Gerry Roxas
Gerardo Manuel de Leon Roxas Sr., better known as Gerry Roxas, was a Filipino lawyer and politician. As a representative of the 1st District of Capiz and, later, as a Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, Gerry Roxas sponsored legislation that benefited the masses, improved living conditions, provided employment and family income and in general, promoted equitable sharing in the wealth of the nation. He also wrote many bills of national importance and was consistently voted by the Philippines Free Press and other national publications as one of the outstanding Senators of the Philippines. He was one of two children of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas and Trinidad de Leon-Roxas. He was the father of Gerardo "Dinggoy" A. Roxas, Jr. and former Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel "Mar" A. Roxas II.
Early life and education
Gerardo Manuel de Leon Roxas, also known as Gerry, was born on August 25, 1924, in Manila to Manuel Acuña Roxas, who was then the Speaker of [the House of Representatives of the Philippines|House Speaker] and 1st district representative of Capiz, and Trinidad De Leon. Gerry was 22 when his father was elected President of the Philippines and was 24 when his father died due to heart attack.He finished elementary school at the De La Salle College and high school at the Ateneo de [Manila University|Ateneo de Manila]. He studied law at the University of the Philippines College of Law and graduated in 1949. There, he was a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity. The following year, he was admitted to the Philippine Bar.
Political career
In 1957 [Philippine House of Representatives elections|1957], he was elected Congressman of the 1st District of Capiz and won with an overwhelming majority. As a young congressman, Gerry Roxas established the Roxas Educational Advancement Committee in 1958. The organization provided scholarship grants to youths in Capiz province. The program later expanded to the nationwide Gerry Roxas Leadership Awards to motivate and develop the youth's potentials in leadership and service to country. This nationwide program continues to this day. He was re-elected in 1961 Philippine [House of Representatives elections|1961].Roxas led the Liberal Party senatorial slate in 1963 and, after an exciting contest, emerged the top-notcher, obtaining the highest number of votes cast for a national candidate. In 1965, he ran for vice president as the running mate of then-President Diosdado Macapagal. In the unfinished counting of the abruptly stopped Comelec tabulation, he lost by merely 26,724 votes, the narrowest margin ever recorded in Philippine vice presidential elections, to Fernando Lopez. He ran for re-election in the 1969 senatorial elections and emerged as the sole survivor of the entire Liberal Party senatorial slate. He was named as the Senate Minority Leader in 1970. Roxas was among the injured during the Plaza Miranda bombing that occurred during the party's political rally in 1971.