Spice Boys (Congressmen)
Encyclopedia
The Spice Boys were six thirtysomething neophyte and two-term congressmen of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
openly critical of the administration during Joseph Estrada
's term as President of the Philippines
. The group's name is an allusion to the British girl-group, the Spice Girls
. They also played a key role in Estrada's removal from office.
The Estrada administration's equivalent of this opposition clique
was a seven-member group of congressmen Estrada christened as the "Bright Boys
".
ushered in a wave of neophyte congressmen into the House of Representatives, filling 140 seats of the 220-seat Lower House
. About a fifth of its members were under 40 years of age, roughly equivalent to Generation X
. This influx of young blood changed the way legislative business was undertaken and the image of the Filipino politician, most of whom were derided as trapos or "TRAditional POliticians". Incidentally, the Spanish
word trapo means "rag", as in rag doll
or dish rag.
After the Lakas-NUCD party was reduced to 25 members at the height of the Charter-change debate in 1999 and became the minority bloc in the House, six young congressmen became media sensations due to their fervent opposition to the issue of making changes to the Philippine Constitution. This group came to be dubbed by the media as the "Spice Boys", effectively becoming the face and voice of the opposition. As of 2001, the members of the group are no longer in the opposition and are holding positions in the Cabinet
or Congress.
's 2004 Presidential campaign. In 2004, three were given committee chairmanships in the House of Representatives. Andaya became chairman of the appropriations committee; Barbers headed the accounts committee, and Zubiri, the committee on legislative franchises. Defensor became head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, while Braganza took over as agrarian reform secretary.
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...
openly critical of the administration during 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...
's term as President of the Philippines
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...
. The group's name is an allusion to the British girl-group, the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
. They also played a key role in Estrada's removal from office.
The Estrada administration's equivalent of this opposition clique
Clique
A clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative. Membership in a clique is typically exclusive, and qualifications for membership may be social or...
was a seven-member group of congressmen Estrada christened as the "Bright Boys
Bright Boys
The Bright Boys were seven first-term administration congressmen of the House of Representatives of the Philippines who were dubbed as such by Joseph Estrada during his term as President of the Philippines.-Background:...
".
Background
The 1998 Philippine general electionPhilippine general election, 1998
The senatorial election was held in the Philippines on May 11, 1998. The two main competing coalitions in the senatorial election were the Lakas-NUCD-UMDP and the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino -led coalition composed of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino , Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino , the...
ushered in a wave of neophyte congressmen into the House of Representatives, filling 140 seats of the 220-seat Lower House
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
. About a fifth of its members were under 40 years of age, roughly equivalent to Generation X
Generation X
Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western post–World War II baby boom ended. While there is no universally agreed upon time frame, the term generally includes people born from the early 1960's through the early 1980's, usually no later than 1981 or...
. This influx of young blood changed the way legislative business was undertaken and the image of the Filipino politician, most of whom were derided as trapos or "TRAditional POliticians". Incidentally, the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word trapo means "rag", as in rag doll
Rag doll
A rag doll is a children's toy. It is a cloth figure, a doll traditionally home-made from spare scraps of material. They are one of the most ancient children's toys in existence; the British Museum has a Roman rag doll, found in a child's grave dating from 300 BC.Rag dolls have featured in a...
or dish rag.
After the Lakas-NUCD party was reduced to 25 members at the height of the Charter-change debate in 1999 and became the minority bloc in the House, six young congressmen became media sensations due to their fervent opposition to the issue of making changes to the Philippine Constitution. This group came to be dubbed by the media as the "Spice Boys", effectively becoming the face and voice of the opposition. As of 2001, the members of the group are no longer in the opposition and are holding positions in the Cabinet
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...
or Congress.
Composition
The group consisted of:- Rolando Andaya, Jr. – 1st District, Camarines SurCamarines SurCamarines Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Pili and the province borders Camarines Norte and Quezon to the north, and Albay to the south...
- Robert Ace Barbers – 2nd District, Surigao del NorteSurigao del NorteSurigao del Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is Surigao City. The province consists of two major islands—Siargao Island and Bucas Grande Island—in the Philippine Sea, and a small region at the northernmost tip of the island of...
- Michael Defensor – 3rd District, Quezon CityQuezon CityQuezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
- Hernani Braganza – 1st District, PangasinanPangasinanPangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...
- Federico Sandoval IIFederico Sandoval IIPhilippines Congressman Federico "Ricky" Sandoval is in his third term of office, as a representative of the people of the City of Malabon and the Municipality of Navotas....
– Navotas-Malabon - Juan Miguel ZubiriJuan Miguel ZubiriJuan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri is a Filipino politician who served as a Congressman representing the third district of Bukidnon for three consecutive terms, and was the Senate of the Philippines Majority Leader, replacing Senator Francis Pangilinan on November 17, 2008...
– 3rd District, BukidnonBukidnonBukidnon is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Malaybalay City. The province borders, clockwise starting from the north, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte.Bukidnon is...
Post EDSA II
After the EDSA Revolution of 2001, the Spice Boys were assigned key positions in the Arroyo administration. In 2003, the Spice Boys pledged their support for 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...
's 2004 Presidential campaign. In 2004, three were given committee chairmanships in the House of Representatives. Andaya became chairman of the appropriations committee; Barbers headed the accounts committee, and Zubiri, the committee on legislative franchises. Defensor became head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, while Braganza took over as agrarian reform secretary.