Teofisto Guingona

 Teofisto "Tito" Tayko Guingona Jr. (born July 4, 1928) is
a Filipino politician 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, Rizal (now a part of Metro Manila), Teofisto is a graduate
of Ateneo de Manila University, where he was a working
student.

 He was appointed as chairman of the Commission on Audit by
then newly installed President Corazon C. 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 as vice president of the Philippines
and secretary of foreign affairs by President Arroyo, after she
was automatically promoted to the presidency from vice
presidency after President Joseph "Erap" Estrada's ousting
in EDSA II, 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 career
 Guingona was born on July 4, 1928, in San Juan, Rizal. 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.[1] 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.[2] 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
Philippines.

Early political career
 Guingona was a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional
Convention and, when martial law was declared in 1972 by
President Ferdinand Marcos, he resisted the abuses of the
regime, serving as a human rights lawyer. He founded
SANDATA and became the honorary chairman of BANDILA,
two mass-based organizations dedicated to social and
economic reforms. Because of his opposition to martial rule he
was jailed twice, first in 1972 and then in 1978.[1] When Marcos
was ousted in 1986 as a result of the People Power Revolution,
newly installed President Corazon Aquino appointed Guingona
as chairman of the Commission on Audit, where he gained
renown as a graft buster.

Senate of the Philippines (1987–1993;
1998–2001)
 Guingona was first elected to the Senate in 1987 under the Aquino-backed Lakas ng
Bayan coalition. He was elected as Senate president pro tempore in 1987 and majority
leader in 1990. Additionally, he served as director and chairman of the Mindanao
Development Authority and the Mindanao Labor Management Advisory Council.[1]
 In 1992, Guingona ran for reelection under the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino of
Speaker of the House Ramon Mitra Jr. and won, placing 14th in the senatorial race. He
became the majority leader again in 1993, but his term in the Senate was cut short when
President Fidel V. Ramos appointed him as executive secretary the same year. In 1998,
he was elected again to the Senate under Lakas-NUCD and was elected as minority
leader. Guingona spoke out against the anomalies in the administration of
President Joseph Estrada and was among the first to call for his resignation. On January
17, 2001, he was one of the senators who voted in favor of opening an envelope that was
said to contain incriminating evidence against Estrada. The final vote was 11–10, in favor
of keeping the envelope closed, which further fueled anti-Estrada sentiments that led to
another uprising on EDSA. When Estrada was ousted, Guingona emerged as the top
choice for a successor to Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who succeeded
Estrada as president.

Executive secretary (1993–1995) and
secretary of justice (1995–1998)
 President Fidel V. Ramos appointed Guingona as executive
secretary in 1993, replacing Edelmiro Amante, who resigned. In
1995, Guingona was appointed as justice secretary. As justice
secretary, he rejuvenated the Witness Protection Program and
established the Prosecution Academy. He also implemented
the Katarungang Pambarangay, or the Barangay Justice
System, and heightened public awareness of the Barangay
Justice Program. He also held, in a concurrent capacity, the
chairmanship of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission.

Vice presidency (2001–2004)
 Following the Second EDSA Revolution in January 2001 that
overthrew President Joseph Estrada, Guingona was appointed
as vice president of the Philippines by Arroyo, who succeeded
Estrada to the presidency, on February 7.[3] Guingona is the only vice
president who was not nationally 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 election and was succeeded by Noli de Castro. In
that election, he supported the presidential and vice-presidential bids
of opposition candidates Fernando Poe Jr. and Senator Loren
Legarda, respectively.

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 Brigader 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.[4][5] 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.