Lorenz Rivera Defensor (born July 24, 1977) is a Filipino lawyer and politician currently serving as the representative of the third legislative district of

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

Province in the

House of Representatives of the Philippines The House of Representatives (; '','' thus commonly referred to as ''Kamara'') is the lower house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the Senate of the Philippines as the upper house. The ...

. Running under the ruling

PDP-Laban The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP, ) is a Populism, populist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was previously known as Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–L ...

party in the May 13, 2019 elections, he defeated

Nacionalista The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...

Emmanuel Gallar.

Early life and education

Lorenz Defensor was born on July 24, 1977, in

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...

, Philippines. He is the son of former Iloilo Governor and former congressman Arthur Defensor Sr. and Cosette Rivera. Defensor earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the

University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...

. He later pursued a Master’s degree in Public Administration at the same university. Additionally, he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

and passed the Philippine Bar Examination in 2004.

Career

Early Career

Before entering politics, Defensor worked as a legal officer at SMC Global Power Holdings Corporation. He also served as a senior partner at Salazar Enrile Defensor & De Mata Law Offices (SEDA Law), specializing in energy law, power and electric utilities, project finance and construction, and local legislation.

Political Career

Defensor began his political career as a provincial board member representing the third district of Iloilo. In 2019, he was elected as the congressman for the district, a position he currently holds. In February 2025, Defensor was named as a member of the House prosecution team for the impeachment trial of Vice President

Sara Duterte Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio (, ; born May 31, 1978), commonly known as Inday Sara, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who is the 15th and current vice president of the Philippines. She is the third female vice president (after Gloria Macap ...

. He stated that facing Duterte in the trial was "always an honor."

Political stances

In March 2025, Defensor attended a rally supporting

KiBam KiBam, also known as Kiko–Bam, is the umbrella of the opposition-backed candidacies of former senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino for the 2025 Philippine Senate election. Led by the Liberal Party, the coalition was formed on November 9, 2 ...

, where he emphasized the importance of unity and continuity in leadership. He stated, "Others have separated, we're still together," highlighting his alignment with the opposition's call for cohesive and principled governance.

Personal life

Defensor's brother, Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr., is the current governor of Iloilo. He is married to Vaneza Ungson, a lawyer, and they have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Defensor, Lorenz Living people 1977 births People from Iloilo City Partido Demokratiko Pilipino politicians Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Iloilo University of the Philippines Visayas alumni 21st-century Filipino lawyers 21st-century Filipino politicians National Unity Party (Philippines) politicians Provincial board members in the Philippines University of the Philippines Diliman alumni