Dulce Saguisag
Encyclopedia
Dulce Quintans-Saguisag was a Filipino
politician and former Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development under the administration of former President Joseph Estrada
. Saguisag was one of Estrada's eleven cabinet members
who withdrew support for Estrada on January 19, 2001, following accusations of massive corruption
by the president. Estrada was ousted from office the next day, which is now known in the Philippines as EDSA II.
She also served as the secretary-general of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
Saguisag was the wife of a former Filipino Senator
Rene Saguisag
, who was in office from 1987 - 1992.
in social work
from the University of the Philippines
and placed third in the country in the 1964 National Board Examination for Social Workers.
She initially began her career as in 1964 at the Social Welfare Administration, which is now called the Department of Social Welfare and Development. She held a position of senior social worker at the SWA until 1965, when she became a supervising social worker and community center director.
Saguisag left the Philippines for the United States
in 1967 after winning a grant
by the US State Department to observe social work in the country. She was also recruited by the John F. Kennedy War on Poverty program while in the United States.
Saguisag won a scholarship
to Boston College
where she received a master's degree in social work, with an emphasis on community organization
and social planning, in 1969.
She met her future husband, Rene Saguisag
, a student at Harvard Law School
, while studying at Boston College. The couple had two daughters and three sons during their marriage. Her hobies included collecting angel
and Santa Claus
figurines
and ballroom dancing with her husband.
of the Bureau of Family and Child Welfare.
She left her position with the bureau in order to become dual director of human resources
development and director of management
training at the Development Academy of the Philippines in 1976.
Saguisag once again left to take a new position, this time for an organization outside of the Filipino government. In 1984, she took a job with the Mondragon International Philippines, Inc. as a manager
for human resource development. She stayed with the company until 1999. She was serving as Mondragon's vice chairperson and deputy chief executive officer
at the time of her departure.
Joseph Estrada
in October 2000. Her appointment to Secretary of the DSWD followed the resignation of then Vice President
and DSWD Secretary Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
. Arroyo had left the Estrada administration over the jueteng scandal
which had plagued Estrada during his term. Saguisag accepted the Secretary position despite the objections of her husband, Rene Saguisag. He worried that the cabinet position would be too stressful to his wife, who had undergone successful breast cancer
surgery in 1997.
Saguisag became one of eleven of Estrada's cabinet members who withdrew support for the embattled President on January 19, 2001. Her decision to withdraw her support for the President came after allegations of massive government corruption against Estrada. Estrada was ousted from office the next day on January 20, 2001, which is now known as EDSA II in the Philippines. (Dulce Saguisag's husband, Rene Saguisag, later became Estrada's defense lawyer.)
on November 8, 2007, on President Osmeña Highway in Makati City
. Her husband, Rene Saguisag, was seriously injured in the accident. Two other people riding in the same Toyota Grandia van as the Saguisags, including Filipino dance instructor, Rhea Imelda Obong, and driver, Felipe Calvario, were also seriously injured in the accident. All four were rushed to Ospital ng Makati where Dulce Saguisag was pronounced dead from her injuries.
The Toyota
that Ducle Saguisag was riding in, which was travelling on Pasay Road, was struck by a dump truck
at the corner of the President Osmeña Highway in Makati City at about 2 A.M. The dump truck had reportedly been speeding when it ran a traffic light and struck the left side of the Saguisags' van, killing Dulce. Police arrested the driver of the dump truck at the scene of the accident.
Dulce Saguisag's funeral was held on November 16, 2007. The service began with a two hour Roman Catholic mass
at the chapel
of St. Scholastica’s College in Manila
, which Saguisag had attended. The funeral procession then passed Saguisag's "ancestral home" on Bigasan Street in Makati City. Dulce Saguisag was buried in the Garden of Reverence section of the Manila Memorial Park cemetery in Parañaque City
.
Three hundred people attended her funeral. Prominent mourners included former Filipino Presidents Corazon Aquino
and Joseph Estrada
, Vice President
Noli de Castro
, San Juan City Mayor Joseph Victor Ejercito, and Gina de Venecia, the wife of the Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
Jose de Venecia.
After a month, on December 8, 2007, Senator Rene Saguisag
was released from the hospital, freed from tubes, but “still needs assistance by a hired a private nurse. He lost lots of weight. He was out of the ICU
on November 28, or 20 days from the fatal accident.Their youngest daughter 16-year old gymnast
Kaissa Saguisag's knee injury ended her quest for gold at the 24th Southeast Asian Games
.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
politician and former Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development under the administration of former President Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
. Saguisag was one of Estrada's eleven cabinet members
Cabinet of the Philippines
The Cabinet of the Philippines consists of the heads of the largest part of the executive branch of the national government of the Philippines...
who withdrew support for Estrada on January 19, 2001, following accusations of massive corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
by the president. Estrada was ousted from office the next day, which is now known in the Philippines as EDSA II.
She also served as the secretary-general of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
Saguisag was the wife of a former Filipino Senator
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
Rene Saguisag
Rene Saguisag
Rene A. V. Saguisag is a Filipino lawyer. He served as a Filipino Senator from 1987 until 1992.-Early life:...
, who was in office from 1987 - 1992.
Early life
Dulce Saguisag was born Dulce Maramba Quintans on September 5, 1943. She received a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
from the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
and placed third in the country in the 1964 National Board Examination for Social Workers.
She initially began her career as in 1964 at the Social Welfare Administration, which is now called the Department of Social Welfare and Development. She held a position of senior social worker at the SWA until 1965, when she became a supervising social worker and community center director.
Saguisag left the Philippines for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1967 after winning a grant
Research funding
Research funding is a term generally covering any funding for scientific research, in the areas of both "hard" science and technology and social science. The term often connotes funding obtained through a competitive process, in which potential research projects are evaluated and only the most...
by the US State Department to observe social work in the country. She was also recruited by the John F. Kennedy War on Poverty program while in the United States.
Saguisag won a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
where she received a master's degree in social work, with an emphasis on community organization
Community organization
Community organizations are civil society non-profits that operate within a single local community. They are essentially a subset of the wider group of nonprofits. Like other nonprofits they are often run on a voluntary basis and are self funded...
and social planning, in 1969.
She met her future husband, Rene Saguisag
Rene Saguisag
Rene A. V. Saguisag is a Filipino lawyer. He served as a Filipino Senator from 1987 until 1992.-Early life:...
, a student at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, while studying at Boston College. The couple had two daughters and three sons during their marriage. Her hobies included collecting angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
and Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
figurines
Figurines
Figurines is an indie rock band from Denmark, formed in the mid-1990s. The band released their first EP, The Detour, in 2001 and their first full-length album, Shake a Mountain, in 2004. The band began to receive national attention in Denmark around the time of the full-length release, and began...
and ballroom dancing with her husband.
Career
Upon receiving her master's degree, Saguisag returned to the Philippines. She took a job with the Department of Social Welfare and Development in 1971. She worked as a social welfare program specialist at the department before being promoted to assistant directorDirector-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the Bureau of Family and Child Welfare.
She left her position with the bureau in order to become dual director of human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
development and director of management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
training at the Development Academy of the Philippines in 1976.
Saguisag once again left to take a new position, this time for an organization outside of the Filipino government. In 1984, she took a job with the Mondragon International Philippines, Inc. as a manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
for human resource development. She stayed with the company until 1999. She was serving as Mondragon's vice chairperson and deputy chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
at the time of her departure.
Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development
Dulce Saguisag was appointed Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) by PresidentPresident of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
in October 2000. Her appointment to Secretary of the DSWD followed the resignation of then Vice President
Vice President of the Philippines
-Description:The Vice-President is the first in the Philippine line of succession, assuming the Presidency upon the death, resignation, or removal by impeachment and subsequent conviction of the incumbent. The position was abolished by Martial Law in 1972, and was not included in the original text...
and DSWD Secretary Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
. Arroyo had left the Estrada administration over the jueteng scandal
Jueteng
Jueteng is an illegal numbers game played in the Philippines. Jueteng originated from China and means "flower" and "bet" . Although illegal, it is a widely popular game with participation that crosses most, if not all social and economic boundaries, played by rich and poor alike...
which had plagued Estrada during his term. Saguisag accepted the Secretary position despite the objections of her husband, Rene Saguisag. He worried that the cabinet position would be too stressful to his wife, who had undergone successful breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
surgery in 1997.
Saguisag became one of eleven of Estrada's cabinet members who withdrew support for the embattled President on January 19, 2001. Her decision to withdraw her support for the President came after allegations of massive government corruption against Estrada. Estrada was ousted from office the next day on January 20, 2001, which is now known as EDSA II in the Philippines. (Dulce Saguisag's husband, Rene Saguisag, later became Estrada's defense lawyer.)
Car Accident
Dulce Saguisag was killed in a serious car accidentCar accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
on November 8, 2007, on President Osmeña Highway in Makati City
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
. Her husband, Rene Saguisag, was seriously injured in the accident. Two other people riding in the same Toyota Grandia van as the Saguisags, including Filipino dance instructor, Rhea Imelda Obong, and driver, Felipe Calvario, were also seriously injured in the accident. All four were rushed to Ospital ng Makati where Dulce Saguisag was pronounced dead from her injuries.
The Toyota
Toyota Hiace
The Toyota HiAce is a motor vehicle produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. First launched in 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of configurations, including minivan and minibus, van, pick-up, taxi, and ambulance....
that Ducle Saguisag was riding in, which was travelling on Pasay Road, was struck by a dump truck
Isuzu Giga
The Isuzu Giga & Isuzu C/E-Series Mark II is a line of heavy-duty commercial vehicle by Isuzu. The range was primarily available in other big-size trucks...
at the corner of the President Osmeña Highway in Makati City at about 2 A.M. The dump truck had reportedly been speeding when it ran a traffic light and struck the left side of the Saguisags' van, killing Dulce. Police arrested the driver of the dump truck at the scene of the accident.
Dulce Saguisag's funeral was held on November 16, 2007. The service began with a two hour Roman Catholic mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
at the chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
of St. Scholastica’s College in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, which Saguisag had attended. The funeral procession then passed Saguisag's "ancestral home" on Bigasan Street in Makati City. Dulce Saguisag was buried in the Garden of Reverence section of the Manila Memorial Park cemetery in Parañaque City
Parañaque City
The City of Parañaque , or simply Parañaque , is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila in the Philippines....
.
Three hundred people attended her funeral. Prominent mourners included former Filipino Presidents Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
and Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
, Vice President
Vice President of the Philippines
-Description:The Vice-President is the first in the Philippine line of succession, assuming the Presidency upon the death, resignation, or removal by impeachment and subsequent conviction of the incumbent. The position was abolished by Martial Law in 1972, and was not included in the original text...
Noli de Castro
Noli de Castro
Manuel Leuterio de Castro, Jr. , better known as Noli de Castro or "Kabayan" Noli de Castro, was Vice President of the Philippines ....
, San Juan City Mayor Joseph Victor Ejercito, and Gina de Venecia, the wife of the Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines is the presiding officer of the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives....
Jose de Venecia.
After a month, on December 8, 2007, Senator Rene Saguisag
Rene Saguisag
Rene A. V. Saguisag is a Filipino lawyer. He served as a Filipino Senator from 1987 until 1992.-Early life:...
was released from the hospital, freed from tubes, but “still needs assistance by a hired a private nurse. He lost lots of weight. He was out of the ICU
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
on November 28, or 20 days from the fatal accident.Their youngest daughter 16-year old gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
Kaissa Saguisag's knee injury ended her quest for gold at the 24th Southeast Asian Games
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
.