Teofisto Guingona Jr.

Teofisto "Tito" Tayko Guingona Jr. (born July 4, 1928) is a Filipino statesman and diplomat who served as the 11th vice president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2004, during the first term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Born in San Juan (now a part of Metro Manila), he is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, where he was a working student.

Guingona was an active opposition figure during the martial law period under President Ferdinand Marcos, being jailed multiple times. After the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983, Guingona joined his brother Butz Aquino in attending rallies and forming the organization BANDILA in 1985.

After the People Power Revolution, Guingona was appointed as chairman of the Commission on Audit by then newly installed President Corazon Aquino in 1986 until 1987, when he was elected as a senator of the Philippines under the coalition of Lakas ng Bayan, led by Aquino. While a senator, he also served as the director and chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority and the Mindanao Labor Management Advisory Council. He won in the reelections in 1992 and became the majority leader a year after, but his term ended prematurely when newly elected President Fidel V. Ramos appointed him as executive secretary from 1993 until 1995 and as justice secretary from 1995 until 1998. He was re-elected to the Senate again as a minority leader from 1998 until 2001.

Guingona was appointed vice president of the Philippines and secretary of foreign affairs by President Arroyo, after she assumed the presidency from the vice presidency after the ousting of President Joseph Estrada in the aftermath of the Second EDSA Revolution, making Guingona the only vice president who was not nationally elected to the position. When Guingona's term ended, he decided not to seek a full term election at the 2004 Philippine presidential election and was succeeded by Noli de Castro.

Early life and education Guingona was born on July 4, 1928, in San Juan del Monte, Rizal (present-day San Juan, Metro Manila). His father, Teofisto Guingona Sr., was a former assemblyman, senator, judge and commissioner from Guimaras, Iloilo. His mother, Josefa Tayko, is of Siaton, Negros Oriental. He grew up in the provinces Agusan, Lanao, and Misamis Oriental, where he completed his elementary schooling with honors in Ateneo de Cagayan. He pursued his studies at the Ateneo de Manila University as a working student, teaching history and political science while taking up courses in law and economics. He took up special studies in Public Administration, Economics, Sociology and Audit, in addition to playing a role in the new Aquila Legis fraternity (Second Batch 1950) becoming the most honorable Praeses or "bossman" in 1952-53 after founding bossman Joaquin Misa in 1949.

Early career in government After graduation, he went into business and became a governor of the Development Bank of the Philippines and president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands. Guingona thus joined Aquino in forming a new organization called Bansang Nagkaisa sa Diwa at Layunin (BANDILA; ), for which he became its chairman. On February 4, 1986, Guingona called for the resignation of Philippine National Bank president Placido Mapa Jr. and the bank's board of directors for questionably selling the PANTRANCO North Express' assets while retaining its liabilities, which had led to the layoff of hundreds of PANTRANCO employees. His nomination was affirmed by Congress. Guingona is the only vice president who was not elected to the position. He is also the oldest person to have held the position, being appointed at the age of 72. He also concurrently served as secretary of foreign affairs.

During his time as vice president, he was often at odds with Arroyo, particularly over foreign policy. He resigned as secretary of foreign affairs on July 2, 2002. He also resigned from Lakas-NUCD on October 3, 2003. In the 2004 Philippine elections, Guingona did not seek a full term. In that election, he supported the presidential and vice-presidential bids of opposition candidates Fernando Poe Jr. and Senator Loren Legarda, respectively. His vice presidential term ended on June 30, 2004, and he was succeeded by Senator Noli de Castro, who was Arroyo's running mate.

Post vice presidency (2004–present)

After the defeat of his candidate, Fernando Poe Jr., Guingona supported the administration of Arroyo again by accepting the position of ambassador to China. He resigned as ambassador and joined the opposition again at the height of the Hello Garci scandal, a political scandal involving Arroyo's alleged rigging of the 2004 presidential elections.

On November 29, 2007, Guingona participated in the Manila Peninsula rebellion, a mutiny led by Senator Antonio Trillanes and Brigadier General Danilo Lim that called for Arroyo's resignation. He was arrested afterward, but on December 13, 2007, the Makati Regional Trial Court dismissed rebellion cases against him.

Guingona wrote his 346-page book Fight for the Filipino, which contains his memoirs. It was launched on July 4, 2008, his 80th birthday, at the Manila Hotel.

Personal life Guingona is married to Ruth de Lara, a former mayor and vice mayor of Gingoog, Misamis Oriental. His son, Teofisto III (TG), is a former senator of the Philippines, while his daughter, Stella Marie, also served as mayor of Gingoog until 2019.

Electoral history