Lito Atienza
Encyclopedia
Jose Livioko Atienza, Jr. (born August 10, 1941), commonly known by his nickname Lito Atienza, is the former city mayor
of Manila
and former secretary of the Department of Environment and Resources
. He stepped down as mayor of Manila on June 30, 2007, after serving a three-year three-term limit for local government executives set by the Philippine Constitution of 1987. He currently hosts GMA Network
's Maynila
since 1999.
, four months before the outbreak of World War II
. Atienza’s father, Jose J. Atienza, Sr., was a distinguished public servant to three Philippine presidents. An uncle, Herminigildo Atienza, was a World War II guerrilla leader and after the war was appointed Military Mayor of Manila by Gen. Douglas McArthur himself. Another uncle, Rigoberto Atienza, became Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces in the 1960s during the term of President Diosdado Macapagal
. A third uncle, Arturo, became a renowned lawyer. The four brothers were all members of the Hunters resistance against the Japanese occupation during World War II.
He took up his primary and secondary education from Ateneo de Manila University
and completed a Bachelor's Degree
in Architecture
from the University of Santo Tomas
. His interest and degree in architecture proved useful in rehabilitating and renewing the City of Manila, which had fallen to decay over years of unmanaged growth in population and the lack of an urban planning & community development. He is married to Evalina Ilagan with their children including TV host Kim Atienza and athlete-turned newscaster Ali Atienza.
. He was one of those who survived the Plaza Miranda bombing
in 1971.
During Martial Law, Atienza was arrested twice for exposing human rights abuses under the dictatorship regime of President Ferdinand E. Marcos at that time. He remained with the opposition even if he was on constant threat of incarceration for opposing Marcos. Atienza was first elected as Member of Parliament
in the then At-large Congressional District of Manila (then encompassing the districts of Paco
, Pandacan
, San Andres Bukid, Sta. Ana, Santa Mesa
districts) under the Batasang Pambansa in 1984 and served until Marcos was peacefully ousted during the People Power Revolution
of 1986.
Under the administration of President Corazon Aquino
, Atienza was appointed General Manager of the National Housing Authority in 1988 and he promoted low-cost housing for teachers and policemen.
Together with a former Manila police general, Alfredo S. Lim
running for mayor, Atienza ran as vice-mayor in Manila. The two defeated the incumbent slate of then Mayor Gemiliano Lopez, Jr.
The tandem won a second term in 1995 and in 1998, when Lim ran for President of the Philippines, Atienza was elected Mayor and took his oath of office on June 24, 1998, coinciding with the 427th founding anniversary of the City of Manila. Atienza was again re-elected in 2001 and finally in 2004.
The Supreme Court ruled on April 17, 2007, that Drilon was the real President of the LP and not Atienza and has approved the Daza-Drilon Amendments to the LP's Charter. It also ruled that all Certificates of Nomination signed by Atienza are worthless unless they moved to another political party like Batangas Governor Armando Sanchez and Manny Pacquiao
who moved to KAMPI
and Michael Defensor who moved to Lakas-CMD
in February 2007. Voting 9-5, the court said the amended Salonga Constitution extended Drilon’s term to November 2007. On July 16, 2007, the Supreme Court dismissed with finality a motion for consideration filed by former Manila mayor Lito Atienza (en banc resolution dated July 5, 2007). COMELEC earlier ruled that Drilon's term as LP president has already expired and called for the holding of elections to end the leadership vacuum in the country’s oldest political party. The ruling came after the poll body invalidated the so-called "rump elections" of LP leaders in March 2006.
, was named Environment Secretary on July 18, 2007, replacing Angelo Reyes, who was moved to the Department of Energy, after incumbent Raphael Lotilla resigned. Atienza's appointment came as a shock to environment groups, who had dubbed him as the "butcher of Arroceros." As Manila mayor, Atienza in 2003 enraged environmentalists when he ordered the closure of the Arroceros Park to give way to the building of an education office and a teacher's dormitory, sparking a lawsuit. The Kalikasan People's Network said that Atienza had no moral authority to be at the helm of the DENR because he had "neither had sterling qualifications nor a clean track record of protecting the environment as former Manila Mayor."
as president of the Liberal Party (Philippines)
. Corazon Aquino
and Jovito Salonga
, inter alia, signed the resolution. Roxas is to unite the two LP factions, and set the stage for his presidential campaign in the 2010 election. Lito Atienza, however, forthwith questioned Roxas' appointment, attacking the composition of Liberal Party’s National Executive Council (NECO) and alleged that the Supreme Court of the Philippines
' June 5 resolution ordered the LP leadership's status quo maintenance. Atienza stated: “I have no invitation. They kicked me out of the meeting; How can you (Roxas) unite the party when you take the wrong step?”
, upgrading services of the city’s public libraries, schools and hospitals including the Ospital ng Maynila and the building a permanent campus for the Universidad de Manila are among the achievements under Atienza’s administration.
” and opposed any forms of campaign or programs that promoted contraception or abortion, or sex education programs. All of the City' health centers do not promote "family planning" programs involving contraception
. He and his wife founded the Home for the Angels.
Atienza’s urban renewal programs also faced certain controversies when he decided to build a new campus for the Universidad de Manila
, (formerly called City College of Manila) on the historical Mehan Gardens. Environmentalists and historians were opposed to the project stating that Mehan Gardens should remain as an open space, one of the few remaining open spaces in the City of Manila and for historical reasons, with the gardens an untapped archaeological resource that dates back to the time of the Spanish colonial era.
Historians also questioned Atienza’s respect for historical architecture when the mayor ordered the demolition of the Manila Jai Alai Building
along Taft Avenue to give way to the envisioned Hall of Justice to house the city’s regional trial courts. The building, built during the American colonial period was one of the last remaining art-deco style buildings that survived World War II
.
The mayor battled the country’s three major oil companies, the partly state-owned and Saudi Aramco managed Petron, Dutch-owned Pilipinas Shell and Caltex-Chevron. Atienza and the city council decreed that the presence of oil distribution depots in the heavily populated district of Pandacan
poised as a security and safety danger and issued an eviction notice to the oil companies. The concern was raised after the terror attacks that started on September 11, 2001 that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York. Atienza and the council decreed that the Pandacan district was to be converted from an industrial zone to a residential-commercial zone. A moratorium was set and the oil companies have agreed to gradually scale down their operations.
Since the early-1960s, Atienza aligned himself with the Liberal Party
and up to the present, he has been a staunch party supporter. During the political upheavals calling for the resignation of President Gloria Arroyo in 2005, Atienza established himself and those who supported Arroyo as the “true” Liberal Party and expelled party members who are opposed to Arroyo. After the review made by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the faction of Senator Franklin Drilon
was considered the legitimate Liberal Party. Recently, the Drilon faction expelled all Atienza faction Liberal Party members from the party.
During the second week of December 2006, Atienza, in his show of commitment to "Pro-Life," terminated the Commander of the Manila Police District (MPD) detachment in Quiapo district for failing to rid the area of herbalists who are supposedly selling concoctions that induce abortion.
On February 2007, Atienza formally and officially announced that his second son, the Presidential Adviser on Youth Affairs and Manila's Chair of the Inner-City Development Committee, Arnold Atienza
or more popularly called Ali would run for Mayor of the city on May 14, 2007. Ali lost the mayoralty race to Sen. Fred Lim.
Barely a few days after Atienza stepped down from office as Mayor of Manila, his predecessor, Mayor Alfredo Lim
reversed several public civil works improvement to beautify the city such as the removal of the promenade along Rizal Avenue, the closure of the cafe and bars along the Baywalk. Atienza's former Vice Mayor Danilo Lacuna accused Atienza of selling out the property allocated for the Jose Abad Santos High School in San Nicholas district.
Mayor of Manila
The Mayor of Manila is the head of the executive branch of the City of Manila's government. The mayor holds office at Manila City Hall. Like all local government heads in the Philippines, the mayor is elected via popular vote, and may not be elected for a fourth consecutive term...
of 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,...
and former secretary of the Department of Environment and Resources
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines)
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, development, utilization, and conservation of the country's natural resources.-History:The Department of Environment and Natural...
. He stepped down as mayor of Manila on June 30, 2007, after serving a three-year three-term limit for local government executives set by the Philippine Constitution of 1987. He currently hosts GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
's Maynila
Maynila (TV series)
Maynila is a television drama that has been broadcast on Philippine television since 1999. Originally aired Mondays-Fridays and 5-day episode per week, it presently became a weekend drama anthology of inspiring stories of people who are having love problems and challenges that affect every...
since 1999.
Early life and career
Atienza was born in the district of San Andres BukidSan Andres, Manila
San Andrés is a district located in the south east of the City of Manila in the Philippines, and includes what used to be the pre-World War II district of Singalong as well as parts of the Malate, and Paco districts. San Andrés shares its northeastern border with Santa Ana, and Paco, while to its...
, four months before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Atienza’s father, Jose J. Atienza, Sr., was a distinguished public servant to three Philippine presidents. An uncle, Herminigildo Atienza, was a World War II guerrilla leader and after the war was appointed Military Mayor of Manila by Gen. Douglas McArthur himself. Another uncle, Rigoberto Atienza, became Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces in the 1960s during the term of President Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970...
. A third uncle, Arturo, became a renowned lawyer. The four brothers were all members of the Hunters resistance against the Japanese occupation during World War II.
He took up his primary and secondary education from Ateneo de Manila University
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
and completed a Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor'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 Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
from the University of Santo Tomas
University of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...
. His interest and degree in architecture proved useful in rehabilitating and renewing the City of Manila, which had fallen to decay over years of unmanaged growth in population and the lack of an urban planning & community development. He is married to Evalina Ilagan with their children including TV host Kim Atienza and athlete-turned newscaster Ali Atienza.
Political career
Atienza started his political career in 1968 when he organized the Democratic Youth MovementDemocratic youth movement
The Democratic Youth Movement , is a NGO in Bosnia and Herzegovina.It was founded in 2005, as youth movement for freedom, democracy and unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They have never participated in regular elections, but they work on another level of activity...
. He was one of those who survived the Plaza Miranda bombing
1971 Plaza Miranda bombing
The Plaza Miranda bombing occurred during a political campaign rally of the Liberal Party at Plaza Miranda in the district of Quiapo, Manila in the Philippines on August 21, 1971...
in 1971.
During Martial Law, Atienza was arrested twice for exposing human rights abuses under the dictatorship regime of President Ferdinand E. Marcos at that time. He remained with the opposition even if he was on constant threat of incarceration for opposing Marcos. Atienza was first elected as Member of Parliament
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate , and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.The Senate is composed of 24 senators half...
in the then At-large Congressional District of Manila (then encompassing the districts of Paco
Paco, Manila
Paco, is a district of Manila, Philippines. It is located south of Pasig River, and San Miguel, west of Santa Ana, southwest of Pandacan, north of Malate, northwest of San Andres, and east of Ermita. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 64,184 people in 13,438 households...
, Pandacan
Pandacan, Manila
Pandacan is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located south of the banks of the Pasig River and belongs under the 6th congressional district of Manila, divided into thirty eight barangays that includes Zone 90 to Zone 95 and barangays 833 to 872.-Profile:Based on a year 2000...
, San Andres Bukid, Sta. Ana, Santa Mesa
Santa Mesa, Manila
Santa Mesa is one of the 16 geographical districts of the city of Manila, which is primarily a residential, commercial and educational center. Santa Mesa is bounded by several districts and cities...
districts) under the Batasang Pambansa in 1984 and served until Marcos was peacefully ousted during the People Power Revolution
1986 EDSA Revolution
The People Power Revolution was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that occurred in 1983-86. The methods used amounted to a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud...
of 1986.
Under the administration of President 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...
, Atienza was appointed General Manager of the National Housing Authority in 1988 and he promoted low-cost housing for teachers and policemen.
Together with a former Manila police general, Alfredo S. Lim
Alfredo Lim
Alfredo Siojo Lim is the incumbent Mayor of the City of Manila and a former senator of the Philippines. A widower, he first served as mayor of Manila from 1992 to 1998 and returned to that post after winning in the 2007 mayoral election.-Early life and career:Born on December 21, 1929 in 1324 J...
running for mayor, Atienza ran as vice-mayor in Manila. The two defeated the incumbent slate of then Mayor Gemiliano Lopez, Jr.
Mel Lopez
Gemiliano C. Lopez Jr. served as Mayor of the City of Manila and was a former assemblyman of the Philippines.-Early life:...
The tandem won a second term in 1995 and in 1998, when Lim ran for President of the Philippines, Atienza was elected Mayor and took his oath of office on June 24, 1998, coinciding with the 427th founding anniversary of the City of Manila. Atienza was again re-elected in 2001 and finally in 2004.
The Supreme Court ruled on April 17, 2007, that Drilon was the real President of the LP and not Atienza and has approved the Daza-Drilon Amendments to the LP's Charter. It also ruled that all Certificates of Nomination signed by Atienza are worthless unless they moved to another political party like Batangas Governor Armando Sanchez and Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
who moved to KAMPI
Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino
The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino , formerly the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino , was a political party in the Philippines. It is the mother party of the incumbent Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...
and Michael Defensor who moved to Lakas-CMD
Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats
Lakas-CMD , popularly known as Lakas, was a political party in the Philippines and the predecessor of Lakas Kampi CMD. Its ideology and that of its successor is heavily influenced by Christian and Islamic democracy, and by Populism...
in February 2007. Voting 9-5, the court said the amended Salonga Constitution extended Drilon’s term to November 2007. On July 16, 2007, the Supreme Court dismissed with finality a motion for consideration filed by former Manila mayor Lito Atienza (en banc resolution dated July 5, 2007). COMELEC earlier ruled that Drilon's term as LP president has already expired and called for the holding of elections to end the leadership vacuum in the country’s oldest political party. The ruling came after the poll body invalidated the so-called "rump elections" of LP leaders in March 2006.
Environment Secretary
Atienza, a staunch supporter of President Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria 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...
, was named Environment Secretary on July 18, 2007, replacing Angelo Reyes, who was moved to the Department of Energy, after incumbent Raphael Lotilla resigned. Atienza's appointment came as a shock to environment groups, who had dubbed him as the "butcher of Arroceros." As Manila mayor, Atienza in 2003 enraged environmentalists when he ordered the closure of the Arroceros Park to give way to the building of an education office and a teacher's dormitory, sparking a lawsuit. The Kalikasan People's Network said that Atienza had no moral authority to be at the helm of the DENR because he had "neither had sterling qualifications nor a clean track record of protecting the environment as former Manila Mayor."
New LP President
On November 26, 2007, at Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan, LP National Executive Council officials resolved to appoint Sen. Manuel Roxas IIMar Roxas
Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II is a former Senator of the Philippines. He is the son of former Senator Gerry Roxas, and the grandson of former President Manuel Roxas and industrialist J. Amado Araneta....
as president of the Liberal Party (Philippines)
Liberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
. 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 Jovito Salonga
Jovito Salonga
Jovito "Jovy" Reyes Salonga is a Filipino nationalist politician and lawyer, as well as a leading opposition leader during the Marcos regime from 1972, when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, until 1986, when Marcos was deposed as a result of a bloodless revolution...
, inter alia, signed the resolution. Roxas is to unite the two LP factions, and set the stage for his presidential campaign in the 2010 election. Lito Atienza, however, forthwith questioned Roxas' appointment, attacking the composition of Liberal Party’s National Executive Council (NECO) and alleged that the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
' June 5 resolution ordered the LP leadership's status quo maintenance. Atienza stated: “I have no invitation. They kicked me out of the meeting; How can you (Roxas) unite the party when you take the wrong step?”
Leadership style
Atienza’s leadership can be described into three aspects; (1) social and community development – where he focused on improving the welfare of senior citizens and of children, especially for abandoned children, (2) improving living conditions by improving government services and facilities, and (3) simplifying the bureaucracy in dealing with the city government of Manila.Social development
In almost forty years of Atienza’s political career, he has established social development projects such as the "Mahal Ko si Lolo, Mahal Ko si Lola" (I Love My Grandfather, I Love My Grandmother) foundation in 1976, a model for today’s Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA). In 1984, he also founded the "Kababaihan ng Maynila," (The Women of Manila) a women’s livelihood organization. In 1992 while serving as Vice-Mayor, he established the "Home for the Angels," a child care center for abandoned and abused infants.Community development
In the areas of urban renewal for the City of Manila, Atienza implemented the "Buhayin ang Maynila" (Revive Manila) program, renovating most of Manila’s decaying public facilities such as lighting and improving the sidewalk by the Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard and the area is now filled with al fresco restaurants and coffee shops. Public places such as the Plaza Miranda, the Andres Bonifacio monument, Rajah Sulayman, the Binondo areas, the creation of a Linear-Park in Pandacan, renovating Carriedo and the R. Hidalgo streets in Santa CruzSanta Cruz, Manila
Santa Cruz is located on the right bank of the Pasig River, on the northern portion of the City of Manila, near the mouth of the river, in between the districts of Tondo and Quiapo...
, upgrading services of the city’s public libraries, schools and hospitals including the Ospital ng Maynila and the building a permanent campus for the Universidad de Manila are among the achievements under Atienza’s administration.
Advocacies and issues
Atienza is a devout Roman Catholic and under his administration, he pursued programs that were “Pro-LifePro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
” and opposed any forms of campaign or programs that promoted contraception or abortion, or sex education programs. All of the City' health centers do not promote "family planning" programs involving contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
. He and his wife founded the Home for the Angels.
Atienza’s urban renewal programs also faced certain controversies when he decided to build a new campus for the Universidad de Manila
Universidad de Manila
The Universidad de Manila is a public university in Manila, Philippines...
, (formerly called City College of Manila) on the historical Mehan Gardens. Environmentalists and historians were opposed to the project stating that Mehan Gardens should remain as an open space, one of the few remaining open spaces in the City of Manila and for historical reasons, with the gardens an untapped archaeological resource that dates back to the time of the Spanish colonial era.
Historians also questioned Atienza’s respect for historical architecture when the mayor ordered the demolition of the Manila Jai Alai Building
Manila Jai Alai Building
The Manila Jai Alai Building was a building designed by American architect Welton Becket that functioned as a building for which jai alai games were held...
along Taft Avenue to give way to the envisioned Hall of Justice to house the city’s regional trial courts. The building, built during the American colonial period was one of the last remaining art-deco style buildings that survived World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The mayor battled the country’s three major oil companies, the partly state-owned and Saudi Aramco managed Petron, Dutch-owned Pilipinas Shell and Caltex-Chevron. Atienza and the city council decreed that the presence of oil distribution depots in the heavily populated district of Pandacan
Pandacan, Manila
Pandacan is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located south of the banks of the Pasig River and belongs under the 6th congressional district of Manila, divided into thirty eight barangays that includes Zone 90 to Zone 95 and barangays 833 to 872.-Profile:Based on a year 2000...
poised as a security and safety danger and issued an eviction notice to the oil companies. The concern was raised after the terror attacks that started on September 11, 2001 that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York. Atienza and the council decreed that the Pandacan district was to be converted from an industrial zone to a residential-commercial zone. A moratorium was set and the oil companies have agreed to gradually scale down their operations.
Since the early-1960s, Atienza aligned himself with the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
and up to the present, he has been a staunch party supporter. During the political upheavals calling for the resignation of President Gloria Arroyo in 2005, Atienza established himself and those who supported Arroyo as the “true” Liberal Party and expelled party members who are opposed to Arroyo. After the review made by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the faction of Senator Franklin Drilon
Franklin Drilon
Franklin Magtunao Drilon is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines in 2000 and from 2001 to 2006. Drilon currently serves his third term in the Senate...
was considered the legitimate Liberal Party. Recently, the Drilon faction expelled all Atienza faction Liberal Party members from the party.
During the second week of December 2006, Atienza, in his show of commitment to "Pro-Life," terminated the Commander of the Manila Police District (MPD) detachment in Quiapo district for failing to rid the area of herbalists who are supposedly selling concoctions that induce abortion.
On February 2007, Atienza formally and officially announced that his second son, the Presidential Adviser on Youth Affairs and Manila's Chair of the Inner-City Development Committee, Arnold Atienza
Arnold Atienza
Arnold Ilagan Atienza , also known as Ali Atienza, is an athlete, politician, and newscaster. He was the Presidential Adviser on Youth Affairs from 2005 to 2007 and was concurrently the head of the Manila sports development office and inner city development program from 2001 to 2007...
or more popularly called Ali would run for Mayor of the city on May 14, 2007. Ali lost the mayoralty race to Sen. Fred Lim.
Barely a few days after Atienza stepped down from office as Mayor of Manila, his predecessor, Mayor Alfredo Lim
Alfredo Lim
Alfredo Siojo Lim is the incumbent Mayor of the City of Manila and a former senator of the Philippines. A widower, he first served as mayor of Manila from 1992 to 1998 and returned to that post after winning in the 2007 mayoral election.-Early life and career:Born on December 21, 1929 in 1324 J...
reversed several public civil works improvement to beautify the city such as the removal of the promenade along Rizal Avenue, the closure of the cafe and bars along the Baywalk. Atienza's former Vice Mayor Danilo Lacuna accused Atienza of selling out the property allocated for the Jose Abad Santos High School in San Nicholas district.