Prospero Castillo Nograles (October 30, 1947 – May 4, 2019,
[ ) was a Filipino politician who served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2010. He was the first Speaker from ]Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
in a hundred years of Philippine legislative history. From 1989 to 2010, he was elected to five non-consecutive terms as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Davao City's 1st congressional district
Davao City's 1st congressional district is one of the three congressional districts of the Philippines in Davao City. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives since 1987. The district cove ...
.
Early life
Nograles was born in 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 ...
, and finished his elementary and secondary education at the Ateneo de Davao University. He then studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, obtaining his Bachelor of Arts Degree major in Political Science in 1967, and his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila Law School
, mottoeng = Light in the Lord
, type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution
, established = December 10, 1859
, religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits)
, academic_affi ...
in 1971.[ He placed second in the 1971 ]bar examinations
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar ( ...
with an average of 90.95%.
Political career
Nograles was active in the political opposition against 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 ...
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 ...
. He was involved in the litigation of human rights cases during that period, and was an active campaigner for 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 ...
during the 1986 snap presidential elections.[ After Aquino assumed the presidency, Nograles sought a seat in the House of Representatives, representing the 1st district of Davao City. Although his opponent Jesus Dureza was initially proclaimed as winner, Nograles was seated in the House in 1989 following a favorable decision of the House Electoral Tribunal.] He gave up his House seat in 1992 to make an unsuccessful challenge to the re-election of Davao City Mayor 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 ...
, In 1998, Nograles again gave up his House seat to make another unsuccessful bid for election as Davao City mayor against Duterte-backed Benjamin de Guzman and lost in his bid. He again won election to the House in 2001. In the 2004 and 2007 elections, Nograles ran unopposed for two consecutive terms.[ In 2008 to 2010, he served as a ]House Speaker
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...
during the administration of then-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 ...
.[
In his stay in Congress, Nograles was able to author 17 House bills and co-authored 85. He chaired the Special Committee on Law Enforcement and its subcommittee on Gambling, Committee on Housing and Urban Development, and the Committee on Rules.][
]
House Speaker
In early 2008, several members of Congress dissatisfied with the leadership of House Speaker
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...
Jose de Venecia
Jose Claveria de Venecia Jr. (), also known as JDV, Joe De V or Manong Joe (born December 26, 1936), is a former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, serving from 1992 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2008. As Speaker, he was the f ...
expressed support for Nograles as the new Speaker. Shortly after midnight, February 5, 2008, the House of Representatives approved a motion to declare the position of House Speaker as vacant. Several minutes later, de Venecia nominated Nograles to be his replacement. Nograles was immediately elected as Speaker after no other representative was nominated to the post and no objection was posed to his election.[
]
2010 mayoralty bid
He ran again for the mayorship of Davao City in 2010, where he would lose this time to Vice-Mayor Sara Duterte
Sara Vicenta Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio (, ; born May 31, 1978), commonly known as Inday Sara, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who is the 15th and current vice president of the Philippines. She is the third female vice president, the third ...
, daughter of then-mayor and now 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 ...
who ran for vice-mayor.[ After 30 years of rivalry between Nograles and Duterte, they eventually reconciled on November 27, 2015, when Nograles supported the 2016 presidential bid of then-city Mayor Duterte.][
]
Post-Congress
On September 15, 2016, it was reported that Nograles's bodyguards were killed by the Davao Death Squad (DDS) when he ran for mayor against now-President Duterte in 2010, whom they were rival at the time. Nograles denied the claim. However, a confessed DDS member named Edgar Matobato
Edgar Bernal Matobato (born 1959) is a self-confessed hitman who claims to be a former member of the ''Davao Death Squad'' or the "DDS", an alleged vigilante group tasked to summarily execute suspected criminals.
Senate hearing
Matobato gained i ...
said that the group has kidnapped and killed four supporters of Nograles Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte upon the orders of then-mayor Duterte.
On March 7, 2017, Nograles faced charges of "graft and malversation" filed by the 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 ...
for allegedly misusing of pork barrel funds for "ghost projects" when he was caretaker of Misamis Oriental. The investigation by the Ombudsman showed that the Department of Budget and Management
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM; fil, Kagawaran ng Badyet at Pamamahala) is an executive body under the Office of the President of the Philippines. It is responsible for the sound and efficient use of government resources for nati ...
has released of Priority Development Assistance Fund
The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) was a discretionary fund in the Philippines available to members of Congress. Originally established as the Countrywide Development Fund (CDF) in 1990, it was designed to allow legislators to fund sm ...
(PDAF) for the various projects and "bogus" foundations.[
]
Death
Nograles died on May 4, 2019. According to the report of ABS-CBN News
ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs, known on-air as ABS-CBN News (formerly known as ''ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs'' and later ''ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs''), is the news and current affairs production and distribution divisi ...
, Karlo Nograles said that his father succumbed to "respiratory failure, secondary to pneumonia". His remains were flown to Davao on May 7. President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his condolences to the family of Nograles. On May 13, his remains were buried at Forest Lake - San Pedro Memorial Park in Davao City.
Notes
External links
Official website of Speaker Prospero Nograles
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nograles, Prospero C.
1947 births
2019 deaths
Visayan people
People from Davao City
20th-century Filipino lawyers
Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Davao City
Ateneo de Manila University alumni
Lakas–CMD (1991) politicians
Lakas–CMD politicians
Majority leaders of the House of Representatives of the Philippines