Neptali Alvaro Gonzales (June 10, 1923 – September 16, 2001), better known as Neptali Gonzales, Sr., was the President of the Philippine Senate from 1992 to 1993, 1995 to 1996, and 1998.

Early life and career

Neptali Alvaro Gonzales was born in 1923. He graduated class valedictorian in the

Philippine Law School The Philippine Law School (PLS), founded in 1915, is a law school in the Philippines. It formerly served as the college of law of National University. It has produced lawyers such as Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia, a member of the c ...

. He placed 9th in the 1949 bar examinations with the grade of 92.50%. He practiced law for 31 years, and was a professor and reviewer in leading law schools. He wrote five law books used by law students and practitioners. He was Dean of the

Far Eastern University Institute of Law The Far Eastern University – Institute of Law, also known as FEU Law or IL, is the Legal Education Board-accredited law school of the Far Eastern University. It is one of the four earliest institutes that comprised the university in 1934. FEU ...

from 1976 to 1986. He was elected Vice Governor of the Province of Rizal from 1967 to 1969, Congressman of the First District of Rizal from 1969 to 1973 and the Congressional District of the Philippines with three cities and ten municipalities, Assemblyman for the District of

Mandaluyong Mandaluyong, officially the City of Mandaluyong ( fil, Lungsod ng Mandaluyong), is a first class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 425,758 people. Loca ...

- San Juan (1984–1986) and Senator for two consecutive terms (1987–1998). Before his election as Senator, he was appointed Minister, later Secretary of Justice (1986–1987) by then President

Corazon C. 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

Martial Law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

, he was the one of its active critics from the opposition and lawyered for some political detainees including then Senator Ninoy Aquino. He had a distinguished career in law as professor, and dean of the Institute of Law at the Far Eastern University and bar reviewer in different schools.

Senate Presidency

First term (1992-1993)

He first served as Senate President, from January 18, 1992, to January 18, 1993. He also served as the Minority Leader of the Senate's Progressive Coalition from October 10, 1996, to January 26, 1998. Senator Gonzales was the permanent delegate of the Congress of the Philippines to the century-old Inter-Parliamentary Union and the

ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), until 2007, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO), is an organization founded in 1977, which is grouped with, but formally associated with ASEAN. Its creation was initiated by Indonesia, ...

. He was also a delegate to the International Labor Organization.

Second term (1995-1996)

He again served as Senate President from August 29, 1995, to October 10, 1996. For his outstanding achievements and contributions in the fields of law, education, and public service, he was conferred the degrees of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, both by the University of Bohol and the University of Misamis (1987); Doctor of Public Administration, honoris causa, by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (1991); and Doctor of Technology Education, honoris causa, by the Rizal Technological Colleges (1995). He was also a recipient of the "Dr. M.V. Delos Santos Memorial Medallion of Honor" by the University of Manila in 1996. Gonzales sponsored the General Appropriations Bill from 1988 to 1992, 1994 and 1998. As a Senator of the Republic, some of the numerous laws he principally authored/sponsored include Republic Act (R.A.) No. 6735, a law providing for a system of initiative and referendum; R.A. 6826, a law authorizing the President of the Philippines to exercise powers necessary and proper during a national emergency; R.A. 6981, a law providing for a "Witness Protection, Security and Benefits Program;" R.A. 7056, a law providing for synchronized and simultaneous national and local elections beginning 1995; R.A. 7309, a law providing for a victim compensation program to indemnify victims of violent crimes through a Board of Claims; R.A. 7323, a law institutionalizing the "Special Program for Employment of Students" (SPES) during summer and Christmas vacations; R.A. 7655, a law increasing the minimum wage of househelpers; R.A. 7876, an act establishing a senior citizens center in all cities and municipalities of the Philippines; R.A. 7904, a law requiring Comelec to furnish every registered voter with an official sample ballot, voter's information sheet and list of candidates; R.A. 8191, a law prescribing measures for the prevention and control of diabetes mellitus and providing for the creation of a National Commission on Diabetes; R.A. 8247, a law extending up to June 30, 1997, the deadline for the filing of applications for legal residence of illegal aliens; R.A. 8249, a law expanding the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan; and R.A. 8291, the Revised GSIS Act of 1997.

Third term (1998)

He again served as Senate President from January 26, 1998, to June 30, 1998. Having been elected Senate president for the third time, he holds the distinction of presiding Congress twice in the canvassing of votes for president and vice president in 1992 (election of

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

), and in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

(election 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 presi ...

Post-Senate Presidency

After Gonzales' third and last term as Senate President, and his term as a senator, his public service ended on June 30, 1998. Gonzales then entered the corporate world by becoming the President and Publisher of the

Manila Bulletin The ''Manila Bulletin'' (), (also known as the ''Bulletin'' and previously known as the ''Manila Daily Bulletin'' from 1906 to September 23, 1972, and the ''Bulletin Today'' from November 22, 1972, to March 10, 1986) is the Philippines' largest ...

, one of the country's leading newspaper and was elected as member of its governing Board of Directors.

Death

Gonzales died of heart failure on September 16, 2001, at the

Makati Medical Center Makati Medical Center (MMC), also known as Makati Med, is a tertiary hospital in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines with more than 600 beds. The hospital was founded on May 31, 1969. The hospital is owned and operated by Medical Doctors Inc., a ...

, at the age of 78. His body lies in their family estate in

Personal life

Gonzales was married to Candida Medina for more than fifty years and was the father of four children: Myrna, Aida, Rhodora and Neptali II. His family remains a major pillar of life. In recognition of his strong adherence to family values, he was presented with the "1994 ASEAN Father for Public Service Award" and the "1996 Ama ng Bayan Award" by the Golden Mother & Father Foundation and the "1996 Special Ideal Parents Award" from the Ideal Community Foundation of the Philippines and the Golden Mother & Father Foundation, and the "1996 Golden Parents Special Award" from the Golden Mother & Father Foundation. He authored books on constitutional Law, Political Law, Administrative Law and Public Corporations.

Awards and honours

* 1994 ASEAN Father for Public Service Award * 1996 Ama ng Bayan Award by the Golden Mother & Father Foundation * 1996 Special Ideal Parents Award from the GMFF and the Ideal Community Foundation of the Philippines * 1996 Golden Parents Special Award from the GMFF * 1996 - "Dr. M.V. Delos Santos Memorial Medallion of Honor" by the

University of Manila , mottoeng = ''Country Science and Virtue'' , type = Private Non-sectarian Research Coeducational Basic and Higher education institution , established = , founders = , academic_affili ...

Notes

References