Prospero Pichay
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Prospero Arreza Pichay Jr. (, born June 20, 1950), also known as Butch Pichay, is a Filipino politician who served as
Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...
of
Surigao del Sur Surigao del Sur ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur''; ceb, Habagatang Surigao; tl, Timog Surigao), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is T ...
's 1st district in the
Philippine House of Representatives The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house of Congress, the ...
from 1998 to 2007 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the chairman of the House Committee on National Defense in the 13th Congress and deputy speaker in the 17th and 18th Congresses. He is a member of the formerly dominant political party
Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), formerly known as the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, was a political party in the Philippines. It is the main party of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In June 2008, Kampi merged into the Lak ...
and was a senatorial aspirant in the
2007 Philippine Senate election The 2007 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 29th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 14, 2007, to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. Together with those elected in 2004, they will co ...
but lost.


Early life

Pichay was born on June 20, 1950, in the town of Cantilan in the then-province of Surigao (now
Surigao del Sur Surigao del Sur ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur''; ceb, Habagatang Surigao; tl, Timog Surigao), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is T ...
). He is the son of former Carmen, Surigao del Sur Provincial Treasurer Prospero Pichay Sr. He is the brother of Philip Pichay, a former congressman and mayor of Cantilan. He is also a relative of Wenceslao Arreza, former mayor of Carmen, Surigao del Sur; Alfred Arreza, former mayor of Carrascal, Surigao del Sur; and Carmeling Pichay-Crisologo, former Governor of
Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...
whose husband is former Ilocos Sur Representative Floro Crisologo. Pichay went to Tandag Central Elementary School and graduated in 1962. He went to Saint Peter's Seminary of Surigao and graduated in 1966. He graduated
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in
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at De La Salle University in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
in 1970.


Career

Pichay is the owner of Carlo Commercial Publishing, a printing press, and Carlo Publishing, the makers of hit street tabloid "Remate". He also owns
DZME DZME (1530 AM) is a radio station owned and operated by Capitol Broadcasting Center in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at Unit 1802, 18/F, OMM-Citra Building, San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Metro Manila and it ...
a commercial
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station in Roosevelt Avenue in
Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...
.


Political career


Congressman (1998-2007)

Pichay ran for congressman for the 1st District of
Surigao del Sur Surigao del Sur ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur''; ceb, Habagatang Surigao; tl, Timog Surigao), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is T ...
in the 1998 elections and won.Unde
Article 10
Section 8 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, locally-elected officials (including members of the House of Representatives) may run up to three consecutive terms.
In 2000, Pichay joined fellow congressmen who endorsed the verified complaint against
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
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 ...
. Coming under the heels of
EDSA 2 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 ...
, Congress was reorganized and Pichay was elected Chairman of the House Committee on National Defense. He was again named to the same post when his constituents overwhelmingly voted him into office in the elections for the 12th Congress. Pichay was re-elected as congressman in the 2004 elections. When the 13th Congress was organized, Pichay's political career would take on a more prominent course: he was named Head of the House of Representatives Contingent to the powerful
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 ...
(CA). Pichay voted to junk the 2005 and 2006 impeachment complaints against 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 ...
. At the height of the " Hello Garci Scandal", he said there was nothing wrong with Arroyo talking to
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 ...
officials, as all candidates talk to them to protect their votes. In October 2006, Pichay authored House Resolution 1285, which sought to convene a
constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
to amend the
1987 Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippin ...
. One of his proposals is the abolition of the
Philippine Senate 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 ...
and the creation of a
unicameral parliament Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
. The resolution was widely opposed by civil society and church groups and the resolution was shelved on the same month. When the
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
announced a plan to ban all government officials from going to bars, karaoke joints and other nightspots, Pichay assailed the move as the "highest form of hypocrisy." Pichay believed there was nothing wrong with going to bars if public officials do it on their own time, saying “Moralizing is very subjective. We should not mix it with governance." During his time as congressman, Pichay contributed to the following laws: *RA 9355 - Act Creating the Province of
Dinagat Islands Dinagat Islands ( Cebuano: ''Mga Pulo sa Dinagat''; Surigaonon: ''Mga Puyo nan Dinagat''; Kabalian: ''Mga Puyo san Dinagat''; Waray: ''Mga Purô han Dinagat''; Filipino: ''Mga Islang Dinagat''), officially the Province of Dinagat Islands, is a ...
*RA 9340 - Amending RA 9164 to extend the terms of office of
barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...
officials and reset the date of barangay elections *RA 9344 - Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act


Senatorial bid

Pichay ran for senator in 2007 under TEAM Unity but lost after placing 16th in the overall results. He reportedly spent P127.39 million for campaign ads, the highest candidate expenditure for that election.


Local Waterworks and Utilities Administration

Following his defeat, it was rumored that Pichay would be appointed by President Arroyo as head of the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (abbreviated as OWWA) is an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment of the Philippines. It protects the interests of Overseas Filipino Workers and their families, providing social s ...
. It was later reported that he would be appointed as a member of the board and chair of the
Local Waterworks and Utilities Administration Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
(LWUA). On August 28, 2008, Pichay announced that he will not accept his appointment as board member of the LWUA, for he is satisfied with his current job in a private company. However, on September 4, he changed his mind and accepted his appointment.
Eduardo Ermita Eduardo R. Ermita (born July 13, 1935) is a former Executive Secretary of the Philippines and former spokesperson for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Ermita took his Defense Resource Management Course at the Naval Postgraduate School, Montere ...
announced that Pichay has decided to accept his appointment as board member with a nomination to be elected as chair. In September 2010, an employees' group of the LWUA filed a plunder complaint against Pichay before 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 allegedly using the agency's money for his personal interest. The complaints stemmed from LWUA's ₱780-million investment in the Express Savings Bank, Inc. In April 2011, during the administration of President
Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...
, criminal and administrative charges were filed against Pichay and other LWUA officials for their "highly irregular" and "anomalous" acquisition of a controlling stake at Express Savings Bank, Inc., a thrift bank in
Cabuyao Cabuyao, officially the City of Cabuyao ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabuyao), is a 1st class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 355,330 people. It used to be known as the "riche ...
, Laguna, owned by the Gatchalian family which suffered losses of up to ₱27.87 million from 2005 to 2009. On July 4, 2011, the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal of Pichay and two other officials for grave misconduct in connection to the 2009 acquisition of Express Savings Bank, Inc. by LWUA. They were stripped of all benefits and were permanently disqualified from working in government. Pichay responded by saying his dismissal was "political harassment" and accused the Aquino administration of getting back at him for his staunch support for the previous Arroyo administration. He appealed to the
Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...
in October 2011 but his dismissal was upheld in November 2013. He then appealed to the Supreme Court whose first division in November 2021 found no merit to reverse the previous decisions of the Ombudsman and the Court of Appeals.


Congressman (2016–22)

Pichay ran for Congress in the
2016 Philippine general election A general election in the Philippines took place on May 9, 2016, for executive and legislative branches for all levels of government – national, provincial, and local, except for the barangay officials. At the top of the ballot was the elec ...
to regain his seat from neophyte congresswoman Mary Elizabeth Ty-Delgado who was not seeking reelection. He won the election, receiving 90,843 votes. On July 13, 2016, a petition was filed before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal against Pichay by his opponent in the election, Gregorio Murillo, Jr. Murillo stated that Pichay was ineligible to run for public office since the July 2011 decision of the Ombudsman disqualified him from working in government. The petition was later dismissed for lack of merit due to Pichay's then-pending appeal in the Supreme Court. In October 2016, Pichay filed an ethics complaint against Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative
Ace Barbers Robert Ace Smith Barbers (usually stylized as Robert "Ace" Barbers), (born May 31, 1969) or also known simply as Ace Barbers, is a Filipino politician and the son of Robert Barbers. Early life Robert Ace Smith Barbers was born on May 31, 1969 ...
following a confrontation between the two during a hearing of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments. The two got into a heated argument during discussions on whether the panel should vote on recommending a
Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
or a
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to amend the
1987 Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippin ...
. The two congressmen previously had a squabble back in 2005 when Pichay moved to "kick out" Barbers from the
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 ...
party of then-President Arroyo following the latter's backing of the impeachment complaint against the President. Pichay was a member of the House Committees on Agriculture And Food,
Energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...
, Foreign Affairs, Good Government And Public Accountability, Government Enterprises And Privatization,
Information And Communications Technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications ( telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...
, Mindanao Affairs, and National Defense And Security during the 17th Congress. In August 2018, following the ascension of
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...
Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to Speaker of the House, Pichay was elected House Deputy Speaker, replacing Representative Miro Quimbo who resigned to pursue his bid for minority leadership. In the 2019 Philippine House of Representatives elections, Pichay again ran for another term. A disqualification case was filed against him by his predecessor former congresswoman Mary Elizabeth Ty-Delgado. The petition cited the same July 2011 Ombudsman decision that barred Pichay from working in government. Pichay responded by saying that the case has not been decided with finality and that a similar petition was junked by the COMELEC during the 2016 elections. He further argued that as a member of the House of Representatives, he was not subject to disciplinary actions of the Ombudsman. He later won the congressional seat with 102,361 votes. In the 18th Congress, Pichay was elected again to be a Deputy House Speaker. During his term in the 18th Congress, he was a principal author of House Bill 6312 which was later signed into law as Republic Act 11470. The law established the National Academy of Sports System. Other bills he filed concerned the creation of a Surigao del Sur Special Economic Zone and Freeport, the separation of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources into a Department of Environment and a Department of Water, a Right to Travel Act, and an act establishing hospitals with 500–1,000 bed capacity in every region of the country, among others. Pichay ran for reelection in the 2022 elections but lost to Construction Workers Solidarity party-list Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. The latter filed a disqualification case against Pichay citing the previous Ombudsman decision ordering his perpetual disqualification from public office, however, the case was dismissed by the Commission on Elections due to Pichay's pending appeal with the Supreme Court.


Controversies

In July 2011, Pichay was slapped with a tax evasion complaint by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). According to BIR Commissioner Kim Henares, Pichay's net worth increased at around ₱58.5-million between 2008 and 2009 but did not declare his income for 2009. The Court of Tax Appeals, however, acquitted Pichay on May 3, 2018, and later affirmed its decision on December 6, 2019. Pichay criticized
Department of Environment and Natural Resources The Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( fil, Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman, DENR or KKLY) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, developmen ...
(DENR) Secretary Gina Lopez in September 2016 for closing down numerous mining sites in the country which were proven to have destroyed the Philippine natural environment. He called her 'crazy' during a House consultation where Lopez was not invited. It was later found that Pichay is the president of the board of directors of Claver Mineral Development Corp., a
nickel mining A nickel mine is a mine that produces nickel. Some mines produce nickel primarily, while some mines produce nickel as a side-product of some other metal that has a higher concentration in the ore. Geology Nickel occurs in two general types of or ...
firm operating in Barangay Cagdianao in the municipality of Claver, Surigao del Norte. Pichay reportedly acquired 60 percent of the mining firm. The mining firm's operation were scrapped by Gina Lopez after the firm violated the mining standard of the country, destroying the environment during the time the mine was in operation. Pichay faces multiple charges of graft, malversation and violations of banking regulations in relation to the Express Savings Bank, Inc. acquisition. In June 2016, he, along with then-Senator elect Sherwin Gatchalian, other members of the Gatchalian family, and officials of LWUA, Wellex Group Inc. and Forum Pacific Inc. were charged by the Ombudsman for graft, malversation and violations of the General Banking Law of 2000 and the Manual of Regulation for Banks. According to then-Ombudsman
Conchita Carpio-Morales Conchita Carpio-Morales (; born Conchita Claudio Carpio; June 19, 1941) is a former Ombudsman of the Philippines serving from 2011 to 2018. Prior to her appointment as Ombudsman, she held the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the ...
, the government "effectively lost at least ₱80,003,070.51" in the acquisition. During his arraignment, Pichay pleaded not guilty to the charges. In March 2019, the Sandiganbayan ordered a 90-day suspension of Pichay. He was found guilty of three counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan in June 2022 and was sentenced to 18–30 years imprisonment with perpetual disqualification to hold public office. In August 2022, the Sandiganbayan upheld the conviction of Pichay of graft for the misuse of P780 million in public funds during his time as head of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) in connection with the buyout of a thrift bank. On October 20, 2016, the Ombudsman filed with the anti-graft court
Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan ( en, Support of the Nation) is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public office ...
two criminal charges against Pichay in relation to a ₱1.5 million LWUA-sponsored National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) tournament named after him and held in his honor during his time as LWUA acting chairman in 2010. During his arraignment on February 23, 2017, he pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, on October 23, 2020, Pichay was convicted by Sandiganbayan 5th Division of graft and breach of conduct. He was sentenced to imprisonment of six to 10 years, with perpetual disqualification from holding public office. He was also ordered to pay a fine of ₱5,000 and, along with his co-accused, to jointly reimburse the LWUA of its ₱1.5 million budget, plus an interest of six percent per year. In a phone interview with
The Manila Times ''The Manila Times'' is the oldest extant English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. (formerly La Vanguardia Publishing Corporation) with editorial and administrative offices at 2/F ...
, Pichay said that he respects the court's decision but would be filing a motion for reconsideration. On March 1, 2021, the Sandiganbayan acquitted Pichay, along with his two co-accused, of the graft and ethics charges filed against them due to the failure of the prosecution to prove that the sponsorship grant required the approval of Pichay's office.


Personal life

Pichay is married to Maria Carla Lopez-Pichay, a former mayor of Cantilan,
Surigao del Sur Surigao del Sur ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur''; ceb, Habagatang Surigao; tl, Timog Surigao), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is T ...
. Pichay is an avid surfer and
chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
enthusiast. He was chairman of the Philippine Surfing Federation (PSF) and president of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP). He is a close friend of Philippine chess Grandmasters
Eugene Torre Eugenio "Eugene" Torre (born November 4, 1951) is a Filipino chess player. In 1974, at 22 years old, he became not just the first Filipino but also the first Asian to qualify for the title Grandmaster. Torre did this by winning the silver meda ...
and
Mark Paragua Mark Callano Paragua (born March 29, 1984) is a Filipino chess grandmaster. He won the Philippine Chess Championship in 2012. He was the youngest Filipino master ever, at nine years of age. He also became the youngest Filipino GM ever at 20 ( ...
. In 2022 July, Pichay was re-elected president of the NCFP. This is despite that a month prior Pichay was found guilty of three counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan in June 2022 and sentenced to 18–30 years imprisonment with perpetual disqualification to hold public office.


References


External links


Prospero Pichay Jr. profile at the official House of Representatives websiteProspero Pichay official websiteEleksyon 2007: Prospero Pichay Jr.Inquirer.net: Prospero Pichay Jr.Team Unity website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pichay, Prospero Jr. 1950 births Living people Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino politicians Lakas–CMD politicians Filipino politicians convicted of crimes Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Surigao del Sur People from Surigao del Sur De La Salle University alumni Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines