Horacio "Boy" Morales, Jr. (September 11, 1943 – February 29, 2012) was a Filipino economist and politician. A prominent figure in the underground left during the martial law rule 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 ...

, he later served as

Secretary of Agrarian Reform The secretary of agrarian reform (Filipino: ''Kalihim ng Repormang Pansakahan'') is the head of the Department of Agrarian Reform and is a member of the president’s Cabinet. List References External linksDAR website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sec ...

during the presidency of Joseph Estrada.

Biography

Morales was born in

Moncada, Tarlac Moncada, officially the Municipality of Moncada ( pag, Baley na Moncada; ilo, Ili ti Moncada; tl, Bayan ng Moncada), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 62,81 ...

. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree from the University of the Philippines in 1965, and a master's degree in economics from the University of Oklahoma in 1968. Morales entered government service in 1965, joining the economic staff of President Ferdinand Marcos as a senior economist. He eventually became the executive vice-president of the

Development Academy of the Philippines Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development * Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped * Photograp ...

. In 1977, Morales was named among the

Ten Outstanding Young Men The Ten Outstanding Young Americans (TOYA) program is an annual award given by JCI USA (formally known as The United States Junior Chamber or the Jaycees). It is given to ten Americans between 18 and 40 years of age who "exemplify the best attribu ...

of the Philippines by the Philippine Jaycees. On the day he was supposed to have received the award, he announced his resignation from the Marcos government to join the underground armed resistance linked to the

Communist Party of the Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines ( fil, Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) is a far-left, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. It is desi ...

. Morales was active in the underground movement until his arrest in 1982. He remained detained until 1986, when the newly installed presidency 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 ...

ordered his release together with other political prisoners. In 1987, Morales unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Philippine Senate under the banner of the

Partido ng Bayan The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan () or Bayan is an alliance of left-wing Philippine organizations. It was founded on International Workers' Day, May 1, 1985 as part of the opposition during the Marcos dictatorship. Politics Ideology The princ ...

. Morales served as President of the

Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, abbreviated as PRRM, is a non-governmental organization and institution formed in 1952 to assist peasants in the Philippines. As a movement, it was initiated by upper and middle class group of individual ...

from 1986 to 1998. In 1998, Morales was appointed to the Cabinet of President Joseph Estrada as

. He served in that capacity until the removal of Estrada from office following the Second EDSA Revolution. Morales also headed Estrada's political party, the

Partido ng Masang Pilipino The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (), formerly ''Partido ng Masang Pilipino'' (), is a populist political party in the Philippines. It is the political party of former Philippine President Joseph E. Estrada. In the May 1998 presidential election, ...

, and served as chairman of the board of the Development Academy of the Philippines during Estrada's term. Morales has remained active with non-governmental organizations since leaving government service. In December 2011, he was stricken by a heart attack in Baguio that left him in critical condition and in a coma. Morales remained in a coma until his death on February 29, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morales, Horacio Jr. 1943 births 2012 deaths People from Tarlac Secretaries of Agrarian Reform of the Philippines Filipino communists University of the Philippines alumni Arroyo administration cabinet members Estrada administration cabinet members