Benjamin Santos Abalos Sr. (born September 21, 1934) is a Filipino politician who currently serves as the mayor of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila since 2022, a position he also held from 1986 to 1987 and from 1988 to 1998. He also served as a chairman of the Commission on Elections and chairman of the MMDA. As a private citizen, he also serves as the president of the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club and president of the Golfers Association of the Philippines.[2] He is the father of former Mandaluyong mayor and Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. His paternal grandson is politician, Jonathan Clement Abalos.
Benjamin Abalos Sr. | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Abalos, portrait | |
| Mayor of Mandaluyong | |
| Assumed office June 30, 2022 | |
| Vice Mayor | Carmelita Abalos |
| Preceded by | Carmelita Abalos |
| In office February 2, 1988 – June 30, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Roman delos Reyes (OIC) |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Abalos Jr. |
| In office February 25, 1986 – December 1, 1987 Officer In Charge | |
| Appointed by | Corazon Aquino |
| Preceded by | Ernesto Domingo |
| Succeeded by | Roman delos Reyes (OIC) |
| Chairman of the Commission on Elections | |
| In office June 5, 2002 – October 1, 2007 | |
| Appointed by | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Preceded by | Alfredo Benipayo |
| Succeeded by | Resurreccion Borra |
| Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority | |
| In office January 20, 2001 – June 5, 2002 | |
| President | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Preceded by | Jejomar Binay |
| Succeeded by | Bayani Fernando |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Santos Abalos September 21, 1934 San Manuel, Pangasinan, Philippine Islands[1] |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Political party | PFP (2023–present) |
| Other political affiliations | PDP–Laban (2017–23) Lakas-CMD (1991–2017) LDP (1988-91) |
| Spouse |
Corazon de Castro
(m. 1960; died 2021) |
| Children | 5 (including Benhur) |
| Residence(s) | Mandaluyong, Metro Manila |
| Education | Ateneo de Manila University (A.B.) Manuel L. Quezon University (LL.B) |
| Occupation | Judge |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Early life and education
editAbalos was born into a poor family in Pangasinan on September 21, 1934. His parents are Ciriaco Abalos and Eufrocinia Santos. He studied economics at Ateneo de Manila University and graduated from the Manuel L. Quezon University in 1957. Abalos supported himself through college by taking several jobs, working as a janitor, messenger, factory worker, and a caddy at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.[2]
Legal career
editAbalos was admitted to the roll of attorneys of the Supreme Court in 1958 and then into the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in 1973. He began his career as a fiscal before being appointed as a judge and later elected as President of the Judges Association of the Philippines.[2] He then served as a Trial Court Judge, earning recognition as the Outstanding Judge of the Philippines for ten consecutive years.[3]
Political career
editIn 1963, Abalos ran for vice mayor of Mandaluyong, which was then a municipality of Rizal, and lost to the scion of a political family.
He ran for Mandaluyong mayor in 1980, losing to the candidate of former President Ferdinand Marcos. In 1986, shortly after Marcos was ousted through a popular uprising, President Corazon Aquino appointed him as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the then municipality of Mandaluyong.
As OIC of the town, he ran for the post of mayor and won in the local elections of 1988, the first local elections under the 1987 Constitution. He was re-elected two times in the elections of 1992 and 1995, making him one of the two Aquino OIC appointees who survived and secured the constitution-mandated three consecutive terms limit for local officials. Abalos made Mandaluyong's cityhood in 1994, also witnessing economic growth brought about by the establishment of new shopping malls and Marketplace, the country's first build-operate-and-transfer and build-transfer (BOT-BT) project. He also initiated Land for the Landless and Home for the Homeless Program housing projects, Metro Manila's first Office for Disabled People, and Mandaluyong Collegiate Scholarship in 1996, as well as seeing the construction of Mandaluyong City Medical Center (the city's first tertiary hospital) and the Mandaluyong Manpower and Technical-Vocational Training Center.[3] Abalos was a former member of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino later joining the then newly formed Lakas NUCD-CMD.
Upon being term-limited in 1998, Abalos ran for congressman of the lone district of Mandaluyong but lost to incumbent Neptali Gonzales II.
Chairman of MMDA
editOn January 20, 2001, Abalos was appointed chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, a post he held until the following year.
Chairman of COMELEC
editOn June 5, 2002, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed Abalos to replace Alfredo Benipayo after the latter failed to secure the confirmation of his appointment from the Commission on Appointments.[citation needed]
Impeachment complaint
editOn September 27, 2007, Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico filed a 64-page impeachment complaint against Abalos, in his capacity as Commission on Elections Chairman, before the House of Representatives of the Philippines regarding the NBN–ZTE deal corruption scandal. It was endorsed by Representatives Teofisto Guingona III (Bukidnon–2nd), Teodoro Casiño (Bayan Muna), and Representative Ma. Isabelle Climaco (Zamboanga City–1st). Affidavits from Romulo Neri and Jose de Venecia III supported the complaint.[4][5] On October 1, 2007, Abalos resigned during a press conference; and Resurreccion Borra would be appointed Acting Chairman.[6]
Return as Mayor of Mandaluyong
editAbalos ran for mayor of Mandaluyong in 2022 under PDP-Laban, with his daughter-in-law, incumbent mayor Menchie Abalos, as his running mate for vice mayor.[7] He said that he would run to fulfill his promise to his deceased wife that he would spend his remaining years serving the people of Mandaluyong.[8] He won the elections in a landslide victory, securing a comeback as mayor after 24 years.[9] However, he chose not to seek reelection in 2025.[10]
Personal life
editAbalos married Corazon de Castro in 1960, with whom he has five children. His sons Benjamin Jr. and Jonathan also entered politics. Benjamin Jr. is the incumbent Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, former mayor of Mandaluyong, and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman, and former councilor of Mandaluyong. Jonathan also served as a three-term city councilor of Mandaluyong.[2][11] His wife died on January 25, 2021, due to severe sepsis, secondary to pneumonia caused by COVID-19.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Benjamin Santos Abalos, Sr". Geni.com. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Benjamin Santos Abalos Sr". City of Mandaluyong. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ a b [hhttps://mandaluyong.gov.ph/team/benjamin-ben-s-abalos/ "BENJAMIN "BEN" S. ABALOS"]. City of Mandaluyong. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "Impeachment raps filed vs Abalos at House by Iloilo vice gov". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- ^ "Impeachment raps filed vs Abalos over ZTE controversy". September 27, 2007.
- ^ WSJ, Philippine Voting Chief Quits Amid Bribe Queries[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Certified List of Candidates (Mandaluyong)" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ Mendoza, John Eric (October 6, 2021). "Ex-Comelec chair Ben Abalos Sr. files candidacy for mayor in Mandaluyong". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ Mendioza, John Eric (May 11, 2022). "Benjamin Abalos Sr. proclaimed as Mandaluyong mayor". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Labor, Analy (October 8, 2024). "Menchie Abalos files COC for mayoral race in 2025 elections". Daily Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ "Charisse Abalos marks what would've been her grandparents' 61st wedding anniversary". Politiko Metro Manila. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ "Abalos family matriarch Corazon dies after contracting COVID-19". ABS-CBN News. January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2020.