Leonardo Balagot Perez (November 22, 1925 – June 16, 2007) was a Filipino politician who served as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives on behalf of the province of Nueva Vizcaya. He was a member of the

Senate of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives as ...

, and served in the cabinet of President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

Early life

Leonardo Perez was born on November 22, 1925, in barangay Paringao in Bauang,

La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union ( ilo, Probinsia ti La Union; Kankanaey'': Probinsyan di La Union;'' Ibaloi'': Probinsya ne La Union;'' pag, Luyag/Probinsia na La Union; Tagalog'': Lalawigan ng La Union),'' is a province in th ...

. He was the eldest of five children of Mariano Perez and Juliana Balagot. At a young age, Perez moved with his family to Nueva Vizcaya, where he completed his primary and secondary education. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Perez was active in the underground resistance. He gathered intelligence and was involved in the construction of an airstrip in

Ifugao Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ifugao; tl, Lalawigan ng Ifugao), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the wes ...

for the supply of ammunition. He was wounded during the Battle of Hapid in

Kiangan Kiangan, officially the Municipality of Kiangan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,691 people. Kiangan is the oldest town in the province. It derives its na ...

and was later awarded the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

. After the war he studied law at the

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 ...

, graduating cum laude in 1951.

Career

Third Republic

Perez served as Secretary of the Provincial Board of Nueva Vizcaya from 1952 to 1953. In 1953, he was elected as delegate of Nueva Vizcaya to the House of Representatives. He was re-elected in subsequent elections in 1957, 1961 and 1965. During the 1965 elections, Perez was also the official spokesman for

during the latter's successful presidential election campaign against

Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the ninth president of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth vice president, serving from 19 ...

. From 1966 to 1967, he served as First Assistant Majority Floor Leader of the House. During his congressional career, he served as Chairman of the Committees on Anti-Filipino Activities, and Privileges and Election Law and authored Republic Act 4735, which established the municipality of Ambaguio from the provincial capital of Bayombong, in 1966. In 1967, Perez was elected to the Senate of the Philippines, where he served as the Chairman of the Committee on National Defense and Security and the Vice Chairman of the Committees on Investigation (Blue Ribbon) and National Minorities, and authored Republic Act No. 6388, otherwise known as “the Election Code of 1971”. He also authored Republic Act 6394, paving the way for the separation of six municipalities of Nueva Vizcaya to create the province of Quirino in 1971, and sponsored Republic Acts 6372 which split the town of Dupax in Nueva Vizcaya into two municipalities, namely

Dupax del Norte Dupax del Norte, officially the Municipality of Dupax del Norte ( gad, Ili na Dupax del Norte; ilo, Ili ti Dupax del Norte; tl, Bayan ng Hilagang Dupax), is a 3rd class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, ...

and

Dupax del Sur Dupax del Sur, officially the Municipality of Dupax del Sur, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 21,224 people. Etymology The name "Dupax" comes from the Isinai w ...

. However, his term ended prematurely when Congress was closed in 1972 by Marcos, shortly after the declaration of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

Under Martial Law

In February 1973, Perez was appointed presidential troubleshooter and in May he was appointed chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). During his tenure, he oversaw several electoral exercises during the Martial Law era such as the July 1973 constitutional referendum, the 1975 presidential referendum, the 1976 constitutional referendum, the 1977 presidential referendum, and the 1978 elections for the Interim Batasang Pambansa. In 1980, he retired as chairman after completing his term. Perez joined Marcos' cabinet from 1981 to 1984 as Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs and was therefore a concurrent member of the Interim Batasang Pambansa. In 1984, he was elected to the Regular Batasang Pambansa representing Nueva Vizcaya after a bitterly disputed campaign marred by allegations of fraud. He served until the dissolution of the body in 1986 following Marcos' fall in the EDSA Revolution.

Fifth Republic

In 1987, Perez ran again for the Senate as a candidate of Marcos'

Kilusang Bagong Lipunan The New Society Movement ( fil, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, KBL), formerly named the New Society Movement of United Nationalists, Liberals, et cetera ( fil, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ng Nagkakaisang Nacionalista, Liberal, at iba pa, KBLNNL), is a ...

party in elections held in May but lost. Perez returned as elected representative of Nueva Vizcaya in the House of Representatives in the 1992 elections. Among his notable legislation during that time was his successful lobbying for the renationalization of the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Hospital in Bayombong in March 1995 and its renaming as the Veterans Regional Hospital. After the end of his term in June 1995, he retired from politics.

Personal life and death

Perez died at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute on June 16, 2007 at the age of 81 from kidney disease. Perez' brother, Benjamin, served as Congressman of Nueva Vizcaya from 1969 to 1972 and was elected as an Assemblyman for Region II (Cagayan Valley) in the Interim Batasang Pambansa from 1978 to 1984. His son, Leonardo Jr., became a member of the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Board and ran unsuccessfully for

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 ...

in 1998 and

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 ...

in 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Leonardo B. 1925 births 2007 deaths Chairpersons of the Commission on Elections (Philippines) Senators of the 6th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 7th Congress of the Philippines Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Nueva Vizcaya Politicians from Nueva Vizcaya Nacionalista Party politicians University of the Philippines alumni