At 95, Juan Ponce Enrile pushes his luck for last political comeback

Friday, May 10, 2019

At the age of 95 years old, Juan Ponce Enrile doesn't sound as old as he can be. He has a sharp mind, he is very articulate and has a wide knowledge when it comes to law, government and more because he is serving his fourth term as a Senator. He was first elected senator in 1987 and was re-elected for a second term in 1995.

Juan Ponce Enrile was born on February 14, 1924, he is now 95 years old and is the oldest living public servant in the Government today. His secret to long life? Aside from a diet heavy on vegetables, Enrile also exercises religiously. He walks a lot and exercise everyday for 30 minutes or even an hour.

In 2004, Enrile made a comeback bid for his third Senate term and was re-elected for a fourth term in 2010. Enrile has also served at the helm of the Senate twice--first under the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from 2008 to 2010, and again under Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III from 2010 to 2013.

It was under his leadership when the Senate first ousted a Philippine chief justice, the late Renato Corona, in 2013.

Juan Ponce Enrile's Background in Law & Government

Juan Ponce Enrile earned his Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines in 1953. He graduated cum laude and salutatorian. He took his oath as a member of the Philippine Bar in 1954. He ranked No. 11 among the successful bar candidates with a rating of 91.72%, one of the highest in the history of the Bar. He made a perfect score of 100% in Commercial Law. He took post-graduate studies at the Harvard Law School where he obtained his Master of Laws degree in 1955, specializing in taxation and corporate reorganization.

He practiced law for twelve years from 1954 to 1966 as a law partner at the Ponce Enrile, Siguion Reyna, Montecillo, Belo and Ongsiako Law Offices.

On February 10, 1970, he was appointed Secretary of National Defense until August 1971 when he resigned to run for the Philippine Senate. He was re-appointed Secretary of Defense in January 1972.

In 1986, he led the historic EDSA People Power Revolution that served as model for subsequent bloodless revolutions all over the world. Together with idealistic members of the military and with the support of the Catholic church, people flocked to EDSA in solidarity to the man and his vision of restoring democracy to the nation.

His first term in the Philippine Senate was from 1987 to 1992, during which he served as the lone Minority in the Senate. His second term was from 1995 to 2001, during which he was designated as Chairman of the Committees on Ways and Means, and Government Corporations and Public Enterprises. He also served in the House of Representatives from 1992 to 1995.

In June 2013, he resigned as Senate President and was elected as Minority Leader. In June 2016, his fourth term as a Senator ended.

Juan Ponce Enrile's reaction on the massive invasion of Chinese here in the Philippines

Under his leadership, the Senate passed vital pieces of legislation such as the CARP Extension, Anti-Torture Act, Expanded Senior Citizens Act, Anti-Child Pornography Act, National Heritage Conservation Act, Real Estate Investment Act, among many others. Institutional reforms were also implemented within the Senate to improve the daily conduct of business by the institution, as well as improve the welfare of its officers and employees.

Also under him, the Senate also collaborated with the House of Representatives on two crucial issues which are now considered historical milestones. First was in December 2009 to take up Proclamation No. 1959 of the previous administration, declaring a state of martial law and suspending the writ of habeas corpus in the province of Maguindanao, while the second occasion was in May 2010, when Congress convened to constitute itself as the national canvassing board to canvass the votes for president and vice president, and thereafter proclaim the winners.

Does Enrile still believe in surveys? According to him, he doesn't since surveys can be manipulated and doesn't really reflect true standing of each candidates. Despite some issues linking him to "pork", Enrile was in the 16th to 18th bracket in a February Pulse Asia survey on senatorial preferences.