1977—
Countries · Southeast Asia
Politics · Business · Athletes · CulturePhilippines
223 lives connecting reform and revolution with democratic struggle, entrepreneurial scale, world sport and art across borders.
Country archive
Modern Philippine history can be read through people who argued over independence and authority, built mass consumer businesses, changed the country’s Olympic record and carried Filipino performance and visual culture to the world.
- 01
Politics
Reform, revolution, Commonwealth government, dictatorship, democratic restoration and the presidency after EDSA.
Explore Politics - 02
Business
Retail, food, aviation, banking, utilities and family enterprises that developed national systems and international brands.
Explore Business - 03
Athletes
Olympic medallists, world champions and Asian pioneers across boxing, weightlifting, gymnastics, athletics, chess, bowling, pool and skateboarding.
Explore Athletes - 04
Culture
Cinema, comedy, OPM, musical theatre, hip-hop, visual art and installation that reshaped Philippine identity and travelled globally.
Explore Culture
Explore modern politics
Institutions, public leadership, sport and cinema
Explore rights institutions, judicial education, public leaders, workers’ organising, sporting achievements and cinema through related guides.
June–September 2024
DMCI’s Order Book: What Moves the Balance?
Reconstruct DMCI’s actual 2024 construction order-book bridge, compare its revenue tables, and learn what rounded project balances do and do not show.
Year ended 31 December 2024Robinsons Retail: Which Stores Are Counted?
Use Robinsons Retail’s 2024 owned-store and TGP franchise figures to choose a denominator, check category totals, and write a precise footprint comparison.
January–April 2016Security Bank in 2016: What Did 20% Mean?
Compare the 2016 Security Bank subscription release and financial note, then reconcile two share classes with the reported investment and control description.
1884–1980Spoliarium: A Medal, a Transfer and a Later Replica
Separate Spoliarium’s 1884 medal, its 1958 transfer and a later commissioned replica, then practise writing an accurate caption from institutional records.
1935–2005The Oblation: Original Design, Later Casts and Sculptor Credit
Use UP’s protocol handbook and CCP’s object history to distinguish the original Oblation from later casts, their dates, materials and credited sculptors.
1983–2015Reading Kasilag’s Concerto Record: Works, Tracks and Credits
Read the original Kasilag concerto booklet to distinguish works, movements, performers and recording dates, with a worked timing and catalogue exercise.
Published records · original attribution exerciseWho speaks in an edited literary record?
Compare a collected edition and an interview description, then practise separating authorship, editorial roles and what an unseen recording can establish.
Archive descriptions · original catalogue exerciseHow should an archive’s extent be compared?
Compare different descriptions of the Maceda collection, then practise distinguishing duration, carriers and group classifications in an original catalogue task.
Creation and revival records · original programme exerciseWho does what in a revived stage work?
Compare repertoire and production records for Rama Hari, then practise separating creation, revival, voice, dance and scheduled live music in a fictional programme.
1985–1989What Did a PC Chipset Replace?
Examine PC-compatible chipset integration through technical catalogues, industry records and Dado Banatao’s account, separating support logic from CPU and graphics.
1957–1969Joaquin’s Reportage: Scene and Testimony
Trace scene, reported speech and judgement across three Quijano de Manila articles, with an original exercise on how literary reportage makes public claims.
Early 1980s–2003How Did Abad Build a Trapunto Painting?
Compare Pacita Abad’s stitched paintings, collected textiles and collaborative prints through an artist interview, museum records and an original exercise.
1976–2023How Was Himala Made and Remembered?
Follow Himala from Ricky Lee’s script and Nora Aunor’s performance to festival records, a public vote and restoration, with an original evidence exercise.
1946 · Elections and independenceThe 1946 Presidential Election
Roxas, Osmeña, the Nacionalista split and the results before July independence.
1956 · Education and citizenshipThe Rizal Law
Recto, Laurel, the required course and the limited reading exemption in RA 1425.
1975 · 2013 · Film preservationManila in the Claws of Light
Julio and Ligaya’s story, the cast and collaborators, and the restoration presented at Cannes Classics in 2013.
Read the story, cast and restoration guide 1976 · 1978 · 2015Insiang: Story, Cast and Cannes History
Identify Hilda Koronel’s title role in Lino Brocka’s film and distinguish its original release, Directors’ Fortnight selection and restoration.
Read the film guide 1981 · Election and referendumThe 1981 Presidential Election
Marcos, Santos, the opposition boycott and two separate questions put to voters.
Read the guide 1969–1970 · Conservation historyHelena Benitez and Philippine Conservation
Local forests, Philippine eagles and Iglit–Baco: three laws with different tools and responsibilities.
Read the guide 1940–1948 · Women’s organising and reliefGirl Scouts: Founding and Wartime Relief
Escoda, Benitez, the national charter and the volunteer networks that continued serving during wartime.
Read the guide 1957 · Constitutional historyTañada v. Cuenco Explained
The Electoral Tribunal nominations, minority safeguards and a ruling that did not expel senators.
Read the guide 1937 · Voting rightsPhilippine Women’s Suffrage
The campaign, the constitutional threshold and the path from voting rights to Senate representation.
Read the guide 6–8 July 1986 · Democratic transitionThe Manila Hotel Incident
Tolentino’s challenge, the failed occupation and Aquino’s fact-finding committee after People Power.
Read the guide 1949 · Parliamentary historyThe Senate Leadership Crisis
Avelino, Cuenco and the court’s two-stage response to a disputed reorganisation.
Read the guide 1998–2026 · Public officePanfilo Lacson’s Previous Offices
Police leadership, four Senate terms and Haiyan recovery, with the 2025–2026 pro-tempore role dated separately.
Read the guide 1986–1987 · Human rightsThe Origins of the Commission on Human Rights
Diokno’s presidential committee, the independent commission and their different institutional foundations.
Read the guide 1988–1998 · Judicial educationPHILJA and Judicial Education
Fernan’s training programme, court creation in 1996 and statutory institutionalisation in 1998.
Read the guide 2022–2026 · AthleticsEJ Obiena’s Medals and Records
World medals, six metres, Paris countback and Asian Games gold in Hangzhou and Nagoya.
Read the guide October 1975 · Labour historyThe La Tondeña Strike
Workers’ demands, Edgar Jopson’s organising and the policy response under martial law.
Read the guide 17 biographiesPhilippine Presidents
The complete official presidential sequence from Emilio Aguinaldo to Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Explore the collection 1935–present · 15 biographiesPhilippine Vice Presidents
Succession, split tickets, delegated portfolios and the disputed 1986 claim across nine decades.
Explore the collection 1916–1972 · 11 biographiesPre-Martial-Law Senate Presidents
Every leader from the chamber’s creation through independence, coalition change and the martial-law closure.
Explore the collection 1987–present · 16 biographiesPhilippine Senate Presidents
Every leader of the restored chamber, including repeated terms, coalition changes and the disputed 2026 transition.
Explore the collection 1987–present · 12 biographiesPhilippine House Speakers
Every leader of the restored House, from Ramon Mitra Jr. to current Speaker Faustino Dy III.
Explore the collection 12 biographiesWomen in Philippine Politics
Twelve pioneering lives across the Senate, presidency, diplomacy, civil liberties, public policy and civic leadership.
Explore the collection 1986—todayPost-EDSA Politics
Democratic restoration, populism, opposition and the return of a political dynasty.
Explore the collection 1986–2001 · 15 biographiesPhilippine Democratic Transition
Constitutional restoration, social conflict, military rebellion, treaty power, public policy and EDSA II.
Explore the collection 1992–2016 · 27 biographiesDemocratic Consolidation and Crisis
Elections, Mindanao peace, economic shock, institutional accountability and political realignment.
Explore the collection 1965–2022 · 30 biographiesPhilippine Presidential Elections
Nine election guides connecting candidates, results, split tickets, disputes and democratic turning points.
Explore the collection 12 biographiesPostwar Nation-Builders
Presidents, critics, educators, diplomats and armed rivals in the early independent republic.
Explore the collection 23 biographiesThe Philippines Before Martial Law
Presidential reform, Senate politics, the 1965 election, student protest and a narrowing constitutional order.
Explore the collection 1969–1987 · 24 biographiesDemocracy, Dictatorship and Restoration
Election, constitutional rupture, authoritarian rule, resistance, People Power and a rebuilt democratic charter.
Explore the collectionExplore enterprise
Founders, national systems and succession
Compare ten business careers through the companies they built, the public-facing systems they operate and the leadership structures designed to outlast a founder.
Explore sport
Olympic breakthroughs and world-level mastery
Connect ten athletes through medals, records and specialist disciplines ranging from weightlifting and gymnastics to chess, bowling and skateboarding.
Explore culture
Film, music, art and the popular audience
Connect ten creative careers through national memory, independent practice, OPM, musical theatre and Filipino culture carried to global stages.
Across borders
The Philippines and the region
Follow anti-colonial ideas, migration, consumer brands, competition and creative work through maritime Southeast Asia and the wider world.
Explore by turning point
Forty-six histories behind the lives
Begin with the national timeline, then follow revolution, the 1942 defence and occupation, independence, postwar nation-building, authoritarian crisis, People Power, constitutional restoration and the leaders of both restored chambers.
1899–present
Presidents of the Philippines
All seventeen recognised presidents in order, with exact terms, routes to office and constitutional transitions.
Read the complete list 1521—presentPhilippines History Timeline
A country chronology connecting colonisation, revolution, independence, martial law and democratic restoration.
Read the timeline 1935–presentVice Presidents of the Philippines
A complete officeholder timeline with vacancies, succession rules and the disputed 1986 claim.
Read the timeline 1916–presentSenate Presidents of the Philippines
Every leader from Manuel Quezon through interruption, democratic restoration and the disputed 2026 transition.
Read the timeline 1907–presentSpeakers of the Philippine House
Every Assembly, House and Batasan leader, with occupation, martial-law closure and democratic restoration explained.
Read the timeline 1896The Philippine Revolution
The Katipunan, the disputed Cry, Tejeros and the path from revolt to a contested republic.
Read the timeline 1899—1901The First Philippine Republic
Malolos, the 1899 Constitution, war and the struggle to build an independent state.
Read the timeline 1899—1902The Philippine–American War
Competing claims to sovereignty, conventional fighting, guerrilla resistance and the contested official ending.
Read the timeline 1942–1945The Japanese Occupation
Invasion, wartime governments, civilian life, resistance and liberation across the archipelago.
Read the timeline 7 Jan–9 Apr 1942The Battle of Bataan
Filipino defenders, two battle lines, hunger, disease and the surrender that preceded mass captivity.
Read the timeline April 1942The Bataan Death March
Follow the two routes through San Fernando and Capas to Camp O’Donnell, with careful death-toll evidence.
Read the timeline Dec 1941–6 May 1942The Battle of Corregidor
Bombardment, life in Malinta Tunnel, the final landing and the surrender of the island fortress.
Read the timeline 20 Oct 1944The Leyte Landing
The Allied return, Filipino guerrilla intelligence and the restoration of Commonwealth government on Philippine soil.
Read the timeline 23–26 Oct 1944The Battle of Leyte Gulf
Four connected naval actions and the Japanese attempt to destroy the invasion fleet around Leyte.
Read the timeline 3 Feb–3 Mar 1945The Battle of Manila
Liberation, mass killing, artillery and the destruction of the capital through the experience of civilians.
Read the timeline 18 Mar 1945The Liberation of Panay
Peralta’s guerrillas, Confesor’s civil government and the landing at Tigbauan on Panay’s southern coast.
Read the timeline 1–14 Jun 1945The Battle of Bessang Pass
Filipino forces broke the mountain position guarding the route into northern Luzon.
Read the timeline 4 Jul 1946Philippine Independence
Commonwealth, occupation, liberation and the postwar settlement of the Third Republic.
Read the timeline 1946–1947Bell Trade Act and Parity Rights
Trade preferences, currency controls, reconstruction pressure and the constitutional dispute over economic sovereignty.
Read the timeline 1946–1954The Hukbalahap Rebellion
Wartime roots, land conflict, political exclusion, failed amnesty and the counterinsurgency that followed.
Read the timeline 1953–1957The Ramon Magsaysay Presidency
Public-access reform, Huk surrender, rural policy, Cold War alignment and an abrupt presidential succession.
Read the timeline 1961–1965The Diosdado Macapagal Presidency
Economic decontrol, June 12, land reform, regional diplomacy and the limits of reform.
Read the timeline 9 Nov 1965The 1965 Presidential Election
Marcos, Macapagal and Manglapus in a competitive election that reorganised national politics.
Read the timeline 11 Nov 1969The 1969 Presidential Election
Marcos, Osmeña, a historic reelection and the economic strain surrounding the campaign.
Read the timeline Jan–Mar 1970The First Quarter Storm
Student leadership, police violence, mass protest and the road toward the 1972 constitutional rupture.
Read the timeline 21 Aug 1971The Plaza Miranda Bombing
The Liberal Party rally attack, its casualties, emergency powers and disputed responsibility.
Read the timeline 1971–1972The 1971 Constitutional Convention
Elected delegates, reform debates and a draft completed after martial law transformed the political order.
Read the timeline 1972—1986The Marcos Martial Law Era
Formal martial law, authoritarian government, documented violations and resistance.
Read the timeline 1972–1973The 1973 Constitution
Citizens’ assemblies, Proclamation No. 1102 and the Supreme Court’s divided ruling in Javellana.
Read the timeline 21 Aug 1983The Ninoy Aquino Assassination
The airport killing, official investigation, retrial and unresolved questions of command.
Read the timeline 22—25 Feb 1986The People Power Revolution
The election crisis, civilian mobilisation and the transition to constitutional government.
Read the timeline 1986—1987The 1987 Constitution
The commission, plebiscite, restored institutions and new safeguards on executive power.
Read the timeline 7 Feb 1986The 1986 Snap Election
The Marcos and Aquino tickets, competing counts and collapse of electoral trust.
Read the timeline 22 Jan 1987The Mendiola Massacre
Land-reform protest, thirteen deaths, official findings and unresolved accountability.
Read the timeline 1–9 Dec 1989The 1989 Coup Attempt
The armed challenge to civilian authority and the bounded national-emergency response.
Read the timeline 16 Sep 1991The U.S. Bases Vote
The Senate’s 12–11 treaty decision on sovereignty, security and foreign military presence.
Read the timeline 11 May 1992The 1992 Presidential Election
Seven candidates, Ramos’s plurality, Santiago’s protest and the first regular post-EDSA succession.
Read the timeline 2 Sep 1996The MNLF Peace Agreement
Integration, regional institutions and the unfinished work of implementing negotiated autonomy.
Read the timeline 1997–1999The Asian Financial Crisis
Peso pressure, banking resilience, recession and recovery in a region-wide economic shock.
Read the timeline 11 May 1998The 1998 Presidential Election
Estrada’s plurality, de Venecia’s loss, a split ticket and the first limited automation test.
Read the timeline 16–20 Jan 2001EDSA II and Presidential Succession
Impeachment, mass mobilisation and the legal dispute over a transfer of power.
Read the timeline 10 May 2004The 2004 Presidential Election
The official canvass, an unfinished protest and the later Hello Garci legitimacy crisis.
Read the timeline 10 May 2010The 2010 Presidential Election
Aquino’s victory, nationwide automation and the narrow Binay–Roxas vice-presidential result.
Read the timeline 29 May 2012The Renato Corona Impeachment
Asset disclosure, judicial independence and the Senate’s 20–3 conviction of the chief justice.
Read the timeline 9 May 2016The 2016 Presidential Election
Automated voting, split-ticket winners and the realignment that brought Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency.
Read the timeline 9 May 2022The 2022 Presidential Election
Official Marcos–Duterte majorities, candidate totals, automated voting and political realignment.
Read the timelineAll Philippines biographies
223 lives in the archive
Browse the complete country collection or refine the directory by country, field, name, office, company, sport or achievement.
Birth date unverified
Sonny Angara
Filipino lawyer, former legislator and education secretarySonny Angara moved from representing Aurora and serving in the Senate to leading the Department of Education, with a legislative record spanning education, employment and social protection.Read biography
1966—
Pia Cayetano
Philippine senator and lawyer focused on health, education and women’s rightsThe lawyer and senator whose legislative work connects reproductive health, tobacco taxation, child welfare and funding for healthcare and education.Read biography
1945—
Richard Gordon
Former Philippine senator and tourism secretary; Philippine Red Cross chairman and CEOThe former Olongapo mayor and senator whose career connects Subic’s conversion into a freeport, national tourism policy and Philippine Red Cross leadership.Read biography
1966—
Risa Hontiveros
Philippine senator and former Akbayan party-list representativeRisa Hontiveros moved from broadcast journalism and community organising to Akbayan representation and the Philippine Senate, building a legislative record on health and women’s rights.Read biography
1861—1896
José Rizal
Writer, physician and reform advocateA physician, novelist and reformer whose writings challenged Spanish colonial rule and helped give Philippine nationalism a common language.Read biography
1869—1964
Emilio Aguinaldo
Revolutionary leader and first president of the PhilippinesA revolutionary commander who declared independence from Spain and became president of the First Philippine Republic.Read biography
1878—1944
Manuel L. Quezon
President of the Commonwealth of the PhilippinesThe statesman who secured Commonwealth status, became its first president and led the Philippine government in exile during the Second World War.Read biography
1891—1959
José P. Laurel
President of the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine RepublicA jurist and politician who led the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic during occupation and later returned to elected office.Read biography
1878—1961
Sergio Osmeña
President of the Commonwealth of the PhilippinesA Cebu statesman who succeeded Manuel Quezon in exile and led the Commonwealth government during the liberation of the Philippines.Read biography
1892—1948
Manuel Roxas
Last Commonwealth president and first president of the independent Third RepublicThe final Commonwealth president who became the first leader of the independent Third Republic and confronted postwar reconstruction.Read biography
1890—1956
Elpidio Quirino
President of the Philippines, 1948–1953The Vigan-born president who signed the Central Bank Act, governed through postwar reconstruction and the Huk conflict, and supported reconciliation with Japan.Read biography
1907—1957
Ramon Magsaysay
President of the Philippines, 1953–1957A former guerrilla and defence secretary whose accessible governing style and anti-Huk campaign made him a postwar political icon.Read biography
1896—1971
Carlos P. Garcia
President of the Philippines, 1957–1961A Boholano lawyer, poet and president who promoted Filipino ownership, fiscal restraint and a more assertive economic nationalism.Read biography
1960—2021
Benigno Aquino III
President of the Philippines, 2010–2016The Philippine president whose Straight Path programme produced major legislation while budget disputes, national crises and maritime arbitration shaped his record.Read biography
1917—1989
Ferdinand Marcos
President of the Philippines, 1965–1986A president who imposed martial law, dismantled democratic checks and ruled for two decades before the 1986 People Power Revolution forced him from office.Read biography
1933—2009
Corazon Aquino
President of the Philippines, 1986–1992The opposition leader who became president after People Power and restored constitutional government following the Marcos dictatorship.Read biography
1863—1897
Andrés Bonifacio
Founder and Supremo of the KatipunanA Katipunan co-founder and revolutionary organiser who built a movement for independence and helped lead the transition to open revolt against Spain in 1896.Read biography
1864—1903
Apolinario Mabini
Political thinker and first prime minister of the PhilippinesThe lawyer and political thinker who became Emilio Aguinaldo’s chief adviser and the first prime minister and foreign secretary of the Philippine Republic.Read biography
1932—1983
Benigno Aquino Jr.
Senator and opposition leaderThe senator known as Ninoy whose imprisonment, exile and assassination on returning to Manila transformed opposition to Ferdinand Marcos.Read biography
1928—2022
Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines, 1992–1998The general who withdrew support from Ferdinand Marcos during People Power and later served as defence secretary and the Philippines’ twelfth president.Read biography
1928—2005
Jaime Cardinal Sin
Cardinal and Archbishop of ManilaThe Archbishop of Manila whose religious authority, democratic advocacy and Radio Veritas appeal helped bring civilians onto EDSA in February 1986.Read biography
1924—2025
Juan Ponce Enrile
Defence minister and Senate presidentThe lawyer and defence minister whose career stretched from the declaration of martial law to the EDSA breakaway, four Senate terms and the Senate presidency.Read biography
1910—1997
Diosdado Macapagal
President of the Philippines, 1961–1965The Lubao-born president who pursued economic decontrol and agricultural reform, and changed the national calendar to commemorate the 1898 declaration of independence.Read biography
1937—
Joseph Estrada
President of the Philippines, 1998–2001The film star and populist politician who became president in 1998, left office amid impeachment and protest, and later returned as mayor of Manila.Read biography
1947—
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President of the Philippines, 2001–2010The economist, senator and vice president who led the Philippines from 2001 to 2010 and later returned to Congress as a Pampanga representative.Read biography
1945—
Rodrigo Duterte
President of the Philippines, 2016–2022The long-serving Davao mayor who became president in 2016 and whose anti-drug campaign is now the subject of an International Criminal Court case.Read biography
1965—
Leni Robredo
Vice president of the Philippines, 2016–2022, and mayor of Naga CityThe lawyer, former vice president and current Naga mayor known for community-based anti-poverty programmes and a volunteer-driven reform movement.Read biography
1957—
Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
President of the Philippines since 2022The son and namesake of Ferdinand Marcos who won the 2022 election and became the seventeenth president of the Philippines.Read biography
1900—1986
Narciso Ramos
Journalist, legislator, diplomat and ASEAN co-founderA journalist and legislator who helped build the independent Philippines’ foreign service and signed the declaration that founded ASEAN.Read biography
1914—1996
Narciso G. Reyes
Fourth Secretary-General of the ASEAN SecretariatA Filipino journalist-turned-diplomat who represented the Philippines across Asia, Europe and the United Nations before becoming ASEAN’s fourth secretary-general.Read biography
1936—2019
Rodolfo C. Severino Jr.
Tenth Secretary-General of ASEANA Filipino diplomat, ASEAN secretary-general and later founding head of the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.Read biography
1875—1899
Emilio Jacinto
Katipunan writer, secretary and revolutionary leaderA young Filipino writer and revolutionary remembered as the “Brains of the Katipunan,” its secretary and a close collaborator of Andrés Bonifacio.Read biography1875—1943
Gregoria de Jesús
Lakambini and custodian of the KatipunanA Filipino revolutionary known as Oriang and the Lakambini of the Katipunan, who preserved its records and later wrote a firsthand account of her life.Read biography
1812—1919
Melchora Aquino
Community supporter of the KatipunanA Filipino community elder known as Tandang Sora and the Mother of the Revolution for aiding Katipunan members in 1896.Read biography
1866—1899
Antonio Luna
Scientist, journalist and commanding generalA Filipino pharmacist, scientist, reform writer and general who tried to build a disciplined republican army before his assassination in 1899.Read biography
1850—1896
Marcelo H. del Pilar
Writer, editor and Propaganda Movement leaderA Filipino lawyer, journalist and leading propagandist whose publications challenged clerical power and demanded political rights before the 1896 Revolution.Read biography
1922—1987
Jose W. Diokno
Senator, lawyer and human rights advocateA Filipino senator and civil-liberties lawyer known as Ka Pepe who was detained without charge under martial law and built a national network of human rights defenders.Read biography
1898—1992
Lorenzo Tañada
Senator, nationalist and anti-dictatorship leaderA four-term Filipino senator known as Ka Tanny who returned from retirement to defend political prisoners and lead public resistance under martial law.Read biography
1920—2016
Jovito Salonga
Opposition senator and post-EDSA Senate presidentA Filipino lawyer, opposition leader and statesman who survived wartime imprisonment and the Plaza Miranda bombing before helping rebuild the Senate after EDSA.Read biography
1913—1988
Chino Roces
Publisher, journalist and democracy campaignerA Filipino newspaper publisher whose media organisations were closed under martial law and who later became a visible organiser of democratic protest.Read biography
1913—2006
Cecilia Muñoz-Palma
Supreme Court justice and constitutional leaderA pioneering Filipino jurist whose martial-law dissents defended civilian courts and whose post-EDSA leadership helped frame the 1987 Constitution.Read biography1950—1973
Liliosa Hilao
Student journalist and martial-law victimA Filipino student journalist whose death in military custody made the human cost of martial law visible within its first year.Read biography1948—1982
Edgar Jopson
Student, labour and anti-dictatorship organiserA Filipino organiser known as Edjop whose path from moderate student reform to labour and underground activism reflected the closing political space of the martial-law era.Read biographyc. 1930—1980
Macli-ing Dulag
Kalinga elder and Indigenous land defenderA Butbut Kalinga pangat whose defence of ancestral land against a major dam project became a national symbol of Indigenous resistance.Read biography
1942—1986
Evelio Javier
Governor and democratic opposition leaderA Filipino lawyer and former Antique governor whose assassination during the 1986 election canvass intensified public anger before People Power.Read biography1960—1987
Lean Alejandro
Student and multisectoral movement leaderA Filipino student and movement organiser who helped build broad anti-dictatorship coalitions and was assassinated after democratic government returned.Read biography
1865—1911
Miguel Malvar
Revolutionary general and resistance commanderA Batangueño revolutionary commander who fought Spain and the United States and carried on resistance after the First Republic lost its central leadership.Read biography
1875—1899
Gregorio del Pilar
Brigadier general of the Philippine Revolutionary ArmyA young revolutionary officer whose campaigns in Bulacan and last stand at Tirad Pass made him one of the most remembered generals of the First Republic.Read biography1868/1871—1947
Teresa Magbanua
Teacher and revolutionary commanderAn Ilongga teacher and horsewoman known as Nay Isa who commanded revolutionary fighters and sustained resistance in Panay.Read biography
1870—1907
Macario Sakay
Katipunan organiser and president of the Republika ng KatagaluganA Katipunan veteran who organised the Republika ng Katagalugan and resisted American colonial rule until his negotiated surrender and later execution.Read biography
1866—1945
Artemio Ricarte
Revolutionary general and political exileA teacher and revolutionary general known as Vibora who fought Spain and the United States, refused American allegiance and later returned with Japanese forces during the Second World War.Read biography
1886—1942
José Abad Santos
Chief justice and wartime presidential delegateA jurist and Commonwealth statesman who carried emergency authority during the Japanese invasion and was executed after refusing to cooperate with the occupation.Read biography
1888—1944
Vicente Lim
Brigadier general and guerrilla organiserThe first Filipino graduate of West Point, a 41st Division commander in Bataan and a guerrilla organiser executed by Japanese forces in Manila.Read biography
1898—1945
Josefa Llanes Escoda
Social worker, suffragist and wartime humanitarianA social worker and women’s-rights organiser who founded the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, aided wartime prisoners and was killed during the Japanese occupation.Read biography
1910—1942
Wenceslao Vinzons
Lawyer, governor and resistance commanderA lawyer, constitutional-convention delegate and Camarines Norte governor who organised local resistance and was executed after capture.Read biography
1913—1965
Macario Peralta Jr.
Guerrilla commander, senator and defence secretaryA lawyer and reserve officer who organised Panay’s wartime resistance, coordinated with Allied command and later served in the Senate and Macapagal cabinet.Read biography
1907—1998
Jose Calugas
Philippine Scout, Medal of Honor recipient and guerrilla agentJose Calugas restored an artillery position under fire at Bataan, then survived captivity and joined the resistance before receiving his Medal of Honor in 1945.Read biography1920—2016
Magdalena Leones
Wartime intelligence agent and Silver Star recipientA wartime special agent who repeatedly crossed Japanese-held territory with intelligence and critical supplies for guerrilla forces in northern Luzon.Read biographyc. 1906—unknown
Nieves Fernandez
Schoolteacher and Leyte guerrilla commanderA teacher turned guerrilla commander who led an approximately 110-member resistance unit operating south of Tacloban in Leyte.Read biography
1891—1951
Tomas Confesor
Iloilo governor, civil resistance leader and senatorAn economist, governor and senator who rejected office under occupation and led the civil resistance government in Panay.Read biography
1913—2005
Luis Taruc
Peasant organiser and Hukbalahap leaderA peasant organiser who helped lead the Hukbalahap against Japanese occupation, was blocked from taking his elected seat in 1946 and later led an armed rebellion against the Philippine government.Read biography
1890—1958
Ruperto Kangleon
Leyte guerrilla commander, defence secretary and senatorA Philippine Army officer who unified much of the Leyte resistance, supported the returning Commonwealth government and later served as defence secretary and senator.Read biography
1914—1971
Jesús Villamor
Fighter pilot and Allied intelligence officerA pioneering Philippine Army Air Corps pilot who fought in the opening campaign and then led a clandestine intelligence mission linking guerrillas to Allied headquarters.Read biography
1912—1985
Salipada Pendatun
Lawyer, Mindanao guerrilla commander and legislatorA Maguindanaon lawyer and wartime commander who built an interfaith resistance force and later represented Mindanao in the Senate and House.Read biography
1899—1985
Carlos P. Romulo
Journalist, diplomat and UN General Assembly presidentA Pulitzer-winning journalist, wartime official and diplomat who represented the Philippines at the United Nations across the country’s transition to independence.Read biography
1890—1960
Claro M. Recto
Senator, jurist and nationalist statesmanA lawyer, legislator and writer whose constitutional work and postwar nationalism challenged unequal economic and military ties with the United States.Read biography
1896—1989
Geronima T. Pecson
Educator, senator and UNESCO board memberAn educator and social worker elected in 1947 as the first woman senator, who later became the first Filipino and first woman on UNESCO’s Executive Board.Read biography
1911—1984
Alejo Santos
Guerrilla commander, governor and defence secretaryA teacher and Bataan veteran who survived the Death March, organised a large Bulacan guerrilla command and moved into postwar provincial and national government.Read biography
1915—2003
Emmanuel Pelaez
Vice president, senator and diplomatA lawyer and legislator from Misamis Oriental who became vice president, led foreign affairs and later served as ambassador to the United States.Read biography
1918—1999
Raul S. Manglapus
Senator, foreign secretary and democratic opposition leaderA wartime prisoner, lawyer, senator and presidential candidate who opposed Ferdinand Marcos from exile and returned to serve in the post-1986 government.Read biography
1910—2004
Arturo M. Tolentino
Law professor, senator and Senate presidentA bar topnotcher, prolific law teacher and legislator whose long career extended from the Third Republic to the disputed 1986 election and a final Senate term.Read biography
1914—2016
Helena Z. Benitez
Educator, senator and environmental policy pioneerAn educator and senator whose work connected women’s leadership, technical training, cultural diplomacy and some of the republic’s earliest environmental laws.Read biography
1912—1992
Maria Kalaw Katigbak
Senator, journalist and consumer-protection legislatorA journalist, civic leader and senator who turned work in education and the Girl Scouts into national policy on credit transparency and cultural institutions.Read biography
1905—1997
Lorenzo Sumulong
Senator, diplomat and constitutional commissionerA Rizal lawyer and legislator whose long Senate service included a famous Cold War debate and ended when martial law closed Congress.Read biography
1916—1984
Sergio Osmeña Jr.
Senator, Cebu leader and 1969 presidential candidateA Cebu governor, mayor and senator who became the Liberal Party challenger to Ferdinand Marcos in the 1969 presidential election.Read biography
1920—2017
Eva Estrada Kalaw
Senator, educator and opposition leaderAn educator and civic organiser who served in the Senate from 1965 until its closure, survived Plaza Miranda and helped organise electoral opposition under martial law.Read biography
1924—1982
Gerardo “Gerry” Roxas
Senator and Liberal Party opposition leaderA representative, senator and Liberal Party president who survived the Plaza Miranda bombing and worked for democratic restoration until his death in 1982.Read biography
1928—1994
Mamintal A. J. Tamano
Senator and advocate for Muslim Mindanao autonomyA lawyer and senator from Lanao del Sur whose two Senate terms bridged the chamber closed in 1972 and the democratic legislature restored in 1987.Read biography
1928—2004
Salvador H. Laurel
Opposition leader and vice president of the PhilippinesA lawyer, senator and opposition coalition leader who became vice president after the disputed 1986 election and People Power Revolution.Read biography
1945—2016
Miriam Defensor Santiago
Senator, judge and public administratorA lawyer, judge, cabinet official and senator whose sharp legal arguments and forceful public style made her one of the Philippines’ most recognisable political figures.Read biography
1927—2015
Joker Arroyo
Human-rights lawyer, representative and senatorA human-rights lawyer who challenged martial-law abuses, became Corazon Aquino’s executive secretary and spent two decades in the restored Congress.Read biography
1929—2017
Leticia Ramos-Shahani
Diplomat, women’s-rights advocate and senatorA diplomat, United Nations official and senator who helped move gender equality from international commitments into Philippine policy and law.Read biography
1927—2003
Blas Ople
Labour minister, senator and foreign secretaryA journalist and long-serving labour official who later helped draft the 1987 Constitution, led the Senate and became foreign secretary.Read biography
1935—2014
Juan Flavier
Physician, health secretary and senatorA rural physician and public-health communicator who became health secretary and a two-term senator after decades of community development work.Read biography
1941—2005
Raul Roco
Lawyer, legislator and education secretaryA lawyer and legislator whose Senate work expanded legal protections for women and whose presidential campaigns offered a reformist alternative to established political blocs.Read biography
1933—2019
Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
Lawyer, local-government reformer and Senate presidentA Mindanao lawyer, mayor and opposition leader who survived detention under martial law and made local autonomy a foundation of restored democracy.Read biography
1934—
Wigberto Tañada
Lawyer, senator and human-rights advocateA human-rights lawyer and legislator whose politics joined democratic opposition, economic nationalism and the defence of civil liberties.Read biography
1928—
Teofisto Guingona Jr.
Senator, justice secretary and vice presidentA lawyer and Mindanao public servant who moved from resistance to martial law into Senate oversight, the justice department and the vice presidency.Read biography
1934—2018
Edgardo Angara
Educator, legislator and Senate presidentA university president and four-term senator whose legislative agenda created or strengthened national systems for education, skills, health insurance and culture.Read biography
1945—
Franklin Drilon
Lawyer, former cabinet secretary and Senate presidentAn Iloilo-born lawyer who led three cabinet portfolios, served four Senate terms and became Senate president during three separate periods.Read biography
1939—
Nur Misuari
MNLF founding chair and former ARMM governorA professor turned revolutionary leader whose negotiations with successive governments made the MNLF central to the long search for autonomy and peace in the southern Philippines.Read biography
1948—2016
Renato Corona
Twenty-third Chief Justice of the PhilippinesA presidential legal official and Supreme Court justice whose 2012 impeachment became a defining test of asset disclosure, judicial independence and legislative accountability.Read biography
1957—
Mar Roxas
Legislator, cabinet secretary and presidential candidateAn economist and politician who served in the House, Senate and three cabinet departments before running for vice president in 2010 and president in 2016.Read biography
1968—
Grace Poe
Former senator, media regulator and presidential candidateA former media regulator and two-term senator whose 2016 presidential campaign turned her personal history as a foundling into a constitutional test of citizenship and belonging.Read biography
1942—
Jejomar Binay
Human-rights lawyer, Makati mayor and vice presidentA human-rights lawyer under martial law who became Makati’s dominant local executive, vice president from 2010 to 2016 and a presidential candidate.Read biography
1936—2026
Jose de Venecia Jr.
Five-term House speaker and presidential candidateA journalist, diplomat and legislator who served five terms as Speaker of the House, built broad governing coalitions and finished second in the 1998 presidential election.Read biography
1949—
Noli de Castro
Broadcaster, senator and vice presidentA radio and television journalist who topped the 2001 Senate election and served as vice president of the Philippines from 2004 to 2010.Read biography
1960—
Loren Legarda
Journalist, legislator and climate-policy advocateAn award-winning broadcaster who became a four-term senator, two-time vice-presidential candidate and leading legislative advocate for climate resilience and culture.Read biography
1964—
Gilbert Teodoro Jr.
Lawyer, legislator and national defence secretaryA lawyer and former Tarlac representative who led the defence department under two presidents and placed fourth in the 2010 presidential election.Read biography
1969—
Chiz Escudero
Lawyer, senator, former Senate president and Sorsogon governorA lawyer and Sorsogon politician who served in the House, Senate and provincial government before leading the Senate from May 2024 to September 2025.Read biography
1978—
Sara Duterte
Vice president and former Davao City mayorA lawyer and Davao City politician who became the Philippines’ fifteenth vice president after winning a record national vote in 2022.Read biography
1963—
Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan
Senator, lawyer and food-security advocateA lawyer, former Quezon City councilor and agricultural-policy advocate who returned to the Philippine Senate in 2025.Read biography
1974—
Isko Moreno
Actor and mayor of ManilaA former actor and long-serving Manila politician who rose from the city council to the mayoralty and a national presidential campaign.Read biography
1948—
Panfilo Lacson
Senator and former national police chiefA former police chief and long-serving senator whose national career centres on security, public spending and executive oversight.Read biography
1904—1993
Fernando Lopez
Vice president, senator and business executiveAn Iloilo lawyer, senator and business leader who served two non-consecutive periods as vice president and repeatedly led national agricultural policy.Read biography
1923—2001
Neptali Gonzales
Law professor, justice secretary and three-time Senate presidentA law professor and justice secretary who served two Senate terms and led the chamber three times during the democratic transition of the 1990s.Read biography
1935—2016
Ernesto Maceda
Lawyer, cabinet secretary, Senate president and diplomatA lawyer and former cabinet official who broke with Ferdinand Marcos, joined the democratic opposition and led the Senate from 1996 to 1998.Read biography
1927—1999
Marcelo Fernan
Chief justice, senator and Senate presidentA Cebuano lawyer and former chief justice who entered the Senate in 1995 and led the chamber during the opening year of the Estrada administration.Read biography
1964—
Koko Pimentel
Lawyer, former senator and Senate presidentA bar topnotcher and electoral-reform advocate who entered the Senate after a four-year protest and served as Senate president from 2016 to 2018.Read biography
1948—
Tito Sotto
Senator, musician, broadcaster and two-time Senate presidentA songwriter and television presenter turned senator who led the Philippine Senate in 2018–2022 and 2025–2026, then became president pro tempore.Read biography
1969—
Migz Zubiri
Legislator, former Senate president and majority leaderA Bukidnon legislator who served in both chambers, led the Senate from 2022 to 2024 and repeatedly managed its agenda as majority leader.Read biography
1970—
Alan Peter Cayetano
Lawyer, senator, former foreign secretary and House speakerA Taguig lawyer and legislator who served as foreign secretary, House speaker and briefly Senate president during the 2026 leadership dispute.Read biography
1974—
Win Gatchalian
Senate president, legislator and former Valenzuela mayorSherwin Ting “Win” Gatchalian moved from business and Valenzuela government to education and energy legislation, then formal election as Senate president in June 2026.Read biography
1890—1986
Jose Avelino
First Senate president of the independent PhilippinesA Samar lawyer, legislator and cabinet secretary who became the first Senate president after Philippine independence and later ran for president in 1949.Read biography
1888—1964
Mariano Jesus Cuenco
Senate president, legislator and writerA Cebuano lawyer, writer, governor and cabinet secretary who became Senate president in the 1949 leadership crisis and later figured in an electoral-tribunal case.Read biography
1884—1973
Quintin Paredes
Senate president, justice secretary and diplomatThe Abra lawyer whose legal service, independence negotiations and Commonwealth representation preceded a brief Senate presidency in 1952.Read biography
1889—1976
Camilo Osias
Educator, resident commissioner and Senate presidentAn educator and legislator who led National University, represented the Philippines in Washington and twice briefly presided over the Senate.Read biography
1883—1964
Eulogio Rodriguez Sr.
Long-serving Senate president and Nacionalista leaderA municipal president, Rizal governor, Manila mayor and senator who dominated the Senate presidency through most of the 1950s and early 1960s.Read biography
1889—1972
Jose Zulueta
House speaker, interior secretary and Senate presidentThe Iloilo politician whose career crossed the House, interior department, Senate and provincial government, distinct from the earlier historian José Clemente Zulueta.Read biography
1907—1981
Gil Puyat
Business leader and last Senate president before martial lawA business educator, civic leader and senator who became the final president of the pre-martial-law Senate.Read biography
1894—1976
Jose Yulo
National Assembly speaker, justice secretary and chief justiceA lawyer and legislator who served as justice secretary, National Assembly speaker and wartime chief justice before twice joining a national election ticket.Read biography
1894—1947
Benigno Aquino Sr.
Legislator, cabinet secretary and occupation-era assembly speakerA prewar representative, senator and agriculture secretary who became KALIBAPI director-general and assembly speaker during Japanese occupation.Read biography
1896—1957
Eugenio Perez
First House speaker of the independent Philippine RepublicA Pangasinan lawyer and Liberal Party leader who became the first speaker of the House after Philippine independence.Read biography
1912—1998
Jose Laurel Jr.
Three-time elected House speaker and constitutional commissionerA Batangas legislator, Nacionalista leader and son of President Jose P. Laurel who was elected speaker three times across two periods.Read biography
1928—2000
Ramon Mitra Jr.
Senator, agriculture secretary and first post-EDSA House speakerA Palawan lawyer, diplomat and opposition politician who became agriculture secretary, speaker of the restored House and a 1992 presidential candidate.Read biography
1945—2020
Arnulfo Fuentebella
Lawyer, Batasang member and House speaker during the Estrada crisisA long-serving Camarines Sur legislator who held the speakership for ten weeks between Manny Villar and Feliciano Belmonte Jr.Read biography
1936—
Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
Two-time House speaker and former Quezon City mayorA lawyer, national administrator and Quezon City mayor who served as speaker in 2001 and again from 2010 to 2016.Read biography
1947—2019
Prospero Nograles
Lawyer and first House speaker from MindanaoA Davao City lawyer and five-term representative who replaced Jose de Venecia Jr. and became the first speaker from Mindanao.Read biography
1958—
Pantaleon Alvarez
Lawyer, transport secretary and former House speakerA former Davao del Norte representative and transport secretary who led the House in 2016–2018 and later contested the provincial vice-governorship.Read biography
1977—
Lord Allan Velasco
Lawyer and former House speaker from MarinduqueThe Marinduque lawyer who became House speaker during the COVID-19 pandemic after a prolonged leadership contest with Alan Peter Cayetano.Read biography
1963—
Martin Romualdez
Leyte representative and former House speakerA lawyer, business executive and Leyte representative who served as majority leader before becoming speaker in 2022.Read biography
1961—
Faustino “Bojie” Dy III
Speaker of the House and former governor of IsabelaAn Isabela politician who rose from youth and barangay posts to mayor, representative, governor, vice-governor and speaker of the Twentieth Congress.Read biography1886—1954
Pura Villanueva Kalaw
Suffragist, writer and women’s-club organiserAn Iloilo writer and suffrage organiser whose public life extended from the 1908 Manila Carnival to the campaign that secured women’s voting rights in 1937.Read biographyBirth date unverified–2018
George Ty
Metrobank founder and former chairman; GT Capital founder and chairman emeritusGeorge Ty founded Metrobank and developed wider business interests later organised through GT Capital, alongside the educational, arts and community work of Metrobank Foundation.Read biography
1921–2017
Washington SyCip
SGV founder, management-education institution builder and former IFAC presidentWashington SyCip founded the accounting practice that became SGV and helped build Asian management education, combining a Philippine-based career with American citizenship.Read biography
Birth date unverified
Gilberto Duavit Jr.
GMA Network president and CEO; GMA Kapuso Foundation president and trusteeGilberto Duavit Jr. rose through GMA Network’s board and operating leadership before becoming CEO in January 2024, alongside responsibilities in media-related companies and the Kapuso Foundation.Read biography
Birth date unverified
Dennis Anthony Uy
Converge co-founder, chief executive and executive directorDennis Anthony Uy co-founded Converge with Maria Grace Uy, building on a Pampanga cable-and-internet business and later leading a publicly listed broadband company.Read biographyBirth date unverified
Hans Sy
SM Prime Executive Committee chairman and non-executive director; ChinaBank chairmanHans Sy’s career combines SM Prime and ChinaBank leadership with work on disaster resilience, university governance and specific institutional community projects.Read biographyBorn 1950
Felipe Medalla
Economist, former BSP governor and national planning secretaryFelipe Medalla moved from university economics and national planning into the Monetary Board, later leading the Philippine central bank during a period of elevated inflation.Read biography1931–2024
Jose Concepcion Jr.
Philippine industrialist, election-monitoring leader and trade secretaryJose “Joecon” Concepcion Jr. was a Philippine industrialist and civic leader whose work linked RFM’s expansion, volunteer election monitoring and service as trade and industry secretary under Corazon Aquino.Read biographyBirth year not verified
Andrew Tan
Megaworld founder and Alliance Global chairmanAndrew Tan is a Filipino businessman who founded Megaworld and chairs Alliance Global. His career links integrated property development with the growth of Emperador and other separately constituted businesses.Read biography
1934–
Jaime Zobel de Ayala
Ayala chairman emeritus, former diplomat and art photographerJaime Zobel de Ayala is a Filipino businessman, former ambassador and photographer. He joined Ayala in 1958, became chairman and president in 1984, and retired from the chairmanship in 2006.Read biography
1958–
Joey Concepcion
RFM executive and Go Negosyo founderJoey Concepcion is a Filipino business executive and entrepreneurship advocate who founded Go Negosyo in 2005. His career combines RFM leadership, industrial board responsibilities and work connecting smaller enterprises with mentors, capital and markets.Read biography
Manufacturing and community leadership
Cecilio K. Pedro
Lamoiyan founder and business-community leaderCecilio K. Pedro is a Filipino entrepreneur who founded Lamoiyan Corporation, the manufacturer behind Hapee toothpaste. His public career also includes deaf-community advocacy and the 2023–2025 presidency of the Filipino-Chinese business federation FFCCCII.Read biography
1960–
Cesar Purisima
Accountant, investment professional and former finance secretaryCesar Purisima is a Filipino accountant and investment professional who led SGV before serving in economic cabinet posts. His later work includes Ikhlas Capital and independent board oversight at major companies.Read biography
1948–
Alfredo Pascual
Development banker, university leader and former trade secretaryAlfredo Pascual is a Filipino development banker and institutional leader who moved from chemistry and management studies into finance. His career includes ADB, the UP presidency, trade administration and independent board work.Read biography
1955–
Jose Isidro Camacho
International banker and non-executive chairman of Nickel AsiaJose Isidro “Lito” Camacho is a Filipino banker and former energy and finance secretary. After senior roles at Bankers Trust, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, he became non-executive chairman of Nickel Asia and chairman of the University of the Arts Singapore.Read biography
Birth date unverified
Fernando Zobel de Ayala
Ayala Corporation non-executive director and former president and CEOThe Filipino business leader whose Ayala career spans operational management, a period as president and CEO, and later board and foundation responsibilities.Read biography1946–2025
Dado Banatao
Semiconductor engineer, company co-founder and investorDado Banatao combined computer architecture and chip design in businesses supplying personal-computer manufacturers. His later work as an investor and philanthropist supported technical companies, education and research.Read biography1921–2017
David Consunji
Civil engineer, contractor and public administratorDavid Consunji built a contracting enterprise from small postwar projects into a company associated with major Philippine buildings and infrastructure.Read biography1949–
Isidro Consunji
Civil engineer and diversified-group executiveIsidro Consunji extended a construction-family career into the management of a diversified Philippine group and public institutional responsibilities.Read biography1943–
Alfredo Yao
Packaging and beverage entrepreneurAlfredo Yao moved from printing wrappers to developing drinks for packaging equipment that established manufacturers had declined to use.Read biography1961–
Robina Gokongwei-Pe
Retail executive and company chairRobina Gokongwei-Pe entered the family group as a management trainee and later led a retail organisation spanning food, drugstores and other formats.Read biography1953–
Lucio Co
Retail entrepreneur and company directorLucio Co moved from a family trading environment and duty-free retail into the supermarket business he developed with Susan Co.Read biographyBusiness career documented from 1980
Frederick Dy
Banking and industrial-company directorFrederick Dy’s documented career combines industrial directorships with a long period chairing Security Bank and a later chairman-emeritus role.Read biography
Birth date unverified
Enrique Razon Jr.
ICTSI chairman and president, Bloomberry chairman and chief executive, and Prime Infra chairmanEnrique Razon Jr. developed a business career around container-terminal operations before extending into resorts and infrastructure through separately governed companies.Read biography
1954—
Ramon Ang
San Miguel Corporation and Petron chairman and chief executiveRamon Ang brought a mechanical-engineering background to leadership at San Miguel and Petron, with responsibilities spanning operating businesses and major infrastructure projects.Read biography
1924—2019
Henry Sy
Founder of SM GroupThe entrepreneur who developed a Manila shoe store into SM, one of the Philippines’ largest groups in retail, property and financial services.Read biography1926—2019
John Gokongwei Jr.
Founder of JG Summit HoldingsA Cebu entrepreneur who built JG Summit into a diversified group spanning food manufacturing, aviation, property, banking and petrochemicals.Read biography
1953—
Tony Tan Caktiong
Founder and executive chairman of Jollibee GroupThe chemical engineer and entrepreneur who turned a family ice-cream venture into Jollibee, a Philippine brand with an international restaurant portfolio.Read biography
1959—
Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala
Chairman of Ayala CorporationThe Ayala Corporation chairman who led a 26-year chief-executive tenure and repositioned one of the Philippines’ oldest business groups around new industries and sustainability.Read biography
1934—
Lucio Tan
Chairman and CEO of LT GroupThe immigrant entrepreneur behind Fortune Tobacco and LT Group, with separate aviation interests in PAL Holdings and Philippine Airlines.Read biography
1950—
Teresita Sy-Coson
Vice chair of SM Investments and chairperson of BDO UnibankThe SM Investments vice chair and BDO Unibank chairperson who helped turn her family’s retail roots into a connected national platform in stores, property and banking.Read biography
1946—
Manny Pangilinan
Managing director and CEO of First PacificThe First Pacific co-founder and executive known as MVP whose Philippine companies span PLDT, Meralco, Metro Pacific infrastructure, healthcare and sports development.Read biography
1966—
Lance Gokongwei
President and CEO of JG Summit HoldingsThe son of founder John Gokongwei Jr. who became JG Summit CEO after James L. Go, overseeing a diversified group and its changing operating-company leadership.Read biography
1977—
Edgar “Injap” Sia II
Chairman and CEO of DoubleDragon CorporationThe Iloilo entrepreneur who founded Mang Inasal, sold the restaurant chain to Jollibee and partnered with Tony Tan Caktiong to build DoubleDragon.Read biography
1905—1976
Bado Dangwa
Transport entrepreneur, guerrilla officer and governorA self-taught mechanic and transport entrepreneur whose wartime service with northern Luzon guerrillas preceded a decade in provincial government.Read biography
1949—
Manuel Villar Jr.
Housing entrepreneur and former leader of both houses of CongressA Tondo-born accountant and property entrepreneur whose business career preceded leadership in both chambers of Congress and a third-place presidential result in 2010.Read biography
1963—
Francisco Bustamante
World champion pool playerThe Filipino pool champion known as Django, whose career spans European pool rooms, a world nine-ball title and a celebrated doubles partnership with Efren Reyes.Read biography
1978—
Manny Pacquiao
Boxer and former senatorA boxer who rose from poverty to win world titles in eight divisions and became one of the Philippines’ most recognisable public figures.Read biography
1991—
Hidilyn Diaz
Olympic weightlifting championThe weightlifter who won silver at Rio 2016 and delivered the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020.Read biography
2000—
Carlos Yulo
Olympic artistic gymnastics championThe Manila-born gymnast who won two Olympic golds in Paris and added a third world apparatus title in 2025.Read biography
1954—
Efren Reyes
World champion pool playerA pool champion known as “The Magician”, celebrated for imaginative position play, tactical safety and victories across several cue-sport formats.Read biography
1957—
Paeng Nepomuceno
Tenpin bowler and coachA six-time world bowling champion whose longevity, technical consistency and international titles made him a defining figure in tenpin bowling.Read biography
1964—2022
Lydia de Vega
Asian champion sprinter and coachThe Philippine sprinter known as Asia’s Sprint Queen, with two Asian Games 100-metre titles, nine SEA Games gold medals and a later coaching career.Read biography
1951—
Eugene Torre
Chess grandmaster and trainerAsia’s first chess grandmaster, a Candidates quarterfinalist and a record-setting Philippine Olympiad player whose career spans more than five decades.Read biography
1992—
Nesthy Petecio
World champion and two-time Olympic boxing medallistA world champion boxer who became the first Filipino woman to win an Olympic boxing medal and the first Filipino boxer to medal at two Games.Read biography
1995—
EJ Obiena
World medallist and Asian-record pole vaulterErnest John “EJ” Obiena is a Filipino pole vaulter, two-time World Championships medallist and Asian record holder who defended his Asian Games title in 2026.Read biography
1999—
Margielyn Didal
Asian Games champion street skateboarderA street skateboarder whose Asian Games title, Olympic final and expressive public presence brought Philippine skate culture into a wider sporting audience.Read biography
Birth date unverified
Dolly de Leon
Stage and screen actressDolly de Leon built a Philippine theatre and screen career before Triangle of Sadness brought international recognition, followed by further Filipino and overseas film roles.Read biography
1987—
Xyza Cruz Bacani
Photographer, interdisciplinary artist and writerXyza Cruz Bacani draws on her experience as a Hong Kong domestic worker to photograph migration, labour and the choices people make across borders.Read biography
1963—
Gina Apostol
Filipino American novelist and teacherGina Apostol writes novels that connect Philippine history with family memory, competing narratives and the relationship between the Philippines and the United States.Read biography
1949—
Jessica Hagedorn
Filipino American novelist, poet, performer, playwright and editorJessica Hagedorn’s work moves between poetry, music, novels, theatre and film, drawing on an artistic life spanning Manila, San Francisco and New York.Read biography
1958—
Lav Diaz
Filmmaker, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer and musicianLav Diaz makes expansive films about Philippine history and ordinary lives, using duration, landscape and silence to explore violence, inequality and memory.Read biography
1960—
Brillante Mendoza
Film director and former production designerBrillante Mendoza moved from advertising and production design into filmmaking, creating immersive dramas about work, family and people under pressure.Read biography
1932–2021
Bienvenido Lumbera
Filipino literary critic, poet, librettist and National ArtistBienvenido Lumbera brought poetry, criticism, teaching and musical-theatre writing into a career that argued for the central place of Philippine languages in literary study.Read biography
1954—
Jose Dalisay Jr.
Filipino novelist, essayist, playwright and educatorJose “Butch” Dalisay Jr. writes fiction, essays, plays and screenplays, bringing political memory, migration and morally complicated choices into Philippine literature.Read biography
Born 1944
Virgilio Almario
Filipino poet, critic, translator and language advocateVirgilio Almario, known as Rio Alma, is a Filipino poet and critic whose work extends into translation, children’s publishing, workshops and language institutions.Read biography
Born 1948
Ricky Lee
Filipino screenwriter, fiction writer and teacherRicky Lee is a Filipino screenwriter and fiction writer whose films, novels and free workshops combine experiments in storytelling with attention to unequal power.Read biography1963–2024
Jaclyn Jose
Filipino actress and 2016 Cannes Best Actress winnerJaclyn Jose built a career across independent films, commercial cinema and television, winning Cannes Best Actress in 2016 for her performance in Ma’ Rosa.Read biography
1976—
Miguel Syjuco
Novelist, journalist and literature teacherThe Filipino novelist whose formally inventive Ilustrado and I Was the President’s Mistress!! examine history, class, political power and the stories societies tell about themselves.Read biography1917–2004
Nick Joaquin
Writer, journalist, playwright and cultural historianNick Joaquin worked across fiction, theatre, history, biography and magazine reporting. His English-language writing joined Philippine memories and social change to an unusually wide range of narrative forms.Read biography1946–2004
Pacita Abad
Painter, textile and mixed-media artistPacita Abad combined painting, stitching, padding and collected materials in work ranging from social portraits to abstraction. Her travels connected her practice with textile makers, artists, print workshops and migrant communities.Read biography1955–2012
Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Film and television director, producer and teacherMarilou Diaz-Abaya developed an exacting film practice through collaboration with writers, actors, cinematographers and designers. Her work moved from women-centred dramas to historical epics, sea stories, television and film education.Read biography1938–1996
Ishmael Bernal
Film, television and stage director, screenwriter and mentorIshmael Bernal worked across popular genres and formally adventurous films, collaborating with writers and performers while treating the city, belief and intimate relationships as complex social worlds.Read biography1857–1899
Juan Luna
Painter and political representativeJuan Luna built a painting career between the Philippines and Europe. His success at the 1884 Madrid exhibition became a public occasion for Filipino intellectuals to challenge colonial assumptions about artistic achievement.Read biography1942–
Benedicto Cabrera
Painter and printmakerBenedicto Cabrera, known as BenCab, developed an artistic career across illustration, painting, photography and printmaking. Life in Manila, London and Baguio supplied different settings for his sustained engagement with Philippine society.Read biography1930–2018
Napoleon Abueva
Sculptor and teacherNapoleon Abueva worked across wood, stone, metal and other materials, making sculptures for museums, campuses, buildings and public spaces. His training joined classical representation with a sustained openness to abstract forms.Read biography1890–1976
Guillermo Tolentino
Sculptor and fine-arts teacherGuillermo Tolentino developed a classical sculptural practice through study in Manila, the United States and Rome. His monuments, portraits and teaching made him a major presence in Philippine public art and university life.Read biography1918–2008
Lucrecia Kasilag
Composer, pianist and music educatorLucrecia Kasilag combined composition with teaching, performance and cultural administration. Her career connected family music-making, conservatory study and institutional work with an interest in relationships between Philippine and Western musical resources.Read biography1951–
Basil Valdez
Singer and concert performerBasil Valdez became a leading interpreter of Philippine popular song through recordings and concerts. His accounts of working with George Canseco, Ryan Cayabyab and other composers reveal a career built through musical relationships.Read biography1908–1997
José García Villa
Poet, fiction writer and criticVilla published prose and poetry. A later collected edition brought his work to new readers.Read biography1919–2011
Edith Tiempo
Poet, fiction writer, teacher and criticTiempo combined poetry, fiction and teaching, developing a writing workshop with Edilberto K. Tiempo in Dumaguete.Read biography1945–2023
Lualhati Bautista
Novelist and screenwriterBautista wrote fiction associated with martial law and women’s lives. Her career also included screenplays and an archival interview.Read biography1917–2004
José Maceda
Composer and ethnomusicologistMaceda combined piano, composition and ethnomusicology. His field research produced a collaborative archive.Read biography1893–1934
Nicanor Abelardo
Composer and musicianAbelardo developed a musical career from early instrumental study. His compositions include the music of the university hymn UP Beloved.Read biography1942–
Alice Reyes
Choreographer and directorReyes helped build a contemporary-dance repertoire and company. Her work includes Rama, Hari and a later institution for artists and training.Read biography
1924–2022
F. Sionil José
Filipino novelist, journalist, bookseller and National Artist for LiteratureF. Sionil José wrote English-language fiction about Philippine social inequality while building institutions where writers, artists and readers could meet and publish.Read biography1941—2022
Susan Roces
Film and television actressKnown as the Queen of Philippine Movies, Susan Roces built a career across studio romances, horror, drama and television, later reaching a new generation as Lola Flora.Read biography1953—
Bembol Roco
Film and television actorA Filipino actor whose career links the young Julio of Lino Brocka’s Manila in the Claws of Light with international productions, character roles and later independent films.Read biography1957—
Hilda Koronel
Film and television actressA Filipino actress whose career connects early studio and television work, landmark films with Lino Brocka and a later return in Jun Robles Lana’s Sisa.Read biography
1971—
Lea Salonga
Singer and musical-theatre actorA singer and actor whose acclaimed work in Miss Saigon, Les Misérables and Disney animation opened international stages to a Filipino leading performer.Read biography
1953—2025
Nora Aunor
National Artist for Film and Broadcast ArtsA singer and actor whose emotional restraint, voice and working-class screen presence made her one of Philippine cinema’s defining artists.Read biography
1892—1972
Fernando Amorsolo
Painter and first National Artist of the PhilippinesA painter whose sunlit rural scenes, portraits and wartime works shaped a widely recognised visual image of the Philippines.Read biography
1928—2012
Dolphy
Actor, comedian and producerThe “King of Comedy” whose stage, film and television characters brought working-class wit and family life into Philippine popular culture for seven decades.Read biography
1970—
Regine Velasquez-Alcasid
Singer, actor and concert performerA singer and concert performer whose power, range and sustained popular appeal made her one of the defining voices of Original Pilipino Music.Read biography
1974—
apl.de.ap
Rapper, songwriter, producer and philanthropistA Filipino-American rapper and producer who carried Pampanga and migration into global pop as a member of the Black Eyed Peas.Read biography
1939—1991
Lino Brocka
Film director, writer and cultural activistA director who used melodrama, realism and political urgency to place marginalised lives at the centre of Philippine cinema.Read biography
1954—
Ryan Cayabyab
Composer, arranger, conductor and educatorA composer, arranger and teacher whose songs, choral works, theatre music and mentorship helped shape modern Original Pilipino Music.Read biography
1942—
Kidlat Tahimik
Independent filmmaker and installation artistAn independent filmmaker and installation artist whose playful, personal work examines colonial history, technology and Indigenous knowledge.Read biography
1913—1978
Yay Panlilio
Filipina American journalist, intelligence agent and guerrilla leaderA Manila journalist who passed intelligence through censored broadcasting, became second-in-command of the Marking Guerrillas and later wrote a major wartime memoir.Read biography
1939—2004