Neptali "Boyet" Medina Gonzales II (born August 29, 1954) is a Filipino politician serving as the Representative of Mandaluyong's Lone District since 2019, and previously in the

10th 10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The rea ...

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

12th 12 (twelve) is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. Twelve is a superior highly composite number, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. It is the number of years required for an orbital period of Jupiter. It is central to many systems ...

14th 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 (number), 13 and preceding 15 (number), 15. In relation to the word "four" (4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a s ...

15th 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 (number), 14 and preceding 16 (number), 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky ...

and 16th Congress. He was also one of the House Deputy Speakers during the entire 18th Congress and has been the

House Majority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...

from 2001 to 2004 and again from 2010 to 2016.

Early life and education

Gonzales was born on August 29, 1954, in Mandaluyong,

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 ...

to former

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

Neptali Gonzales and Candida Medina-Gonzales. He is their youngest child and only son. He has three sisters, Myrna, Sorohayda, and Rhodora. He attended the Mandaluyong Elementary School and received his secondary and college education at the Union High School of Manila of the Philippine Christian College (now the Philippine Christian University). He finished his degree in political science at the

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pamantasan ng Malayong Silanganan''), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private non-sectarian Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Manila, Philippines ...

(FEU) in 1975 and took up law at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he graduated in 1979.

Career

Before entering public service, Gonzales was a senior partner of the law firm Gonzales, Batiller, Bilog, and Associates from 1980 to 1995. He also served briefly as a bar reviewer and professor in criminal law and constitutional law at the FEU Institute of Law.

Political career

Gonzales was the first Congressman of Mandaluyong when it was converted into a city in 1995 and separated from what used to be the San Juan-Mandaluyong Congressional District. He was City Mayor of Mandaluyong from 2004 to 2007 and Congressman for the city during the 14th Congress of the Philippines (2007–2010). In the 10th Congress, he served on eight congressional committees, including the Committee on Rules. In the opening session of the 11th Congress, he was selected as one of the two vice–chairmen of the Committee on Rules, which was then chaired by Majority Leader

Mar Roxas Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines as ...

of Capiz City. Gonzales became Majority Leader toward the end of the 11th Congress and held the position into the 12th Congress. From 1995 to 2004, he authored 33 bills and was co-author of 92 bills. He was one of two newly elected members of Congress to have the greatest number of bills passed into law. During his first 9-year period in Congress, Gonzales passed a bill allowing the construction of the

City of Mandaluyong Science High School The City of Mandaluyong Science High School (Filipino: Mataas na Paaralang Pang-Agham ng Lungsod ng Mandaluyong) is a public science high school at E. Pantaleon St., Hulo, Mandaluyong, Philippines. History The City of Mandaluyong Science High ...

and leading the conversion of the Rizal Technological Colleges into Rizal Technological University. In recognition, the RTU awarded him a PhD in Public Administration (Honoris Causa) in October 2003. During his three-year term as Mayor of Mandaluyong, Gonzales supported the implementation of improved physical and social infrastructure in Mandaluyong. He also initiated innovations in computerization, social infrastructure and

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

. He pushed for improvement in health care in the city by strengthening its only public hospital and empowering all health centers for preventive health care. He instigated fresh initiatives in local fiscal reforms and tax collection. He urged private bodies to support the program of housing for the poor. His administration's partnership with the

Gawad Kalinga Gawad Kalinga (GK) ("to give care" in Tagalog) is a Philippine poverty alleviation and nation-building movement known officially as the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation. Its mission is to end poverty for 5 million families by 2024. ...

and the

Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission was a state commission in charge of the rehabilitation of the Pasig River. The commission served for 20 years, from 1999 until its dissolution by President Rodrigo Duterte in November 2019. The body's po ...

provided adequate housing for more than a thousand families in the city. Gonzales was Senior Deputy Majority Leader of the 14th Philippine Congress. As such, he was an ''ex officio'' member of all House Committees. He was also Senior Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Rules, and headed the caucus of NCR Congressmen. In the 15th and 16th Congress, he was the Majority Floor Leader of the House. In the 18th Congress, Gonzales was elected to be one of the Deputy Speakers of the House.

Personal life

Gonzales' first wife was Josephine Olivia Francisco, who died in May 2001. They had one daughter, Kristine Olivia. In December 2002, Gonzales married Alexandria Pahati, a television reporter, with whom he had twins, Neptali III and Isabel Candida.

References

* , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzales, Neptali ii 1954 births Living people 20th-century Filipino lawyers Filipino evangelicals Mayors of Mandaluyong Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Mandaluyong Majority leaders of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Philippine Christian University alumni Far Eastern University alumni Ateneo de Manila University alumni Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians PDP–Laban politicians