Teddy Baguilat

Teodoro "Teddy" Brawner Baguilat Jr. (born July 30, 1966) is a Filipino politician and journalist, activist and advocate of indigenous peoples' rights and the rights of minority groups.

Teddy Baguilat
Baguilat in 2016
Secretary-General of the Liberal Party
Assumed office
September 30, 2022
Preceded byChristopher "Kit" Belmonte
Member of the
Philippine House of Representatives
from Ifugao's lone district
In office
June 30, 2010  June 30, 2019
Preceded bySolomon R. Chungalao
Succeeded bySolomon R. Chungalao
Governor of Ifugao
In office
June 30, 2007  June 30, 2010
Vice GovernorNora Dinamling
Preceded byGlenn Prudenciano
Succeeded byEugene Balintang
In office
June 30, 2001  June 30, 2004
Vice GovernorBella Takinan
Preceded byIldefonso Dulinayan
Succeeded byBenjamin Cappleman
Mayor of Kiangan
In office
June 30, 1995  June 30, 2001
Member of the
Sangguniang Bayan
of Kiangan
In office
June 30, 1992  June 30, 1995
Personal details
Born
Teodoro Brawner Baguilat Jr.

(1966-07-30) July 30, 1966
Manila, Philippines
Political partyLiberal
Residence(s)Kiangan, Ifugao
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines Diliman (BA)

Baguilat is a member of both the Tuwali indigenous tribe in Ifugao and the Gaddang indigenous tribe of Nueva Vizcaya. He is the president of the Global Consortium for Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCA Consortium), an advisory body to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.[1] He is also the vice president for internal affairs of the Liberal Party.[2]

Early life and education

Teodoro Brawner Baguilat Jr. was born in Manila on July 30, 1966, to Teodoro Baguilat Sr., a retired official of the Department of Agriculture and resident of Kiangan, Ifugao, and Felisa Brawner, a lawyer and resident of Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. At the age of 13, Baguilat returned to Kiangan where he studied at the Saint Joseph School Kiangan for his secondary education. He then pursued his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, Major in Journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman and became an active student leader on campus.[3]

Career

Early career

From 1987 to 1991, Baguilat worked at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as an executive assistant to an undersecretary. He also worked as a production assistant for GMA Channel 7, as a reporter for the People’s News Service, and as an executive assistant for the Philippine Ecological Network. In 1991, he returned to Ifugao to establish a foundation that aimed to help students and protect the local environment.[3]

In 1992, Baguilat ran for the municipal council of Kiangan. He would at the time become the youngest councilor in the Philippines at the age of 25. From 1995 to 2001, Baguilat served as mayor of Kiangan. In 1996, Baguilat received the Dangal ng Bayan Award and recognition as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Civil Servants of the Philippines awarded by then-president Fidel V. Ramos.[3]

Governor of Ifugao (2001 - 2010)

Baguilat ran for the governorship of Ifugao in the 2001 election and won under the banner of the Liberal Party. Baguilat narrowly lost in a re-election bid in the 2004 election. He afterwards served as the president of the Save the Ifugao Rice Terraces Movement, a non-government organization that seeks to promote and protect the cultural treasures of Ifugao and its indigenous people. Baguilat ran again in the 2007 election and was elected anew as Ifugao's governor.[3]

In 2009, the Ifugao Provincial Board filed a case against Baguilat through the Ombudsman of the Philippines for "grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty" after failing to notify the board of his travels to several countries.[4] The Ombudsman ruled Baguilat guilty and imposed a fine equivalent to a one-year salary. In 2015, the Court of Appeals reversed the Ombudsman ruling and cleared Baguilat of all charges.[5]

Representative of Ifugao (2010 - 2019)

Baguilat won in the 2010 election as the representative of the lone district of Ifugao. As representative, Baguilat continued to campaign for the preservation of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras,[6] which was officially removed from the list of endangered world heritage sites in 2012.[7] Baguilat would again win in the 2013 general election as Ifugao representative.

In the 2016 election, Baguilat won a third and final term as Ifugao representative. He ran for speakership of the 17th Congress but lost to Pantaleon Alvarez. He was then chosen as the leader of the minority bloc via tradition of voting on the speakership. Baguilat was the first person from an indigenous community to be elected for the position. However, a few days after, he was booted from the position after more than 20 lawmakers from the majority shifted to the minority to take control of the bloc, therefore, voting Baguilat's ouster from minority leadership and replacing him with a pro-majority lawmaker, thus forming a supermajority in the House of Representatives.[8][9]

As representative, Baguilat is a proponent of human rights and a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, particularly the controversial war on drugs.[10] In 2016, Baguilat protested against the proposed House probe of senator Leila de Lima, which he claimed was tantamount to a "witch hunt."[11] Baguilat condemned the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, and filed for a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court to halt the burial.[12][13] In 2017, Baguilat has voted against the re-imposition of the death penalty,[14] and opposed the drastic reduction of the Commission on Human Rights budget to just 1,000.[15] He also sought to prioritize the investigation of alleged extrajudicial killings committed by state forces.[16]

Baguilat is the principal author of the Philippine Indigenous and Community Conserved Area Bill.[17] He has also filed and supported several bills that focus on indigenous rights, such as the Cordillera Organic Law,[18] the Chico River Basin Bill, the Indigenous Education Bill, and the Indigenous Barangay Bill.[19][20]

Other bills Baguilat has authored or supported include the Reproductive Health Bill,[21] the Freedom of Information Bill,[22] the SOGIE Equality Bill,[23] the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, the Higher Teacher's Pay Bill, the Divorce Bill,[24] the National Land Use Act,[25] the Free Wifi Law,[26] the Department of Fisheries Bill, Philippine Mental Health Law,[27] Expanded Maternity Leave Bill[28] and the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act.[29]

On February 9, 2018, the Ombudsman filed graft charges against Baguilat for the overpriced purchase of a secondhand vehicle in 2003, during his first term as Ifugao governor, and ordered his dismissal from government service.[30][31] The Sandiganbayan ruled in favor of Baguilat on August 21, 2018, after government prosecutors failed to file the necessary petitions. On January 2, 2019, the Court of Appeals cleared Baguilat of all charges.[32][33]

Baguilat again ran for governor of Ifugao province in the 2019 election, but lost to Banaue mayor Jerry Dalipog.[34]

2022 Senate bid

On October 8, 2021, Baguilat filed his candidacy for senator in the 2022 senatorial election[35] running under Vice President Leni Robredo's senatorial ticket. Baguilat lost after placing 28th in the final results and garnering over 4.2 million votes.

References

  1. "The ICCA Consortium has a new President". ICCA Consortium. November 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  2. Cupin, Bea. "Liberal Party guns for 'hearts and minds' in year 2 of Duterte". Rappler. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  3. "About Rep. Teddy Baguilat, Jr". repteddybaguilat. May 26, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. Laking, Jimmy. "Graft court upholds verdict versus solon". Baguio Midland Courier.
  5. Fontanilla, Giovani Joy (June 26, 2015). "Baguilat case dropped". Sunstar. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  6. Diaz, Jess. "Ifugao seeks more funds to restore rice terraces". Philstar.com. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  7. "Philippine rice terraces off endangered list–UN". globalnation.inquirer.net. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. "House supermajority rejects Baguilat's claim as minority leader". RAPPLER. July 26, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  9. Cayabyab, Marc Jayson (July 25, 2016). "Baguilat cries foul over game fixing in minority leader elections". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  10. "Baguilat labels drug war as unfair". SUNSTAR. August 9, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  11. "House probe on Bilibid drugs under De Lima 'reeks of harassment'". RAPPLER. August 20, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  12. Cepeda, Mara. "To bury Marcos at Libingan is to bury martial law 'atrocities' – lawmakers". Rappler. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  13. Nonato, Vince F. (November 18, 2016). "Solons hit dictator's burial, suspect Duterte knew of Marcos plans". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  14. Dizon, Nikko (January 16, 2017). "Opposition solons call for 'conscience vote' on death penalty". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  15. "Cordillera lawmakers slam CHR budget cut". SUNSTAR. September 15, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  16. Cayabyab, Marc Jayson (August 22, 2017). "Why can't the House prioritize probe into drug killings? – opposition solons". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  17. "The Philippine ICCA Bill: A Policy Brief" (PDF). Philippine Association For Intercultural Development.
  18. "Cordillera solons hurry passage of region's organic law". Philippine News Agency.
  19. "House poised to pass IP education act". SUNSTAR. November 17, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  20. "Katutubo sa Senado". INQUIRER.net. November 23, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  21. Salaverria, Leila B. (December 2, 2012). "It's Aquino's duty to push RH bill, says ally". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  22. "9 months in the making: A consolidated FOI House bill". RAPPLER. September 2, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  23. "House okays SOGIE bill". ptvnews.ph. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  24. "House of Representatives passes divorce bill on final reading". The Manila Times. March 20, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  25. "Ifugao lawmaker lauds passage of Land Use Act". SUNSTAR. May 7, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  26. "Teodoro Brawner Baguilat Jr". ICCA Consortium. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  27. "Baguilat seeks rights protection for mental health patients". SUNSTAR. October 12, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  28. "Solons bat for longer maternity leave bill passage". Philippine News Agency.
  29. "House bill for stronger HIV/AIDS fight approved". Philstar.com. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  30. "Ifugao solon asks Sandiganbayan to junk graft case". ptvnews.ph. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  31. Inquirer, Philippine Daily (July 14, 2013). "Solon asks CA to stop his dismissal". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  32. "Court clears lawmaker of administrative raps". The Manila Times. January 3, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  33. "CA clears Ifugao solon of graft". Philippine News Agency.
  34. "Teddy Baguilat loses bid for Ifugao governor". ABS-CBN News.
  35. Mendoza, John Eric. "Ex-Rep. Teddy Baguilat files candidacy for senator". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
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