Luis General, Jr.

Luis General Jr. (August 15, 1921 – October 18, 1997), sometimes also known by his nickname "Luising" was a Filipino writer, journalist, lawyer, educator, World War II soldier, and activist best known for his work as a human rights lawyer and as a mentor to other lawyers in his home region of Bicol, as an oppositionist delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1971, and for his extensive involvement in resistance against the authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Marcos.

It was during the war that he met Maria Molina, whom he eventually married in 1954. He eventually became the Naga Times' Editor, helping it earn accolades, such as being declared the Philippine Federation of National Press Clubs' 1971 "Most Outstanding Provincial Newspaper."

As the turbulent years of the Second Marcos administration rolled in, General Jr. even ran in the elections for delegates to the Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1971 (colloquially called the "ConCon"), but lost due to the lack of campaign machinery and funding. All but a handful of pro-Marcos publications were ordered shut down, so the Naga Times was shuttered.

Many of the oppositionist delegates whom General Jr. had hoped to join were arrested, and a select group of pro-Marcos delegates were selected to write a new draft of the Constitution, which then became the subject of the controversial 1973 Philippine constitutional plebiscite and questioned by the Ratification Cases filed against the Supreme Court.

General Jr. himself was released after one month, thanks to the intervention of Archbishop Teopisto Alberto of Caceres; In the ensuing social unrest, opposition leader Ninoy Aquino tried to return to the Philippines in August in an effort to reason with Marcos. But Aquino was assassinated on the airport tarmac just as he was getting out of the plane. The others honored during General Jr.'s batch included Ata Manobo triber leader Manuel "Buyog" Sampiano, and General Jr.'s close friend Jesus Antonio Carpio. The formal citations for the heroism of Carpio and General Jr. were read by former Philippine vice president Leni Robredo during the conferment ceremony.