Rene Saguisag
Encyclopedia
Rene A. V. Saguisag is a Filipino
lawyer
. He served as a Filipino Senator
from 1987 until 1992.
, Philippines. Saguisag attended elementary school at Makati Elementary School in 1951. He graduated from Rizal High School
in 1955.
Saguisag went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1959 from San Beda College
. He also later graduated cum laude from San Beda College with a bachelor of laws
degree in 1963 and placed 6th in the same year's Bar Examinations
. Saguisag also obtained his Master of Laws degree from Harvard University
in 1968.
as a prominent human rights
lawyer
in the Philippines from 1972 to 1986. He also became a spokesman for then president elect Corazon Aquino
beginning on January 22, 1986.
Saguisag was first elected to the Senate of the Philippines
in 1987. He remained in the Senate until 1992. As a Senator, Saguisag served as chairman of the committee on ethics
and privileges. He also served on the "ad hoc
" committee on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
.
Rene Saguisag was one of only two Filipino Senators who attended all 415 session days from July 1987 to June 1990.
Following his departure from the Senate, Saguisag became one of the leading defense lawyers in the corruption
trial of former President Joseph Estrada
.
Before President Estrada stepped down from Malacañang on account of the plunder case filed against him, right after the Philippine Centennial Celebration, Former Senator Rene Saguisag was appointed by Pres. Estrada to head the Ad Hoc and Independent Citizens' Committee (AHICC) with members Atty. Francis Pangilinan, Engr. Fiorello Estuar, USec. Antonio M. Llorente and Corazon dela Paz.
AHICC was created by President Estrada on Feb. 24, 1999 through Administrative Order No. 53 to investigate if there were irregularities that transpired during the preparations and celebrations of Philippine Centennial Anniversary.
AHICC found that the bidding for certain centennial projects had been rigged, that certain documents used in the bidding had been falsified, and that certain signatures on documents were forged.
. In the accident, a speeding dump truck
struck Saguisag's van, killing his wife Dulce Saguisag
, a former Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Saguisag was left in critical condition
following the accident. His injuries included seven broken rib
s and small blood clots in his brain
. However, his doctors stated that he had a "very good chance" of a full recovery. He spent 20 days in the intensive-care unit, and after a month, or on December 8, 2007, Senator Rene Saguisag was released from the hospital.
, but a 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...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He served as a 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...
from 1987 until 1992.
Early life
Rene Saguisag was born on August 14, 1939 in Mauban, QuezonMauban, Quezon
The Municipality of Mauban is a first class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 55,866 people. The town center lies 157 km southwest from Manila and some 52 km from Lucena City, capital of Quezon province...
, Philippines. Saguisag attended elementary school at Makati Elementary School in 1951. He graduated from Rizal High School
Rizal High School
Rizal High School , an institution of secondary education based in Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, has been listed as the “largest secondary school in the world” since 1993 by the Guinness Book of World Records. This evaluation is based on the size of the student population.The school was...
in 1955.
Saguisag went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1959 from San Beda College
San Beda College
San Beda College or Dalubhasaan ng San Beda in Filipino is a Private Benedictine college run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines. It is located on Mendiola Street in San Miguel, Manila...
. He also later graduated cum laude from San Beda College with a bachelor of laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree in 1963 and placed 6th in the same year's Bar Examinations
Philippine Bar Examination
The Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the Philippines.It is the only professional licensure exam in the country that is not supervised by the Professional Regulation Commission...
. Saguisag also obtained his Master of Laws degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1968.
Career
Rene Saguisag practiced lawLaw
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
as a prominent human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in the Philippines from 1972 to 1986. He also became a spokesman for then president elect 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...
beginning on January 22, 1986.
Saguisag was first elected to the Senate of the Philippines
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...
in 1987. He remained in the Senate until 1992. As a Senator, Saguisag served as chairman of the committee on ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and privileges. He also served on the "ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
" committee on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant, completed but never fueled, on Bataan Peninsula, west of Manila in the Philippines. It is located on a 3.57 square kilometre government reservation at Napot Point in Morong, Bataan...
.
Rene Saguisag was one of only two Filipino Senators who attended all 415 session days from July 1987 to June 1990.
Following his departure from the Senate, Saguisag became one of the leading defense lawyers in the 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...
trial 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...
.
Before President Estrada stepped down from Malacañang on account of the plunder case filed against him, right after the Philippine Centennial Celebration, Former Senator Rene Saguisag was appointed by Pres. Estrada to head the Ad Hoc and Independent Citizens' Committee (AHICC) with members Atty. Francis Pangilinan, Engr. Fiorello Estuar, USec. Antonio M. Llorente and Corazon dela Paz.
AHICC was created by President Estrada on Feb. 24, 1999 through Administrative Order No. 53 to investigate if there were irregularities that transpired during the preparations and celebrations of Philippine Centennial Anniversary.
AHICC found that the bidding for certain centennial projects had been rigged, that certain documents used in the bidding had been falsified, and that certain signatures on documents were forged.
Car accident
Rene Saguisag was seriously injured in a car accident on November 8, 2007, in Makati CityMakati 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...
. In the accident, a speeding dump truck
Dump truck
A dump truck is a truck used for transporting loose material for construction. A typical dump truck is equipped with a hydraulically operated open-box bed hinged at the rear, the front of which can be lifted up to allow the contents to be deposited on the ground behind the truck at the site of...
struck Saguisag's van, killing his wife Dulce Saguisag
Dulce Saguisag
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...
, a former Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Saguisag was left in critical condition
Critical Condition
Critical condition is a medical state.Critical Condition may also be:* Critical Condition , an episode of the television series Sex and the City* Critical Condition , a 1987 comedy film...
following the accident. His injuries included seven broken rib
Rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
s and small blood clots in his brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
. However, his doctors stated that he had a "very good chance" of a full recovery. He spent 20 days in the intensive-care unit, and after a month, or on December 8, 2007, Senator Rene Saguisag was released from the hospital.
Family
Rene and Dulce's youngest daughter, Kaissa Saguisag is a gymnastGymnast
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...
, but a 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...
.