Biography Ernesto “Manong” Maceda has an outstanding record of public service spanning 50 years in high government positions.
At age 23, he was elected the youngest Councilor in the history of the City of Manila. At age 29, he became the youngest member of the Cabinet of Pres. Marcos as Secretary of Community Development. Subsequently at age 32, he was appointed Executive Secretary and Chairman of the Commission on Reorganization and at 33, Secretary of Commerce & Industry. He also served as a Member of the GSIS Board of Trustees. He served under President Corazon C. Aquino as Minister for Environment and Natural Resources and Governor of the DBP. He is the only Filipino who has held 5 Cabinet positions. At 35, he was elected Senator in 1971, re-elected in 1987, and for a third time in 1992. In 1996-1998, he served as Senate President. Prior to that he was Sen. President. Pro Tempore, Minority Leader, and also served as Chairman of the Committee on Finance; Foreign Relations; Blue Ribbon; National Defense and Security; Crime; Commerce and Industry; Education, Economic Affairs. As a Senator, Maceda was a reform crusader and fiscalizer earning the title “Mr. Expose” from the Philippine Free Press magazine for having unearthed over 200 anomalies in the Executive Department of the government, including the PEA Amari scam which was declared void by the Supreme Court. Maceda was declared one of the 12 Magnificent Senators who voted to reject the extension of the US bases for which he received the Claro M. Recto Award from UST. . A UP Ford Foundation study declared him as No. 1 Senator in performance in 1993. Also by the Senate Press Club, the Federation of the Provincial Press Clubs, the Consumer Union of the Philippines, Philippine Graphic, Filipino Reporter and Philippine Free Press. A graduate of Harvard Law School (LLM and S.J.D. (A.B.D.) , Senator Maceda was a professor of Law at the Ateneo Law School and the University of Manila Law School. He also taught at Miriam College, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) and National University. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1979. Ambassador to the US from July 1999-Jan. 2001, he has imbued a new spirit of vigor to the foreign service, visited 35 states, improved consular services and assistance to nationals, and arranged for an official visit to Washington for Pres. Estrada in July, 2000. He now writes the column “Search for Truth” in the Philippine Daily Star and hosts the radio program “Mr. Expose” over DZRJ-AM. He formerly hosted a radio program over DZRH and DWIZ. He also wrote a column for The Daily Tribune, the Manila Bulletin, Malaya and Philippine Graphic. He has been the recipient of over 200 international and national awards and citations. He was elected twice President of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) with headquarters in New York City. He was a TOYM awardee for public service in 1987. He was named “Man of the Year” by the Philippine Free Press in 1992 and Outstanding Manilan, City of Manila, 1988.. He is a senior leader of the United Opposition (UNO) where he is a member of the Executive Committee. He is the President Emeritus of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC). He is a political adviser of President Joseph Estrada. He now serves an apostolate to the Mother Ignacia Healing Center, Bagumbong, Kalookan City where Sister Gloria Ross, R.V.M. has given him the title “Ambassador of God”. In 1997, he was received by Pope John Paul II in a private audience at the Vatican. He now writes a column in The Daily Tribune. He also wrote a column for the Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, Malaya and Philippine Graphic. He also hosted a radio program |