Jesus Melchor "Boy" Vega Quitain (born January 6, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer who served as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Special Assistant under the

Duterte administration Rodrigo Duterte became the 16th President of the Philippines on June 30, 2016, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. He was the first president from Mindanao, the first president to have worked in all three branches of government, and the oldest t ...

. He is also serving as an Undersecretary in the

Office of the President of the Philippines The Office of the President of the Philippines (OP; fil, links=no, Tanggapan ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas), is an administrative, advisory, and consultative government agency that aids the president of the Philippines in performing their duty as he ...

from 2016 to 2022. He is reported to be the writer of most of President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

’s high-impact speeches, like his State of the Nation Addresses and inaugural speech.

Early life and career

Jesus Quitain graduated from the

San Beda College of Law San Beda College of Law is the law school college under the San Beda University, a private, Roman Catholic university run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines.Directory of Higher Education Institutions, Commission on Higher Education, 2006 ...

in 1970. He is from

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...

. He joined

Upsilon Sigma Phi The Upsilon Sigma Phi () is the oldest Greek-letter organization and fraternity in Asia. Founded in 1918, it is also the oldest student organization in continuous existence in the University of the Philippines. It has two chapters — a single ch ...

in 1963. Quitain engaged in private law practice since 1971. He also served in the academe as Dean of the College of Law of the

University of Mindanao The University of Mindanao is a private, non-sectarian university in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. It is located in Davao City. Established in 1946, the University of Mindanao has ten branches spread over thirteen campuses in So ...

. He was the first National President of the Association of Resident Ombudsman in Government Agencies and Former President of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

of South Davao. He is the father of Davao City Councilor Melchor “Jay” Quitain and Grace Quitain Pecson.

Public service

Jesus Quitain joined the government in 2001 when then Davao City Mayor

appointed him as City Legal Officer. He also served in Davao City as Councilor of the First District, and as City Administrator. He was also the Former Resident

Ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

of Davao City, for which he was awarded as Outstanding Resident Ombudsman of the Philippines for 2008. Prior to his latest appointment as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel in 2021, Quitain served as the officer in charge of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quitain, Jesus Melchor 1945 births Living people Filipino city and municipal councilors 20th-century Filipino lawyers San Beda University alumni 21st-century Filipino politicians Deans of law schools in the Philippines People from Davao City Duterte administration cabinet members Advisers to the President of the Philippines