Roberto Yu Uy, also known as Berto Uy (born December 28, 1951) is a

Chinese Filipino Chinese Filipinos; tl, Tsinoy, / Tsinong Pilipino, ; Philippine Hokkien , Mandarin (also known as Filipino Chinese in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent, mostly of southern Fujianese ancestry, where the majority are bor ...

businessman and politician from the province of

Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Zamboanga''; Subanon: ''Utara Sembwangan''; tl, Hilagang Zamboanga), officially the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, is a province in the Philippines situated within the Zamboanga Peninsula region in M ...

in 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 ...

. He previously served as a

Governor of Zamboanga del Norte The governor of Zamboanga del Norte is the local chief executive of the Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte. The governor holds office at the Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Capitol. Like all local government heads in the Philippines, the g ...

Early life and career

Uy was born on December 28, 1951, in Mapang,

Rizal Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The p ...

, Zamboanga del Norte. He is the fifth of seven siblings of parents Isaias Uy and Francisca Yu. His parents are

businesspeople A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

who would pave the way in boosting Dipolog's local business scene. He took up his elementary education at Dipolog Chinese School (now Dipolog Community School), then he took up his secondary studies at

Chiang Kai Shek College Chiang Kai-shek College ( tl, Kolehiyo ng Chiang Kai Shek; ) is a Chinese Filipino institution of higher learning founded by Chinese Filipinos, recognized by the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of China (Taiwan). ...

in Manila. He took up a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at

Adamson University Adamson University ( fil, links=no, Pamantasang Adamson) also referred to by its acronym AdU is a private, Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Congregation of the Mission in Manila, Philippines. The univers ...

. Prior to politics, he worked with his father in managing their family businesses, which include a hotel and pension house, a

fast food restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast-food cuisine and has minimal table service. The food served in fast-food restaurants is typically ...

, a hardware store, and sale of

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...

Political career

For an unspecified period prior to his election as city mayor, Uy served as Officer in Charge-Barangay Captain of Barangay Central, an urban barangay of the city. ;Mayor of Dipolog Uy started his political career when he was elected and sworn as City Mayor of Dipolog from 1998 to 2007. As he is term-limited and barred from running for a fourth term, Uy ran for Governor of

in 2007 but was defeated by then-Governor Rolando E. Yebes. Uy briefly retired from politics and return to his business endeavors. ;Governor of Zamboanga del Norte In 2013, Uy made his return to politics after he was elected and sworn in as

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, defeating 3rd legislative district Representative Cesar Jalosjos, and in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

against former Governor Yebes. In 2019, another candidate for governor was running under the name "Roberto Escobido Uy", which is similar to Uy's name and uses the same nickname. The

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

declared the candidacy of "Roberto Escobido Uy" as nuisance, making the incumbent governor the legitimate candidate to participate. This decision would then be rendered as valid by the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on Ju ...

months after the election. Uy won the 2019 election against 1st legislative district Representative

Bullet Jalosjos Seth Frederick "Bullet" Pal Jalosjos is a Philippines, Filipino politician from the province of Zamboanga del Norte. Family and personal life He is the son of former Legislative districts of Zamboanga del Norte#1st District, First District Cong ...

and "Escobido Uy," securing a third and final term in office.

Controversies

In 2016, Uy and two other provincial officials were being sued by the City Government of Dapitan over the alleged illegal extraction or

quarrying A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

and

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

in Dapitan's remote Barangay Aseniero, conducted by the Provincial Engineering Office since 2014. ;Suspension Sometime after being reelected in the 2016 local election, Uy was suspended by the

Office of 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 three (3) months for simple misconduct. The Ombudsman found Uy guilty of simple misconduct for the termination of 6 Provincial Government employees, hired under the administration of former Governor Rolando Yebes, since assuming office in 2013. ;Illegal drug connections In a privilege speech made in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

on September 21, 2016, Rep. Seth Frederick "Bullet" Jalosjos of Zamboanga del Norte's 1st District linked Uy and the police to the drug trade in the province. Uy, who at the time was facing suspension for simple misconduct by the Ombudsman, denied the claims made, and challenged Jalosjos to a debate which led to a congressional hearing right after.

Electoral history

Personal life

He is married to Evelyn Tang Uy who also served as mayor of Dipolog (2007–2016), and had 7 children together, including Roberto Jr. or Pin-Pin who was mayor of Municipality of Polanco (2013–2016), and Darel Dexter who is mayor of Dipolog (2016–present). He was a businessman working with his father's business prior to joining politics. His business portfolio includes hotel and sale of

References

External links

Province of Zamboanga del Norte
Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Uy, Roberto 1952 births Living people PDP–Laban politicians People from Dipolog Governors of Zamboanga del Norte Mayors of places in Zamboanga del Norte Politicians from Zamboanga del Norte