Orlando Sanchez Mercado (, born Orlando Mercado y Sanchez; April 26, 1946), better known as Orly Mercado, is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and broadcast journalist best known for having served as a

senator of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives a ...

from 1987 to 1998, Secretary of Defense from 1998 to 2001, and for his long career as a broadcast journalist, most famously for hosting the television program ''

Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko ''Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko'' (international title: ''My Brother's Keeper'' / ) is a Philippine television public service show broadcast by GMA Network. Originally hosted by Rosa Rosal, Orly Mercado and Antonio Talusan, it premiered on December 1, 19 ...

''.

Career

Early career and Martial Law Imprisonment

Mercadio's career in Radio broadcasting began when he got a job as Disc Jockey for the program ''Night Life'' on Manila FM Station DZXX. He then became an

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

journalist in 1969, taking on roles as a reporter for ''

The World Tonight ''The World Tonight'' is a British current affairs radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4, every weekday evening, which started out as an extension of the 10 pm news. It is produced by BBC News and features news, analysis and comment on domes ...

'', and for the ''Radyo Patrol'' show on ABS CBN's sister radio station DZAQ (now DZMM). He was the head and anchor of the popular radio program ''Radyo Patrol'' of

from 1969 to 1971 as well as the field reporter for pre-Martial Law days in ''

''. Upon

Marcos Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Nélson Marcos, Portug ...

' Proclamation No. 1081 in 1972, Orly was charged for subversion under Republic Act 1700 (Anti-Subversion Law) and was detained in

Fort Bonifacio Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly named Fort William McKinley) is the site of the national headquarters of the Philippine Army (Headquarters Philippine Army or HPA) located in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located near the national headquarter ...

then his release after nine and a half months in detention, he returned to broadcasting and started teaching.

Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko

Since 1975 Mercado has been the current producer and host of

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

's ''

'' (''I Love My Fellowmen''), the pioneer television program in public service in the Philippines.

Senator of the Philippines

Mercado ran and won as a

for two consecutive terms, first in 1987 until 1992, and then again from 1992 to 1998. As Senator, among the measures he authored are: *Generics Drug and Medicines Act of 1988 (R.A. 6675) *An Act establishing provincial centres for Science and Technology (R.A. 6959) *Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (R.A. 7277) *Consumer Act of the Philippines (R.A. 7394) *An Act promoting Salt Iodization nationwide (R.A. 8172) *An Act promoting voluntary blood donation, providing for an adequate supply of safe blood, regulating blood banks, providing penalties for violations thereof (R.A. 8180) *Children’s Media Act of 1996 (R.A. 8370) *Philippine National Police Reform Act (R.A. 8851)

Secretary of National Defense

In 1998, he was appointed Secretary of National Defense by President

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 ...

. On January 19, 2001, the Chief of Staff and all of the commanding generals of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The ...

, together with the rest of the military establishment, withdrew their support for President Estrada who was then facing impeachment for plunder and corruption. Their appearance before a throng of protesters at the

EDSA Shrine The Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of EDSA, or more popularly, the EDSA Shrine is a small church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila located at the intersection of Ortigas Avenue and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Bara ...

was the culmination of what was to be known as EDSA People Power II (

Second EDSA Revolution The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos''), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001, which peacefully overthrew the government of Jose ...

), which ousted President Estrada from office. Mercado was reappointed Secretary of Defense by incoming 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 House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

but resigned the post in protest of the designation of a former Chief of Staff as National Security Adviser who was also the subject of Mercado's anti-corruption campaign in the Department of National Defense. As Secretary/Minister of Department of National Defense, he: *Instituted a reorganization program in the Department of National Defense to assert civilian supremacy over the military *Initiated reforms in the Retirement and Separation Benefit Systems (RSBS), the pension fund of the soldiers *Instituted a computerization program for the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) *Pioneered the use of electronic technology for procurement of equipment and supplies of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

Attemped Senate Comebacks

In the 2001 Senate election, Mercado ran as an independent candidate under the Pwersa ng Masa Coalition but he failed to win a seat. In 2004, he ran again as a member of

Lakas–CMD Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats, abbreviated as Lakas–CMD and also known simply as Lakas, is a political party in the Philippines. Lakas–CMD is considered to sit on the centre-right of the political spectrum, and is influenced by Chris ...

and

's coalition, K4 but once again failed to win a seat.

Ambassadorial positions

In 2008,

nominated Mercado as Philippine ambassador to the China (People's Republic of China), also accredited to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

(Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

.gmanews.tv, Ex-defense chief of Erap named new RP envoy to China
/ref> However, his nomination was rejected by Senator

Jinggoy Estrada Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (; born February 17, 1963), also known as Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada or simply Jinggoy Estrada, is a Filipino politician, film actor, and producer serving as a Senator since 2022, and previously from 2004 to 2016. H ...

(son of President Estrada), then a member of the

Commission on Appointments The Commission on Appointments ( fil, Komisyon sa Paghirang, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by th ...

. In 2009, he was appointed as the first permanent representative of the Philippines to

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

, a newly created ambassadorial post which did not then require Commission on Appointments approval. As the Philippines' first Permanent Representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he: *Led efforts in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) to introduce transparency and accountability in the ASEAN Secretariat by way of extensive budget hearings. *Initiated ASEAN's strategic communication plan, which could create a level of awareness and understanding about the regional organization as an imperative in the effort to create an ASEAN Community by 2015.

EROPA Secretary General

He Mercado currently the Secretary-General of the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA), an organization of states, groups and individuals in the general area of Asia and the Pacific.

Teaching and return to broadcasting

He has taught courses in Public Administration and Communication in the University of the Philippines where he obtained all his degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Master of Arts in Communication, and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science. He is also a faculty member at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government. On June 17, 2013, he returned to radio broadcasting with his program "Orly Mercado: All Ready" on Radyo Singko 92.3 NewsFM.

Personal life and family

Mercado's wife, Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado, the highest-ranking Filipino woman in the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

(WHO), was name
Special Envoy for Global Health Initiatives
by the government of the Philippines in 2018. She was also the Philippine nominee for WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, a post which will be elected in the Sixty-ninth session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, 8–12 October in Manila, Philippines.

Filmography

Television

Radio

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercado, Orly 1946 births Living people Filipino Protestants Filipino journalists Filipino democracy activists Radio Philippines Network people ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs people RPN News and Public Affairs people GMA Integrated News and Public Affairs people GMA Network personalities Secretaries of National Defense of the Philippines Senators of the 10th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 9th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 8th Congress of the Philippines Majority leaders of the Senate of the Philippines Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Quezon City PDP–Laban politicians People from Manila Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino politicians Estrada administration cabinet members Arroyo administration cabinet members Members of the Batasang Pambansa University of the Philippines Diliman alumni Ateneo de Manila University faculty