Perfecto Rivas Yasay Jr. (January 27, 1947June 12, 2020) was a
Philippine government
The Government of the Philippines ( fil, Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative and d ...
official who served as
Secretary of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
of 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 ...
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 ...
in an ''ad interim'' basis from June 30, 2016, until March 8, 2017, the rejection of his appointment by the
Commission on Appointments
The Commission on Appointments ( fil, Komisyon sa Paghirang, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by th ...
over eligibility concerns resulting from questions on his citizenship.
He served as chairman of the
Securities and Exchange Commission
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...
(SEC) and was
Bangon Pilipinas
Bangon Pilipinas Party (BPP, ) or Bangon is a political party in the Philippines, formed in 2004 as the Bangon Pilipinas Movement. It is the political vehicle of its leader, televangelist Eddie Villanueva. Villanueva ran for president on 2004 ...
Party's vice-presidential candidate in the
2010 Philippine elections
Elections for all positions in the Philippines above the barangay (except for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao regional level) were held on May 10, 2010. The elected president is Benigno Aquino III, the 15th President of the Philippines, s ...
, running alongside
Eddie Villanueva
Eduardo Cruz Villanueva (born October 6, 1946), most commonly referred to as "Bro. Eddie Villanueva", is an evangelist and president-founder of the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW).
Villanueva was previously a communist- atheist, radi ...
.
Early life and education
Yasay was born on January 27, 1947, to Perfecto Yasay Sr., a pastor, and Deborah Rivas, a public school teacher, in
Kidapawan
Kidapawan, officially the City of Kidapawan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Kidapawan; hil, Dakbanwa sang Kidapawan; Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kidapawan'', Jawi: كوتا نو كيدڤاوان; Obo Monuvu: ''Ingod to Kidapawan''), is a 3rd class component c ...
,
North Cotabato
Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Co ...
. He finished his secondary education at Davao City High School in 1963 and received his Bachelor of Arts in political science at
Central Philippine University
The Central Philippine University (also referred to as Central or CPU) is a private research university in Iloilo City, Philippines. Established in 1905 through a benevolent grant of the American industrialist and philanthropist, John D. Rock ...
,
Iloilo City
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of t ...
in 1967. He earned his law degree at the
University of the Philippines Diliman
, image = University of The Philippines seal.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman
, motto = Honor and Excellence
, established = February 12, 194 ...
.
Career
Legal work
Yasay became a member of the Bar of the state of New York and of the United States Supreme Court. While in New York, he was managing director of the Maceda Philippine News from 1983 to 1987 and senior partner at two law firms—Maceda, Yasay & Tolentino, Esqs., and Yasay & De Castro, Esqs.—from 1979 to 1990.
In the Philippines, he was commissioner of San Jose, Yasay & Santos Law Offices from 1987 to 1993.
SEC chairman
In 1993, he was assigned as associate commissioner of SEC. He was chairman from 1995 to 2000.
Estrada impeachment trial
Yasay was among those who testified in the impeachment trial against President
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...
on charges of corruption. The probe led to the ouster of Estrada, known as
EDSA People Power II in 2001.
On February 15, 2010, Yasay apologized to Estrada for "hurting and offending him" but clarified that this was not a retraction of his testimony on the deposed president's "abuse of authority and corruption."
2004 senatorial bid
He ran for a
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
seat in the
2004 Election under
Aksyon Demokratiko
Aksyon Demokratiko ( ) or simply Aksyon is a political party in the Philippines founded by Raul Roco. It was recognized as a national political party in 1998 by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and is considered to be one of the major partie ...
but lost.
2010 vice presidential bid
On November 29, 2009, he accepted the nomination of the
Bangon Pilipinas Party
Bangon Pilipinas Party (BPP, ) or Bangon is a political party in the Philippines, formed in 2004 as the Bangon Pilipinas Movement. It is the political vehicle of its leader, televangelist Eddie Villanueva. Villanueva ran for president on 2004 ...
to be its candidate for vice president as the running mate of
Jesus is Lord Church
Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW), or more commonly known as Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL), is a Christianity in the Philippines, Christian megachurch based in the Philippines. It describes itself as a Full Gospel, Christ-centred, and Bible-ba ...
founder and president
Eddie Villanueva
Eduardo Cruz Villanueva (born October 6, 1946), most commonly referred to as "Bro. Eddie Villanueva", is an evangelist and president-founder of the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW).
Villanueva was previously a communist- atheist, radi ...
.
Among his campaign platform points, Yasay conveyed that the practice of using big-name endorsers should be stopped because it makes the elections a matter of money and popularity. He also said that the voters will only base their votes via the endorsers of the candidate, and that the biggest setback in the fight against corruption was the quick pardon of
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...
. Yasay lost to
Makati
Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
City Mayor
Jejomar Binay
Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay Sr. (born Jesus Jose Cabauatan Binay; November 11, 1942) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 13th vice president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016, under President Benigno Aquino III.
A hu ...
in the
vice-presidential elections.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
He accepted the offer of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
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 ...
to join his Cabinet on May 18, 2016. During his tenure he represented the Duterte administration's policy of an "independent foreign policy" distancing the Philippines from the United States. According to Yasay, the United States had used a "
carrot and stick
The phrase "carrot and stick" is a metaphor for the use of a combination of reward and punishment to induce a desired behaviour.
In politics, "carrot or stick" sometimes refers to the realist concept of soft and hard power. The carrot in th ...
" foreign policy in regard to the Philippines since for their own interest to the detriment of the latter.
Yasay was meant by Duterte to serve the post until mid-2017, when Duterte planned to appoint his running mate, Senator
Alan Peter Cayetano
Alan Peter Schramm Cayetano (Tagalog pronunciation: ajɛˈtano born October 28, 1970) is a Filipino politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving as a Senator since 2022 and previously from 2007 to 2017. He was the Senate Minority Leader from 20 ...
, as his successor. On March 8, 2017, however, Yasay's appointment was rejected by a unanimous vote of 15–0 by the
Commission on Appointments
The Commission on Appointments ( fil, Komisyon sa Paghirang, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by th ...
due to questions about his
Philippine citizenship
Philippine nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of the Philippines. The two primary pieces of legislation governing these requirements are the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines and the 1939 Revised Naturaliz ...
status after a period of
United States citizenship
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
.
Board memberships and philanthropy
He was chairman of the Board of Trustees of
Philippine Christian University
The Philippine Christian University (PCU) is a private, Protestant coeducational basic and higher education institution located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1946 through the initiatives of the laymen of the Evangelical Assoc ...
and
Central Philippine University
The Central Philippine University (also referred to as Central or CPU) is a private research university in Iloilo City, Philippines. Established in 1905 through a benevolent grant of the American industrialist and philanthropist, John D. Rock ...
.
Death
Yasay died on June 12, 2020, in
San Juan, Metro Manila
San Juan, officially the City of San Juan ( fil, Lungsod ng San Juan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 126,347 people. It is geographica ...
, due to complications from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
according to his wife. His wife clarified, however, that his pneumonia was a complication from cancer recurrence rather than
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the latter disease being the cause of
a pandemic affecting the world at the time of Yasay's death.
Personal life
He was married to former Population Commission executive director Cecile Joaquin and had three children, all
United States citizens
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
. He had
American citizenship
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
until 2016, but had yet to retake the
Philippine oath of citizenship; there was debate whether he was
stateless or not.
See also
*
List of foreign ministers in 2017
This is a list of foreign ministers in 2017. Africa
*
*# Ramtane Lamamra (2013–2017)
*# Abdelkader Messahel (2017–2019)
* -
*#Georges Rebelo Chicoti (2010–2017)
*#Manuel Domingos Augusto (2017–2020)
* - Aurélien Agbénonci (2016–pre ...
References
External links
Perfecto Yasay Jr.'s websiteAbout Perfecto Yasay Jr.Erap feels vindicated Yasay's apology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yasay, Perfecto Jr.
1947 births
2020 deaths
Ateneo de Manila University alumni
American businesspeople
20th-century American lawyers
American people of Filipino descent
Bangon Pilipinas politicians
Central Philippine University alumni
Central Philippine University people
Duterte administration cabinet members
Estrada administration personnel
20th-century Filipino businesspeople
20th-century Filipino lawyers
21st-century Filipino politicians
Heads of government agencies of the Philippines
People from San Juan, Metro Manila
Ramos administration personnel
Secretaries of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines
University of the Philippines alumni
Former United States citizens
Deaths from cancer in the Philippines
Deaths from pneumonia in the Philippines