Mario Diez Ortiz (April 9, 1922 – July 31, 2015) was a Filipino politician and lawyer who served as the

mayor of Cebu City The mayor of Cebu City ( ceb, Punong Dakbayan sa Sugbo) is the chief executive of the government of Cebu City in the Philippines. The mayor leads the city's departments in executing ordinances and delivering public services. The mayorship is a t ...

from September to December 1963. Prior to becoming mayor, he was elected to serve as a member of the

Cebu City Council The Cebu City Council (Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Cebu) is the legislature of Cebu City, Philippines. The legislative body is composed of 18 councilors, with 16 councilors elected from Cebu City's two councilor districts and two elec ...

in 1959 but abruptly assumed as vice mayor to Carlos Cuizon in 1960.

Early life and education

Ortiz was born in Sibonga, Cebu to Santos Ortiz Sr. and Bernarda Diez. He attended classes at then Colegio de San Carlos and later took up his bachelor of laws at the University of Santo Tomas. At age 19, he became part of the Bohol Area Command under the command of Captain Casiano Cabagnot. On August 5, 1944, he was captured by the Japanese military police at then

Cebu Normal School Cebu Normal University ( ceb, Unibersidad Normal sa Sugbo), also referred to by its acronym CNU, is a public university, state research university in Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines established in 1902. CNU is designated by the Commission on Highe ...

. He was then transferred to the Cebu Provincial Jail which now houses the

Museo Sugbo Museo Sugbo ("Sugbo Museum") is the Cebu Provincial Museum located in the former Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), four blocks from Plaza Independencia. History As a prison Museo Sugbo is housed in what was once called ...

. He, together with his cellmate Abdon del Mar and with the help of Jose "Dodong" Maramara, was able to escape from the jail while the guards were drunk. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar on March 31, 1948.

Political career

He started his political career as a councilor after winning in the 1959 elections and garnered the highest number of votes. On January 1, 1960, Ortiz was elevated as vice mayor after newly elected vice mayor Carlo Cuizon assumed as mayor. As the latter ran for vice mayor in the 1963 elections, Ortiz took over as mayor from September 18, 1963 to December 31, 1963.

Post-mayoral career

After his short stint as mayor, Ortiz was appointed in 1965 as judge of the Court of First Instance of Negros and later became a member of the board of directors of the Philippine National Bank. With the support 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 ...

of the

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ce ...

, he sought to reclaim his old post as mayor in the 1971 elections against then senator

Sergio Osmeña Jr. Sergio "Serging" Veloso Osmeña Jr. (December 4, 1916 – March 26, 1984) was a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines, and ran against Ferdinand Marcos in the 1969 Philippine Presidential election. He was the son of Se ...

who used to be his political ally. However, he lost with 27,512 votes against Osmeña's 59,934 votes. On July 30, 1985, he was appointed as a commissioner of the Commission on Elections under the Marcos administration and was supposed to end his term on May 17, 1992. With the assumption of

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

as president in 1986, Ortiz submitted his courtesy resignation thereby cutting short his tenure in office.

Personal life

Ortiz was married to Julita "Lita" Villacorta, whom he met while they were detained by the Japanese during the Second World War. They had five children namely Reynaldo, Danilo, Jerome, Edwin and Julie Marie.

Death

Ortiz died at the age of 93 on July 31, 2015.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Mario 1922 births 2015 deaths Cebuano people Mayors of Cebu City 20th-century Filipino judges University of San Carlos alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni Cebu City Council members