Antonio Magsaysay Diaz (1927–2011) was a politician and lawyer. He was elected to the

House of Representatives of the Philippines The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish language, Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house ...

representing

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...

for three separate tenures – 1969 to 1972, 1992 to 2001, and 2004 until his death on August 3, 2011.

Early life

Diaz, a nephew of the late-president Ramon Magsaysay, member of the Magsaysay political clan of Zambales, was variously the vice governor and representative of the province since the 1960s. Diaz obtained a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

from the

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

in 1954. According to a statement from the family, Diaz gave the bulk of his pork barrel funds to his scholarship program which included the provision of tuition money and stipends to some 500,000 high school and college students not only in his district but in the entire province. In the last 10 years, Diaz allocated approximately P500 million for this program alone. Records from Diaz's office showed that public school students in the district receive at least P1,000 each a year while those in private schools get at least P4,000 each. Camat said the funds given to students are supplemented by bonuses and other forms of assistance given to the scholars and their families. He said the scholarship program was the key to Diaz's political clout with voters in the province. He made his career in government service, starting out as deputy customs commissioner (1963–1964), head of the legal department of the Land Reform Commission (1964–1965), and was subsequently elected vice governor of Zambales (1967–1969), before winning the first of many congressional terms in 1969. He was also a member of the Batasang Pambansa in 1984. Diaz's mother, Mercedes, is a sister of the late President Ramon Magsaysay.

Personal life

He was married to Felmida V. Diaz with four children: Ramon Victor, Roderick Albert, Roberto Carlos and Rica Victoria, daughters-in-law Carla, Yveth, and Anna, son-in-law Ronald Arambulo and grandchildren Regina Isabel, Marianna Antonia, Bianca Alberta, Ricardo, Paquito, Rafael, Sabrina Victoria and Sidney Louise.

Education

*Elementary: Castillejos Elementary School (1934–1940) *High School: Letran College (1940–1950) *College:

; Associate in Arts, graduated magna cum laude (1952) and Bachelor of Laws (1954)

Career history

*Professor of political science of

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pamantasan ng Malayong Silanganan''), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private non-sectarian Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Manila, Philippines ...

(1955–1957) *Head executive assistant; Head, legal department of Land Reform Commission (1956–1958) *Vice president of

Federation of Free Farmers The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) is an agricultural association in the Philippines. History The organization was founded in October 25, 1953 in Porac, Pampanga by Catholics with Christian democratic leanings, following the decline of communi ...

(1956–1957) *Barangay captain of Santa Maria,

Castillejos, Zambales Castillejos, officially the Municipality of Castillejos ( ilo, Ili ti Castillejos; tl, Bayan ng Castillejos), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 67,889 peopl ...

(1958–1961) *Chief executive assistant Department of Finance (1961–1963) *Deputy commissioner,

Bureau of Customs The Bureau of Customs (abbreviated BoC or BOC; fil, Kawanihan ng Adwana) is a Philippine government agency under the Department of Finance. The Bureau of Customs was established on February 6, 1902 by the Insular Government of the Philippine ...

(1963–1964) *Legal consultant,

Benguet Consolidated Mining Corporation Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Benguet; ilo, Probinsia ti Benguet; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Admi ...

(1964–1966) *Chairperson, PNB Provident Fund of

Philippine National Bank The Philippine National Bank (PNB, Filipino/ tl, Bangko Nasyonal ng Pilipinas, lit=; es, Banco Nacional Filipino; Hokkien ) is one of the largest banks in the Philippines. It was established by the Philippine government on July 22, 1916, durin ...

(1966–1970) *Provincial vice governor of Zambales (1967–1969) *Director of

Philippine National Railways The Philippine National Railways (PNR) ( fil, Pambansang Daang-Bakal ng Pilipinas and es, Ferrocarril Nacional de Filipinas) is a state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Metro Manila an ...

(1967–1969) *Representative, lone district, Zambales

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

(1969–1972) *Director and senior vice president,

Philtrust Company Philtrust Bank, formally known as the Philippine Trust Company, is one of the oldest private universal banks in the Philippines. Founded on October 16, 1916, its history parallels the growth of the Philippine banking system. It is the third b ...

(1978–1984) *Representative of

Batasang Pambansa The Batasang Pambansa Complex, or simply the Batasan (), is the seat of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located along the Batasan Road in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The complex was initially the home of the Batasang Pa ...

(1984–1986) *Deputy minister, Department of Tourism (1985–1986) *Partner, Albano, Garcia, Diaz Law Office (1987–1992) *Representative, 2nd district, Zambales House of Representatives (1969–1972;1992–2001; 2004–2010)

Death

He died on August 3, 2011 (Wednesday) cause of multiple organ failure secondary to sepsis and pneumonia at St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City. He was 83. Teodoro Camat, who heads Diaz's office in Zambales’ 2nd congressional district, said the lawmaker died at 6:20 am. Camat said Diaz's body will be taken to the Iba Cathedral here on Saturday after necrological services at the House of Representatives. The body will then be transferred for the wake in his hometown at

San Marcelino, Zambales San Marcelino, officially the Municipality of San Marcelino ( ilo, Ili ti San Marcelino; tgl, Bayan ng San Marcelino), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Zambales, Philippines. A ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Antonio 1927 births 2011 deaths People from Olongapo Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Zambales Lakas–CMD politicians Labor Party Philippines politicians 20th-century Filipino lawyers Ateneo de Manila University alumni Magsaysay family Deaths from pneumonia in the Philippines Deaths from sepsis Deaths from multiple organ failure Members of the Batasang Pambansa Macapagal administration personnel Ferdinand Marcos administration personnel