Wikipedia

Oscar Malapitan

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Gonzales and the surname or paternal family name is Malapitan.

Oscar "Oca" Gonzales Malapitan (born June 14, 1955) is a Filipino politician who currently serves as the representative from the 1st District of Caloocan in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2013. He also served as Mayor of Caloocan from 2013 to 2022, Vice Mayor of Caloocan from 2001 to 2004, and City Councilor from 1992 to 1998. He also unsuccessfully ran for representative in 2001.[1] He is currently a member of the Nacionalista Party.

The Honorable
Oscar Malapitan
Official portrait during the 19th Congress
Representative of Caloocan's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 30, 2022
Preceded byDale Gonzalo Malapitan
In office
June 30, 2004 – June 30, 2013
Preceded byEnrico Echiverri
Succeeded byEnrico Echiverri
24th Mayor of Caloocan
In office
June 30, 2013 – June 30, 2022
Vice MayorLuis Macario Asistio III
Preceded byEnrico Echiverri
Succeeded byDale Gonzalo Malapitan
Vice Mayor of Caloocan
In office
June 30, 1998 – June 30, 2001
MayorRey Malonzo
Preceded byNancy Quimpo
Succeeded byLuis Varela
Member of the Caloocan City Council from the 1st district
In office
June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998
Personal details
Born
Oscar Gonzales Malapitan

(1955-06-14) June 14, 1955 (age 69)
Quezon City, Philippines
Political partyNacionalista (2004–2012; 2015–present)
Tao Ang Una (local party)
Other political
affiliations		UNA (2012–2015)
NPC (1992–2004)
SpouseEdna Rigor Malapitan
Children3, including Along
OccupationPolitician
Signature

Early life

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Malapitan was born on June 14, 1955 in Caloocan to Col. Vicente Malapitan and Josefina Gonzales.[1][2]

Political career

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Councilor of Caloocan (1992–1998)

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Oscar Malapitan served as councilor of Caloocan City for two consecutive terms from 1992 to 1998. As councilor, he sponsored a 1996 resolution stating that Caloocan should begin with the letter "C" instead of "K" as written in historical documents.[3]

Vice Mayor of Caloocan (1998–2001)

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After two terms as councilor, he was elected vice mayor in 1998, serving one term. It was during this period when he removed his support for Mayor Rey Malonzo in 2000 due to accusations from city council members that Malapitan is "[ignorant] of parliamentary procedures".[4][5] As a supporter of President Joseph Estrada, Malapitan later accused Malonzo of sending him "insulting" text messages after Estrada was ousted by EDSA II in January 2001.[6]

That same year, he attempted to run for congress as representative of Caloocan's 1st District, but lost to re-electionist Enrico Echiverri.[7]

Representative (2004–2013)

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However, Malapitan later defeated Mayor Malonzo for the same position in 2004,[8] eventually serving three consecutive terms as congressman until 2013.[9][10]

As representative, Malapitan pushed for the renovation of Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital to become a tertiary-level hospital, the establishment of Caloocan National Science and Technology High School, and the establishment of four new branches of the Metropolitan Trial Court at Caloocan.[1]

Mayor of Caloocan (2013–2022)

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Malapitan during Independence Day 2018

Malapitan ran for and won the mayoral position in 2013, promising to improve Caloocan's health care and education in a similar manner to Jejomar Binay's mayorship in Makati.[11]

Throughout his incumbency, Malapitan regularly boasted of a decreased crime rate in Caloocan.[12][13][14][15] However, the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) noted in 2020 that Malapitan's mayorship was characterized with a passivity towards President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs during its first year (2016–2017), with Malapitan asking the local branch of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to take charge of crime control and work vigorously against illegal drugs,[16][17] which PRIF claimed to have "resulted in a huge spike of deadly police violence" and "excessive levels of vigilantism" during this period.[18] Many of the high-profile incidents in Duterte's national drug war occurred in Caloocan, including the murders of Luis Bonifacio and his son Gabriel in 2016 and the murders of Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman in 2017.[19][20][21][22] By September 2017, Caloocan's entire police force was relieved from duty by PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde, despite it receiving the award for Metro Manila's Best City Police Station from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) a month earlier; only newly assigned police chief Jemar Modequillo and his administration deputy were retained.[23]

Sometime in 2017, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of the Diocese of Kalookan met with Malapitan, Modequillo and lawyer Sikini Labastilla, all three of whom are members of the Caloocan City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC), to discuss how to better facilitate rehabilitation and drug prevention in the city during the drug war, which lead to the establishment of the Caloocan Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CADAO) the following year.[24][25]

Malapitan would come to serve out three consecutive terms as mayor, with his son Along Malapitan succeeding him.[26][27]

Representative (2022–present)

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In 2022, Malapitan ran for representative of Caloocan's 1st District once again and won, switching places with his son Along.[28] During the 19th Congress, he serves as the Chairperson of the House Committee on National Defense and Security and Vice Chairperson of the House Committee on Local Government and of House Committee on Metro Manila Development.

Controversies

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Graft

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In 2009, Malapitan was accused of misusing his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), amounting to ₱8 million allocated to the Kalookan Assistance Council, Inc. (KACI), during his term as representative.[29] The case was later dismissed by the Ombudsman due to lack of evidence. Malapitan was later acquitted by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in 2021 upon the dismissal of a relevant administrative case.[30] However, on July 16, 2024, Rey Malonzo filed a graft and malversation complaint with the Ombudsman against Malapitan, former Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral, four former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officials, and KACI president Cenon Mayor for the same misuse of funds that occurred from 2007 to 2009.[31]

On April 22, 2016, during the campaign period for the local elections, Malapitan was charged of graft and plunder with the Office of the Ombudsman over allegedly overpriced birthday gift packages for senior citizens of Caloocan. Malapitan denied the accusations, stating it has no evidence, and added that the ₱500 senior's social fund, which the complainant claimed she did not receive from the city's social welfare department, was to come from the DSWD.[32]

2024 birthday celebration

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In June 2024, Rey Malonzo accused Malapitan of reportedly spending at least ₱3 million on his birthday celebration at Solaire Resort & Casino in Parañaque held on June 14 of that same year, drawing scrutiny from local constituents and national figures alike. He and former senator Antonio Trillanes separately criticized the event as insensitive to Caloocan's poor residents.[33][34]

Personal life

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Malapitan is married to Edna Rigor. Their sons Dale Gonzalo (Along) and Vincent Ryan (Enteng) are also in politics, currently serving as mayor and 1st district councilor of Caloocan, respectively. Their daughter, Sharon Faye Malapitan Bautista, is a Board Director of the Clark Development Corporation since 2024.[35]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Mayor's Corner". City Government of Caloocan (in Filipino). Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "Oscar Gonzales Malapitan". Geni.com. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Baroña, Franco (March 4, 1996). "Spelling of Caloocan finally resolved?". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corporation. p. 15. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Esguerra, Christian V. (August 9, 2000). "Malonzo, vice mayor row heats up in Caloocan". Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. p. 19. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Esguerra, Christian V. (August 28, 2000). "Caloocan dads stage coup vs vice mayor". Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. p. 18. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Esguerra, Christian V. (January 28, 2001). "Caloocan politicians in text war". Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. p. A21. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Botial, Jerry; Laude, Pete; Dizon, Nikko (May 28, 2001). "Malonzo proclaims self as mayor". Philstar.com. Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Estopace, Eden (June 25, 2004). "Some stars shone, some faded in May 10 elections". Philstar.com. Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved May 5, 2024. Voters instead chose former vice mayor Oscar Malapitan.
  9. ^ Cui, Rey (May 23, 2007). "Paggamit sa Diosnong mga gasa". Philstar.com (in English and Filipino). Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Laude, Pete (May 13, 2010). "Incumbents still win in Caloocan". Philstar.com. Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  11. ^ See, Aie Balagtas (May 15, 2013). "Pols beat opponents' sons in Caloocan". Philstar.com. Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Manila Standard (August 31, 2016). "1,500 drug suspects surrender to mayor". Manila Standard. Manila Standard News, Inc. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  13. ^ Garcia, Danilo (September 3, 2018). "Caloocan top 8 sa mababang crime rate". Pilipino Star Ngayon (in Filipino). Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Pedrajas, Joseph (October 4, 2020). "Low crime rate in Caloocan despite sensational deaths". Manila Bulletin. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  15. ^ David, Jun (January 21, 2021). "Caloocan crime rate drops 20%". Manila Standard. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  16. ^ Agoncillo, Jodee A. (June 15, 2016). "'Boosted' by Duterte, Caloocan mayor declares own war vs drugs". Inquirer News. Manila: INQUIRER.net. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "More authority: Mayor Oca reorganizes Anti-Drug Council". Politiko. MCD Multimedia Corporation. August 18, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Quezon III, Manuel L. (June 16, 2021). "Some LGU leaders bloodier than others". Inquirer Opinion. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved May 5, 2024. '[...]in the four others (Caloocan City, Manila City, Quezon City and Bulacan province) fatal police violence exploded, accompanied by high levels of vigilante killings.'
  19. ^ Bolledo, Jairo (June 18, 2024). "Caloocan cops convicted of homicide over killing of father, son in 2016 drug operation". Rappler. Manila, Philippines: Rappler Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  20. ^ Bolledo, Jairo (May 2, 2024). "In hot spot of drug war deaths, victims are immortalized through a shrine". Rappler. Rappler Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2024. On July 31, 2016, Aurora [Blas] waited for her husband, Thelmo, the whole day but he never came home.... She found Thelmo in a funeral home in Camarin, Caloocan City.
  21. ^ Talabong, Rambo (December 5, 2022). "Stray bullet, not pneumonia, killed 9-year-old boy during drug war". Rappler. Manila, Philippines: Rappler Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2024. The victim was Lenin Baylon, almost 10 years old and a resident of an impoverished neighborhood in Camarin, Caloocan City.
  22. ^ Wee, Sui-Lee; Elemia, Camille (June 29, 2024). "Years Later, Philippines Reckons With Duterte's Brutal Drug War". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Reymie Bayunon's 7-year-old son, Jefferson, was fatally shot in the city of Caloocan in April 2019 after, Ms. Bayunon said, he witnessed a killing in their neighborhood.
  23. ^ Romero, Paolo; Diaz, Jess; Tupas, Emmanuel; Macairan, Evelyn; AP; Reuters (September 15, 2017). "Entire Caloocan City police force sacked". Philstar.com. Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved October 26, 2024. {{cite news}}: |author6= has generic name (help)
  24. ^ URC (November 19, 2021). "Expanding Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation in the Philippines – Despite COVID-19". URC - Exposure. University Research Co., LLC (URC). Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "May pag-asa ang mga drug dependent sa community-based rehabilitation". Radyo Internasyonal ng Tsina (in Filipino). China Radio International. November 30, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  26. ^ Adel, Rosette (May 11, 2016). "Malapitan returns as Caloocan mayor, beats INC-backed bet". Philstar.com. Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  27. ^ Cayabyab, Marc Jayson (May 16, 2019). "More incumbents keep posts". Philstar.com. Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  28. ^ Mendoza, John Eric (May 11, 2022). "Along Malapitan proclaimed as new Caloocan mayor; Erice concedes". Inquirer News. Manila, Philippines: INQUIRER.net. Retrieved May 5, 2024. Aside from Dale [Gonzalo Malapitan], his running mate Karina Te and the senior Malapitan was proclaimed as vice mayor and the first representative of District 1.
  29. ^ G.R. No. 229811 (April 28, 2021), Office of Ombudsman vs. Malapitan, Lawyerly, retrieved June 22, 2024
  30. ^ Añago, Bianca Angelica (July 18, 2021). "SC upholds condonation of admin charge vs Caloocan mayor over pork barrel fund, but not the criminal complaint". BusinessWorld. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  31. ^ Marcelo, Elizabeth (July 17, 2024). "Lawmaker faces graft raps over 'pork' scam". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  32. ^ "Caloocan mayor faces plunder, graft raps". The Philippine Star. April 26, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  33. ^ "Caloocan solon sinita ng dating alkalde sa insensitibong magarbong bday party" (in Filipino). Remate. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  34. ^ "P3M pa-birthday party ni mayor, pinuna" (in Filipino). Abante Tonite. June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  35. ^ "Rep. Oca Malapitan's daughter gets a seat in Clark Development Corporation". Politiko Metro Manila. February 23, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
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Political offices
Preceded by
Nancy Quimpo
 Vice Mayor of Caloocan
1998–2001 		Succeeded by
Luis Varela
Preceded by Mayor of Caloocan
2013–2022 		Succeeded by
House of Representatives of the Philippines
Preceded by Representative, 1st District of Caloocan
2004–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Representative, 1st District of Caloocan
2022–present 		Incumbent
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