Agnes Almendras Magpale (born January 21, 1942) is

Filipina Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...

educator and politician from

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...

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. In 2010, she became a

Cebu Provincial Board The Cebu Provincial Board is the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial legislature) of the Philippine province of Cebu. The members are elected via plurality-at-large voting: the province is divided into seven districts, two representatives in eac ...

Member, acting

Vice Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and acting

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

within a single three-year electoral term through succession. She assumed the Vice Governor post upon the death of incumbent Gregorio Sanchez, Jr. in 2010 and became acting Governor when

Gwendolyn Garcia Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia (born October 12, 1955) is a Filipina politician serving as the governor of Cebu since 2019, a position she previously held from 2004 and 2013—being the first woman to hold that office. She was the representative of Ceb ...

was suspended in 2012. Previously, she was a member of the Provincial Board representing the 5th legislative district from 1992 until 2001. After taking a break from politics, she was elected again to the Provincial Board from 2004 until 2011.

Early life and education

Magpale was born in Danao City on January 21, 1942. The eldest child of Josefino Durano Almendras of Danao City and Rosita de la Serna Dimataga of Lapu-lapu City, she attended at St. Theresa's College in Cebu City. Then, she graduated with an Associate in Arts at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

in 1959, acquired a bachelor's degree in nutrition at the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

in 1963, and a master's degree in nutrition at the

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

in 1965. Additionally, she earned a Certificate in Local Administration and Development from the

Department of the Interior and Local Government The Department of the Interior and Local Government ( fil, Kagawaran ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal), abbreviated as DILG, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public saf ...

(DILG) and

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

, as well as Doctoral in Organizational Development and Transformation at the Cebu Doctors College.

Political career

Magpale established her political career in her hometown of Danao and considered the local political leader, Ramon Durano III, as her mentor. In over two decades in public service, she was known for her concerns for women's and children's rights.

Vice Mayor

At the age of 27, her political career began in 1971 when she was elected Danao Vice Mayor.

Provincial Board Member

After she quit politics for 13 years to take care of her children, she campaigned and was voted as member of the

representing the 5th legislative district in 1992 and having been elected with the highest number of votes, she served as Presiding Officer Pro-Tempore for three consecutive terms until 2001. In 2001, she took a break from politics, and she worked as the President of the Northeastern Cebu Colleges for a year. President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...

appointed her as member of the

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in the same year. She again was voted to the Provincial Board and served for consecutive terms in 2004, 2007, and 2010.

Acting Vice Governor

Upon the death of Gregorio Sanchez, Jr. due to lung cancer on April 29, 2011, she was sworn as Vice Governor of the province of Cebu on May 10, 2011 to serve the remaining unfinished term of Sanchez. An electoral protest before the Commission on Election was ongoing against Sanchez filed by businessman Glenn Soco, thus her seat at the

Sangguniang Panlalawigan Sangguniang Panlalawigan (abbreviated as SP; ), commonly known as the Provincial Board, are the legislatures in Philippine provinces. They are the legislative branches of the provinces, and their powers and responsibilities are defined by the Loca ...

remained vacant in the case that the protest would be decided in favor of Soco. Her assumption to the post was by virtue of her being the member of the Provincial Board who garnered the highest number of votes in the 2010 election. On February 12, 2018, the Ombudsman ruled to dismiss then Gwendolyn Garcia based on the complaint Magpale filed in 2012 over the back-filling in the Balili property, a portion of which was submerged underwater. However, the ruling was overturned by the Court of Appeals on May 12, 2019.

Acting Governor

She took oath as the acting governor when Garcia was suspended for six months on December 19, 2012. Garcia's suspension, which was signed by Executive Secretary

Paquito Ochoa Jr. Paquito "Jojo" Navarro Ochoa Jr. (born November 11, 1960) is a Filipino lawyer. He served as the 37th Executive Secretary of President Benigno Aquino III. He had been the city administrator of Quezon City from 2001 to 2010. Early life Ochoa t ...

on behalf of President

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

, stemmed from the administrative complaint filed by Gregorio Sanchez Jr. in 2010 in connection with hiring of contractual workers. Garcia filed a temporary restraining order at the Court of Appeals, stating that she had acted within the bounds of her office's authority, and stayed in the Cebu Provincial Capitol until January 30, 2013, while Magpale began her term as acting governor in the Legislative Building.

Vice Governor

Magpale ran for the position of Vice Governor under the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and won in 2013 and was reelected for a second term in 2016. On October 17, 2018, she filed her certificate of candidacy for Governor under the Nationalist People's Coalition for the 2019 mid-term election. On December 20, 2018, Congresswoman Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district filed charges at the Office of the Ombudsman against

Hilario Davide III Hilario "Junjun" Perez Davide III (born August 25, 1964) is a Filipino politician and lawyer who is the incumbent vice governor of Cebu. He served as a governor of Cebu Province from 2013 to 2019. He is the son of former Chief Justice Hilario Da ...

, Agnes Magpale, and four Capitol officers on alleged appointments on positions that were "not yet to be declared vacant". Davide stated that the concerned appointments were in conformance to standard procedure. On March 26, 2019, Garcia together with Provincial Board Member Alex Binghay also filed an injunction against Davide, Magpale, several Capitol officials, contractor WT Construction Inc. and

Development Bank of the Philippines The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is a state-owned development bank headquartered in Makati, Philippines. It was established after World War II in 1947 on the government's effort through its mandate to rebuild the country's war t ...

from constructing the ₱1.5 billion, 20-story Cebu Provincial Resource Center. Garcia alleged that contract for the building's construction was not authorized by the Provincial Board, while Davide claimed they complied the requisite protocols in pursuing the project. Magpale was defeated by Gwendolyn Garcia of

PDP–Laban Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (), abbreviated as PDP–Laban, is a democratic socialist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was part of the country's ruling party al ...

, and Garcia returned as the elected Governor of Cebu in 2019.

Net worth

According to the 2018 statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, she was the richest elected official in Cebu province with personal properties amounting to ₱44.83 million. She served as the president of Northeastern Cebu Colleges, a family-owned enterprise, and had financial interests with JD Almendras Agro Industrial Development Corporation. Both businesses were located in Danao City.

Personal life

She married Arsenio J. Magpale, Associate Justice of the

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

, who died on April 4, 2010. The couple had three children: Josefina Patricia, Jose Paolo, and Miguel Antonio.

Awards

* Zonta Leadership * Garbo sa Danao * Ten Outstanding Cebuano UP Alumni Award * Cebuano Heritage Award * St. Theresa's College Achievers' Award * 888 New Forum Award as chair of the committee on tourism and international affairs of the Provincial Board * 2016 The Outstanding Cebuano Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magpale, Agnes Members of the Cebu Provincial Board Governors of Cebu Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Vice Governors of Cebu Presidents of universities and colleges in the Philippines University of the Philippines alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni 1942 births Living people