Leandro Ramos Mendoza (March 17, 1946 – October 7, 2013) was a Filipino politician who served as Executive Secretary of the Philippines. He previously served as Chief of the

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Current ...

and DOTC Secretary.

Early life

Mendoza was born in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...

. He finished his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree at the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( fil, Akademiyang Militar ng Pilipinas / es, Academia Militar de Filipinas) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of ...

; his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Public Management at the University of the Philippines - Visayas,

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...

; and General Staff Course at the AFPCGSC, Fort Bonifacio.

Career History

Secretary Mendoza was a professional police officer and a noted management practitioner. His various professional experiences from his stint as a second lieutenant in the regular force of the

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; tl, Hukbóng Pamayapà ng Pilipinas, ''HPP''; es, Policía de Filipinas, ''PF'') was a gendarmerie-type police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Po ...

up until his appointment as Executive Director of the Philippines Center on Transnational Crime have prepared him to assume the role of the top law enforcer in the country. He was promoted to the rank of Police Director General of the

on March 16, 2001, and was appointed as

PNP Chief The Chief of the Philippine National Police (abbreviated as C, PNP; Filipino: ''Hepe ng Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas'') is the head of the Philippines' national police body, the Philippine National Police (PNP). The position is invariably held b ...

. On July 3, 2002, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed Leandro R. Mendoza as the Secretary of the

Department of Transportation and Communications The Department of Transportation (DOTr; fil, Kagawaran ng Transportasyon) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the maintenance and expansion of viable, efficient, and dependable transportation systems as eff ...

(DOTC).

FAA downgrade

On January 17, 2008, the US

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(FAA) downgraded the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

' rating to Category 2 from Category 1, since its

Air Transportation Office (Philippines) The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP, ; fil, Pangasiwaan sa Abyasyong Sibil ng Pilipinas) is the civil aviation authority of the Philippines and is responsible for implementing policies on civil aviation to assure safe, econ ...

(ATO) did not follow international safety standards. Consequently,

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. ( PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and i ...

(PAL) president Jaime Bautista stated that its 2008 growth targets would be lowered. Just out of 8 years

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in ca ...

last year, the FAA decision prevents PAL from increasing US flights from 33 per week, inter alia. Meanwhile, 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 ...

dismissed acting Air Transportation Office chief Danilo Dimagiba after the said FAA rating downgrade on the Philippine

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

industry (after it "failed to comply with the aviation standards set by the

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...

(ICAO): outdated aviation regulations, poor training programs for safety inspectors and sub-standard licensing for air frame and engine inspectors"). She designated DOTC epartment of Transportation and CommunicationsSecretary Leandro Mendoza as concurrent Officer in Charge of ATO." Also, the

Embassy of the United States in Manila The Embassy of the United States of America to the Philippines is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the Philippines. is situated in the Chancery Building of the Manila American Embassy along Roxas Boulevard (formerly Dewey Boulevard ...

warned US citizens in the Philippines "to refrain from using Philippine-based carriers due to "serious concerns" about the ATO's alleged mishandling of the aviation industry." Dimagiba blamed lack of funds for the FAA downgrade, alleging that ATO nees P 1 billion ($ 1= P40). Abs-Cbn Interactive, ATO chief sacked after drop in RP aviation safety rank
/ref>

Personal life

Mendoza was married to former Soledad Latorre of

Lambunao Lambunao, officially the Municipality of Lambunao ( hil, Banwa sang Lambunao, krj, Banwa kang Lambunao, tgl, Bayan ng Lambunao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populat ...

Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...

: they have three sons and three daughters namely Maria Leah & Raymond, Michael & Eileen, former Batangas 4th District Representative Mark Llandro & Rochelle, Maria Leilani & Rey, Matthew and Maria Leanne. His brothers and sisters: Dorie & Romy (†), Lina & Carlos (†), Aida & Ricky, and Efren & Joy. His grandchildren: Marcus, Marth, Joshua, Migs, Macoy, Mico, Chin-Chin, Kiko, Moi-Moi, Mimai and King.

Death

Mendoza died of a heart attack on October 7, 2013. He was 67. His son, Batangas Representative Mark Llandro Mendoza, himself confirmed the news, former Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Undersecretary Thompson Lantion told Inquirer.net over the phone. Lantion said the family would bring the body to Heritage Memorial 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 ...

. DZIQ Radyo Inquirer also reported that Mendoza's death was announced at the

Land Transportation Office The Land Transportation Office ( fil, Tanggapan ng Transportasyong-Lupa; LTO) is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Transportation responsible for all land transportation in the Philippines. Functions of the LTO inc ...

's (LTO) flag raising ceremony by Engineer Joel Donato, chief of the LTO Motor Vehicle Inspection Section.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Leandro 1946 births 2013 deaths People from Batangas Filipino police chiefs Philippine Constabulary personnel Filipino Roman Catholics Philippine Military Academy alumni Secretaries of Transportation of the Philippines Executive Secretaries of the Philippines Burials at The Heritage Park Arroyo administration cabinet members University of the Philippines Visayas alumni