Gilberto "Bibit" Muñoz Duavit, Sr. (November 29, 1934 – December 14, 2018) was a Filipino lawyer, entrepreneur and politician. He was a major figure in the

GMA Network Inc. GMA Network, Inc., commonly known as GMA, is a Philippine media company based in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries dealing in various media related businesses. ...

and a member of the

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 ...

from 1994 to 2001.

Early life and education

Duavit was born on November 29, 1934, in

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 ...

. He was the son of Margarito Duavit and Rosa Muñoz.Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899-1984
" database with images, ''

FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is closely connected with the church's Family Hist ...

'' (November 11, 2017), Gilberto Duavit, November 29, 1934; Birth, November 29, 1934, City of Manila Civil Registrar, Philippines; FHL microfilm 1,511,139. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and law degree from the

University of the East The University of the East ( fil, Pamantasan ng Silangan), also known as UE, is a leading private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the ...

Manila, and held a doctorate degree in humanities from the

University of Rizal System The University of Rizal System (URS) is a network of colleges located in the Rizal province, Philippines. It operates multiple campuses, with the main campus being in Tanay, Rizal. It is committed to produce graduates in agriculture, engineer ...

Career

He was chairman of GMA Network, Inc. from 1974 to 1976 and was a former director of the company in 1977. He along with accountant Menardo Jimenez and lawyer Felipe Gozon acquired the Republic Broadcasting System (RBS) from Robert Stewart in 1974 and renamed as GMA Radio-Television Arts. Duavit sat as chairman and chief executive officer of Group Management and Development, Inc., as well as chairman of Guronasyon Foundation, Inc., an organization which recognizes remarkable teachers in the province of Rizal. He was also chair or director of various firms and companies, among them Permastress Industries, Inc., Unistress Concrete Systems, Inc., Sagittarius Condominium Corporation, and Mar Fishing Company, Inc.

Political career

Duavit was a former assistant executive secretary for social, political, legal, and economic affairs (1966–1970) and acting executive secretary,

Office of the President Office of the President can refer to: * Office of the President of Brazil * Office of the President of the People's Republic of China (entity in the Office of the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party) * Office of the President (Republi ...

(1969), and was twice awarded the Presidential Merit Award in 1967 and 1968. He became a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, representing the

2nd district of Rizal The legislative districts of Rizal are the representations of the province of Rizal in the various national and local legislatures of the Philippines. At present, the province is represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines by ...

, and president of the Philippine Constitutional Association (PHILCONSA) in 1970. He served as executive director of the National Youth and Sports Development Foundation of the Philippines (1978), and as senior deputy minister of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (1974–1978). He was also a member of the Batasang Pambasa, representing the

Southern Tagalog Southern Tagalog ( fil, Timog Katagalugan, also known colloquially as ''Rehiyong Timog Tagalog''), designated as Region IV, was an administrative region in the Philippines that comprised the current regions of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, the pro ...

Region from 1978 to 1984. From 1994 to 2001, Duavit was elected as member of the 9th,

10th 10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The re ...

, and

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first atteste ...

Congresses, representing the

1st District of Rizal The legislative districts of Rizal are the representations of the province of Rizal in the various national and local legislatures of the Philippines. At present, the province is represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines by ...

. During his stint in Congress, he served as senior assistant minority floor leader (10th Congress) and chairman of the House Committee of Appropriations (11th Congress) after becoming a member of the same House Committee (9th and 10th Congress). He had likewise served as a member of various House Committees including Constitutional Amendments, Education and Culture, Housing and Urban Development, Public Works and Highways, and Banks and Financial Intermediaries. As a lawmaker, Duavit was cited as One of the Ten Most Outstanding Congressmen in the 9th, 10th, and 11th Congresses.

Personal life

He married Vilma D. Roy and bore four children, namely GMA network president and chief operating officer Gilberto Duavit Jr., Rizal Representative Michael John Duavit, Rizal former representative Joel Roy Duavit, and GMA board member Judith Duavit Vasquez.

Death

Duavit died on December 14, 2018 due to a stroke. He was 84 years old. His cremated remains were placed at The Heritage Park in

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...

for public viewing. On December 18, 2018, his ashes were brought

Binangonan Binangonan, officially the Municipality of Binangonan ( tgl, Bayan ng Binangonan) is a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 313,631 people. A thriving fish port an ...

, Rizal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duavit, Gilberto Sr. 1934 births 2018 deaths 21st-century Filipino politicians GMA Network (company) people Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Rizal University of the East alumni Ferdinand Marcos administration personnel Advisers to the President of the Philippines Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines) Chairmen of GMA Network