Profile
Rep. ARTHUR D. DEFENSOR
Majority Leader, House of Representatives
Rep. Arthur D. Defensor, the House Majority Leader, started his distinguished political career at the young age of 26, when he was elected as the first Mayor of his hometown, Mina, Iloilo. When Martial Law was declared in 1972, Rep. Defensor, chose to concentrate on his law practice becoming one of the most brilliant and sought-after lawyers in the City and Province of Iloilo.
In 1984, he ran and won as an Opposition Assemblyman of the Batasan Pambansa, representing the Province and City of Iloilo. In 1986, after the EDSA Revolution, Rep. Defensor was appointed by President Corazon C. Aquino, as Undersecretary of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. In 1989, he was appointed Commissioner of the Presidential Commission of Good Government (PCGG).
The call to serve his kasimanwas in Iloilo, proved too strong to resist for Rep. Defensor. He ran and won as Governor of the Province of Iloilo, a position he held for nine years. As Governor, he gave top priority to reforestration, agricultural productivity programs, and infrastructure development. It was also under his stewardship that the New Iloilo Airport of International Standards was conceptualized and initialized. But more than for any of the above achievements, Rep. Defensor is known for restoring his constituents' faith in local governance by adhering to a policy of full transparency and accountability. His administration was never tainted with allegations of graft and corruption.
In 2001, after serving three consecutive terms as Governor of Iloilo, Rep. Defensor ran and won a seat in the House of Representatives, representing the Third District of Iloilo. He was re-elected as Representative in 2004 and then again, in 2007. During the 12th Congress, he was appointed as Assistant Majority Leader. He also served as Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Basic Education and Culture. He authored or co-authored 110 House Bills, some of which have been passed into law, namely, RA 09160 or An Act Defining the Crime of Money Laundering, Providing Penalties therefore and for other purposes; and, RA 09189 or An Act Providing for a System of Overseas Absentee Voting by Qualified Citizens of the Philippines Abroad, Appropriating Funds therefore, and for other purposes.
During the 13th Congress, Rep. Defensor was appointed as Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Chairman of the Committee on Good Government. He was, likewise, a member of all standing committees. This time, he authored or co-authored 130 House Bills, including RA 09346 or An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of the Death Penalty in the Philippines.
Presently, Rep. Defensor is the House Majority Leader and Chairman of the Committee on Rules. Thus far, he has authored 66 bills and co-authored 121 bills during the 14th Congress. These include HB 02844 or An Act Providing for Cheaper Medicines and for other purposes; HB 1740 or An Act Granting Benefits and Special Privileges to Former Overseas Filipino Workers and for other purposes; and, HB 2112 or An Act Establishing a New Labor Code of the Philippines.
Rep. Defensor has steered into passage a number of bills considered as landmark legislation and bills of national significance and import.
Born to Santiago A. Defensor and Lourdes P. Doligosa, both public school teachers, Rep. Art Defensor has always been an achiever. He graduated with honors from the Mina Elementary School, as well as the Iloilo Provincial High School. He obtained his Associate in Arts Degree from the University of the Philippines, Iloilo City, in 1959; and, his Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, in 1963.
He is the recipient of various awards, among which are the Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., Fellowship for Professional Development; the Most Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Iloilo National High School (1989 and 2001); and, more recently, the Most Outstanding Alumnus Award in the field of Public Service from the U.P. in the Visayas on the occasion of its Centennial Anniversary.
Rep. Defensor is happily married to the former Cosette Rivera. They have three children, Arlette, married to Atty. Eric Pilapil; Arthur, Jr., a lawyer and incumbent Board Member of the 3rd District of Iloilo, married to Michelle Camacho-Defensor; and Lorenz, also a lawyer and an associate in the Law Offices of Quasha, Ancheta, Pena and Nolasco, married to Atty. Vaneza Ungson-Defensor. Rep. Defensor and his wife, Cosette, have six grandchildren.
