career in politics and was elected as a non-party in the constituency Quezon City on May 14, 1984 as a member of the Congress ( Batasang Pambansa ). In the election, he received the best result and voices could also prevail against several followers of President Marcos.
Political career after the fall of Marcos
After the fall of Ferdinand Marcos and the inauguration of President Corazon Aquino February 25, 1986 Orly Mercado was appointed by the Chairman of the Development Committee for the state parks, which include the large parks in Manila as the Luneta Park and Rizal Park include.
The following year, 1987 he was elected to the Senate again justified, which was dissolved in 1973 under the laws of war, and this was after re- elections in 1992 and 1995 to 1998.
During this period from 1987 to 1989, the leader of the majority party ( Majority Floor Leader) as well as Chairman of the Committee on Industry and Trade. Later, he was not only Chairman of the Committees on National Defense and for science and technology, but also vice chairman of the Committees on Finance, Natural Resources, for the public service and health and demography. He also was a deputy majority leader in the Senate and in the influential Commission for appointment to public office (Commission on Appointments ).
During his many years with the Senate, he was instrumental to the emergence of major social legislation in such as the Medicines Act of 1988 ( Republic Act RA 6675 ), the Act on the grounds of science and technology centers in the provinces (RA 6959 ), the law for people with disabilities ( RA 7277 ), the Law on the national Bludspendedienst (RA 7719 ), the Law on guarantee of permanent residence for veterans (RA 7837 ) and the law on the promotion of health services in the barangays. Most recently he was also one of the relevant authors of the law on the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (RA 7898 ).
He also sat down in particular as chairman of the NGO Green Coalition for the environmental protection and the protection of tropical rainforests in the Philippines. In addition, he was also the official representative to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED ) in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, as well as an active member of the New York-based organization City Parliamentarians for Global Action.
After retiring from the Senate, he was appointed by President Joseph Estrada to the Minister of National Defence and Security on 30 June 1998. A position he also held for some time in the cabinet of President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo after Estrada dismissed under pressure from the EDSA II Revolution of his office and the current Vice- President Macapagal- Arroyo was sworn in on 20 January 2001 as the new President.
On March 19, 2001, he followed the former Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, General Angelo Reyes, as minister of national defense and security.
He then drew largely from political life back and was temporarily re- worked as a radio presenter. His 2008 appointment by President Macapagal- intended Arroyo Ambassador to the People's Republic of China with concurrent accreditation in Mongolia and North Korea was rejected by the Commission on Appointments, however.
2009 was finally appointed as Permanent Representative to ASEAN.