Personal Background of Former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile & his Political Career
JUAN PONCE ENRILE – Here are some details about the personal background and the political career of the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.
In politics, there are also individuals that are considered “veterans” for various reasons. One of the reasons is that they have been in the field for decades and has served several positions. One of them is former Senator and now chief presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile.
Personal Background
Born on February 14, 1924 (98 years old now) in Gonzaga, Cagayan, Juan Valentin Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr. is the daughter of a Spanish mestizo, Alfonso Ponce Enrile, and a Filipina, Petra Furagganan. His father was the powerful regional politician and a well-known lawyer. His father was already married when his mother, a stepdaughter of a fisherman, got pregnant.
He was a young man when he got reunited with his father in Manila. He enrolled at Saint James Academy in Malabon for his secondary education. His father took legal steps to change his name to Juan Ponce Enrile which he intended to use for his pre-law.
In 1949, Enrile graduated cum laude with an Associate of Arts degree from Ateneo de Manila University. He enrolled at the University of the Philippines College of Law where he graduated cum laude. He was also a scholar at Harvard Law School where he earned his Masters.
Before entering politics, he has taught at the Far Eastern University and he also practiced law at the firm of his father. He married Christina Castañer in 1957. He has two (2) children – Jack and Katrina. He is usually called JPE or Manong Johnny.
Political Career
In 1964, Juan Ponce Enrile became the private lawyer of then Senator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. He was one of those who campaigned for Marcos Sr. and when he won president, he was appointed as the chief of the Bureau of Customs and the service insurance of the government. He has also served as the undersecretary and secretary of the Department of Finance. He was one of the closest of Marcos Sr. and one of his most loyal allies during the Martial Law in the Philippines.
In 1987, Enrile won his first Senate term. A few months after it, he was detained in Camp Aguinaldo over allegations of being one of those who are planning the coup against the government, which was then led by the late former Pres. Cory Aquino. She tagged him as “Pambansang Balimbing”.
The succeeding Senate runs of Juan Ponce Enrile were successful. He has also served as the Senate President. However, he was also accused of involvement to some corruption issues in the government like the Pork Barrel Scam, one of the biggest corruption in the Philippine history.
Currently, he is the chief legal counsel of Pres. Bongbong Marcos. The President is confident that he will be loyal to him.
Updating…
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