Benjamin Dy

Benjamin de Guzman Dy was a Filipino politician who served as Governor of Isabela. Dy was a member of the Dy political clan, whose members have held various elective posts in the province since the 1960s.

Early life

Benjamin G. Dy, Sr. was born in Cauayan, Isabela on September 22, 1952. He was the eldest among the children of the political patriarch Faustino Dy Sr. and Natividad Guzman-Dy.

Family

Benjamin Dy had a wife, Cecilia M. Dy, and 17 children. Several of Dy's relatives became prominent public figures in their own right:

Faustino N. Dy, Sr. Governor of Isabela and Mayor of Cauayan
Faustino S. Dy, Jr. Representative of the 3rd District of Isabela ; Governor
Faustino "Bojie" G. Dy III. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Representative of the 6th District of Isabela, Representative of the 3rd District of Isabela, Vice Mayor of Cauayan, Mayor of Cauayan, Vice Governor of Isabela and Governor of Isabela
Caesar G. Dy. Mayor of Cauayan
Napoleon S. Dy. Mayor of Alicia, and Representative of the 3rd District of Isabela
Victor G. Dy. Barangay captain of San Fermin, Cauayan

Political life

Dy served as vice mayor of Cauayan, Isabela until 1983 when Mayor Carlos Uy was appointed Assistant Provincial Health Officer in Ilagan. As a result, he was elevated to mayor, serving from 1983 to 1986 and again from 1988 to 1992. He later became Isabela governor from 1992 to 2001. He lost the governorship in 2007 to Grace Padaca. Dy was supposed to run as Cauayan mayor in the 2013 midterm elections, but was replaced by his son Bernard because of an ailment.

Death

Dy died on February 16, 2013, due to complications from recurring emphysema at St. Luke's Medical Center – Quezon City in Metro Manila.