Salvador Laurel

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Salvador H. Laurel
8th Vice President of the Philippines
In office February 25, 1986 – June 30, 1992
President	Corazon Aquino
Preceded by	Re-established Title last held by Fernando Lopez[1]
Succeeded by	Joseph Ejercito Estrada
5th Prime Minister of the Philippines
In office February 25, 1986 – March 25, 1986
President	Corazon Aquino
Preceded by	Cesar Virata
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines
In office March 25, 1986 – February 2, 1987
President	Corazon Aquino
Preceded by	Pacifico A. Castro (Acting)
Succeeded by	Manuel Yan
Member of the Interim Batasang Pambansa from Region IV-A
In office June 12, 1978 – September 16, 1983
Senator of the Philippines
In office December 30, 1967 – September 23, 1972[2]
Personal details
Born	Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel (1928-11-18)November 18, 1928 Paco, Manila, Insular Government of the Philippine Islands
Died	January 27, 2004(2004-01-27) (aged 75) Atherton, California, U.S.
Political party	Nacionalista Party
Other political affiliations	UNIDO (1984–1989)
Spouse(s)	Celia Diaz ​ ​ (m. 1950; d. 2004)​
Children	8
Parents	José P. Laurel (father) Pacencia Hidalgo Laurel (mother)
Education	University of the Philippines, Manila University of the Philippines, Diliman (LLB) Yale University (LLM, SJD)

Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel^[3] (Tagalog pronunciation: [laʊˈɾɛl], November 18, 1928 – January 27, 2004), also known as Doy Laurel, was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the vice-president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under President Corazon Aquino and briefly served as the last prime minister from 25 February to 25 March 1986, when the position was abolished. He was a major leader of the United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO), the political party that helped topple the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos with the 1986 People Power Revolution.

Early life[]

Laurel is the fifth son and eighth child of President José P. Laurel of the Second Philippine Republic. He was born to a family whose illustrious lineage spans generations of nationalists who distinguished themselves as public servants. His grandfather, Judge Sotero Remoquillo Laurel, was both a delegate to the Malolos Congress in 1899 and Secretary of the Interior in the first Philippine revolutionary government under President Emilio Aguinaldo.

He first enrolled at Centro Escolar de Señoritas, studying there from 1933 to 1935. Laurel's father wanted Laurel to experience a public school education and so enrolled him first in the Paco Elementary School (1935–36) and then the Justo Lukban Elementary School (1936–37). He finished elementary schooling at Ateneo de Manila Grade School in 1941. In his first year of high school, Laurel received second honors, with a general average of 93.4. Barely three months later, his studies came to an abrupt halt with the outbreak of the war in the Pacific Theater on 8 December 1941. The school was temporarily closed by the Japanese government as run by American Jesuits, which prompted Laurel to enrol at De La Salle College High School, where he graduated in 1946.

Laurel was a member of Upsilon Sigma Phi during his university studies.^[4]

Stay in Japan[]

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Towards the end of the war, the Japanese Supreme War Council issued an order to have officials of the Philippine government flown to Japan. President Laurel volunteered to go alone to spare his Cabinet members the ordeal of being separated from their families. His wife, Paciencia, and seven of his children went with him. Among the officials who accompanied him were Speaker Benigno Aquino, Sr., Minister of Education Camilo Osias and his wife, and General Mateo Capinpin. On 21 March 1945, the group began a long and perilous overland journey to Tuguegarao, where a Japanese navy plane would fly the group to Japan. The odyssey ended in Nara, where they were confined until 10 November 1945.

The long confinement gave the romantic and impressionable 15-year-old Salvador the luxury of time to write poetry and prose and satisfy his insatiable thirst for books. Whenever he was lucky to find an English book, he would read it voraciously and discuss it with his mentor, Camilo Osias. But his most treasured moments in Nara were those spent with his father, enjoying their daily morning walks in the park when José would discuss his views on life.

On 12 September 1945, José Laurel was arrested by a group of Americans headed by a Colonel Turner and was taken to Sugamo Prison. The Laurel family was flown to Manila two months later on 10 November 1945.

Return to Manila[]

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Christmas 1945 was the bleakest one for the Laurel family; their Peñafrancia home was looted and emptied of its furniture, while the former president was placed in solitary confinement in Sugamo Prison in Japan. Salvador wrote the poem To My Beloved Father to lift up his father's spirits and sent it to him as a Christmas present.

At La Salle, he joined a group of young men who planned to go by sea to the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia since 1949) and join Sukarno in the struggle for independence from the Dutch Empire, but local authorities stopped them at the pier. He completed his secondary education at La Salle in March 1946.

Although all his older brothers were lawyers, he enrolled at the University of the Philippines as a premedicine student, where he obtained his AA (premdicine) and was admitted to medicine proper, shifting to law two years later. He was admitted to the law school while working to complete his (AA Pre-Law). He received his LLB (Bachelor of Laws), degree in UP in March 1952. He was a member of the Student Editorial Board of the Philippine Law Journal.^[5]

He was acclaimed the University Champion Orator after he won the first prize in three consecutive inter-university oratorical contests: the 1949 Inter-University Oratorical contest sponsored by the Civil Liberties Union (CLU); the Student Councils Association of the Philippines (SCAP) and the Inter-University Symposium on the Japanese Peace Treaty in 1951.

Without waiting for the results of the bar examination, he left for Connecticut to study at Yale University, his father's alma mater where he earned his Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in 1953. He earned the title Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.) at Yale University in 1960.

Of his studies and scholastic endeavors at Yale University, Myres S. McDougal, a Sterling Professor of Law, Emeritus of the Yale Law School, wrote:

Salvador H. Laurel was a superb scholar at Yale. Like his father in an earlier day, he came to us in the vital formative years of his intellectual development, and remained to earn his master of laws degree (LLM) and doctorate in juridical science (J.S.D.) with highest standing. I have taught so many brilliant students from other countries at Yale Law School. Doy was one of the very best and has always been one of my favorites. His papers and comments were always informed, perceptive, wise, creative and deeply dedicated to the public and common interest. His deepest loyalty and devotion is to his own country, but he is aware of a larger interdependent world.

Personal life[]

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Laurel later married Celia Díaz in 1950, a society debutante. He was the grandfather of actress Denise Laurel. He had a daughter who is also an actress, Pia Pilapil, to a veteran actress Pilar Pilapil.

Legal career[]

In Manila, Laurel joined his brothers in the Laurel Law Offices in Intramuros. During his early years as a barrister, he became deeply involved with legal aid. He was appalled to discover that 94% of the cases filed by indigents in the fiscal's office were dismissed for lack of counsel. This led him to found Citizen's Legal Aid Society of the Philippines (CLASP) in 1967.

He campaigned throughout the country, convincing lawyers to join him in his quest to bring justice to the poor, and by the end of that first year, 750 lawyers had joined CLASP. For his brilliant record as “Defender of the Defenseless,” the young Laurel was awarded "Lawyer of the Year 1967" by the Justice and Court Reporters Association (JUCRA).

Years later, in 1976, no less than the International Bar Association honored him with the "Most Outstanding Legal Aid Lawyer of the World" award in Stockholm. Recalls Laurel: "I went to Stockholm alone...We were more than four hundred lawyers from eighty countries all over the globe at that assembly, presided over by Sir William Carter of England. When I was announced as the awardee of the year - the Most Outstanding Legal Aid Lawyer of the World - I couldn't believe it. I was cited for founding CLASP, for having been involved in legal aid since 1966, for the justice-of-the-poor laws I had pushed through in Congress, and for continuing to champion human rights despite the imposition of martial law."^[6]

A legal scholar and a professor of law at the Lyceum University, Laurel edited the Proceedings of the Philippine Constitutional Convention (1934-1935) in seven (7) volumes based on and faithfully reproduced from the personal record kept by his father, Dr. Jose P. Laurel, a delegate from Batangas to the said Convention. These massive tomes were published in 1966.

Political career[]

Senator[]

It was not until 1967 that Salvador H. Laurel seriously entered politics, when he won a Senate seat in the 6th Congress. He officially took his oath of office as Senator on December 30, 1967. At 39 years old (38 at the time of his election), Laurel became the youngest Nacionalista senator in post-war history – a record that would be held for the next forty years.^[7]

In the Senate, he authored five (5) "Justice for the Poor Laws" also known as "Laurel Laws."^[8]

1. R.A. 6033, requiring courts to give priority to cases involving poor litigants;

2. R.A. 6034, giving free meals, travel and lodging allowances to poor litigants and their witnesses;

3. R.A. 6035, providing free transcript of stenographic notes to poor litigants;

4. R.A. 6036, dispensing with bail in minor cases; and

5. R.A. 6127, crediting prisoners with the full period (only one-half under previous law) of their detention in the service of prison terms

Senator Laurel also authored nine (9) laws on Judicial Reforms (1968 - 1970); the Government Reorganization Act (1968 - 1970), and Amendments to the Land Reform Code (1971), one of which created the Department of Agrarian Reform.^[9]

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice, he reported on the Administration of Justice in Central Luzon (1969); the State of the Philippine Penal Institution and Penology (1969); the Criminal Jurisdiction Provisions of the RP-US Military Bases Agreement (1969); the Dissident Problem in Central Luzon (1971); and Violations of Civil Liberties in the case of the "Golden Buddha" (1971).

He helped represent the country in numerous international assemblies. He was sent to the United Nations General Assembly thrice and to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference in Lima, Peru, in 1968. Later, when he was elected member of the interim National Assembly in 1978, Laurel was designated as head of the Philippine delegation to the First General Assembly of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO) in Singapore.

In 1972, Senator Doy Laurel was the first high-ranking Filipino government official to visit the People's Republic of China, then under Chairman Mao Zedong. He was met by Premier Zhou Enlai, Vice Premier (later President) , and other high officials of the Chinese government. Upon his return, he submitted an extensive report to the Senate on his China visit. He strongly advocated for the resumption of friendly ties with the PRC and the adoption of the One-China Policy, which eventually became the official stand of the Philippines.

Laurel was voted the "Most Outstanding Senator" from 1968 - 1971.

Freedom fighter

During the dark days of the martial law Marcos’ power was absolute. No one dared oppose him. Those who could have were either jailed or dead or had sought asylum abroad and from that safe and comfortable distance – chose to be silent. But not Laurel – he went forth risking his life and with his fiery speeches he exhorted the people not to be afraid to come out from the dark and join him in the fight to restore democracy.^[10]

Believing that “courage is contagious” he went to every part of the country where he could gather a crowd. At times, armed with only a bullhorn and emergency lights in case of international “power failure” and standing on whatever platform was available he would speak – his booming voice reaching out to the people with his impassioned entreaty for them to pledge with him “eternal hostility against all forms of oppression and tyranny in our country.”

In no time the people came out of the shadows and joined the ranks of the brave opposition.

Through his charismatic leadership he succeeded in organizing the UNIDO (The United Nationalist Democratic Organization), drawing within its ambit, courageous leaders like Cesar Climaco, Soc Rodrigo, Gerardo Roxas, Dominador Aytona, Eva Estrada Kalaw, Rene Espina, Mamintal Tamano, Domocao Alonto and his nephew Abul Khayr, Raul Gonzalez, Homobono Adaza and Abe Sarmiento and all significant political parties who were opposed to the dictatorship. The UNIDO was the political party that ended the dictatorship.^[11]

The UNIDO national convention^[12]

Doy Laurel's unquestioned and courageous leadership earned him the unanimous endorsement of his party, the UNIDO. During the UNIDO national convention at the Araneta Coliseum on June 12, 1985, nearly 25,000 delegates attended and proclaimed him the party standard-bearer in the snap election against President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Corazon Aquino, widow of Ninoy Aquino, spoke before the huge assembly endorsing Doy's candidacy. Five months later, however, she declared her own candidacy causing a major crisis in the opposition – a rift that could cause its downfall and ensure a Marcos victory.

A series of meetings were arranged between the two opposition candidates to iron out their differences but up to the third meeting the impasse could not be broken. Cory, backed by the Convenors group, was determined to run for president. Finally, Laurel said he would agree to run as her vice president provided she ran under the UNIDO banner but Cory refused. Laurel immediately filed his certificate of candidacy as president at the COMELEC.

1986 Snap Elections

But Cory sent Ninoy's sister, Lupita Kashiwahara to inform Laurel that she had changed her mind – she was willing to run under the UNIDO. True to his word and anxious to keep the opposition united in order to win the snap elections, Doy Laurel made the supreme sacrifice of giving up his lifetime's work and presidential ambition to give way to Corazon C. Aquino.

The Cory-Doy campaign vigorously began and on February 25, 1986, they took their oath as President and Vice President of the Philippines at the Club Filipino.^[13]

Vice-President and Prime Minister[]

Presidential styles of Salvador H. Laurel
Reference style	His Excellency The Honourable[14]
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Alternative style	Mr. Vice President

For a month following the People Power Revolution in late February 1986, Laurel became the only person in Philippine history to hold the posts of vice-president, prime minister, and foreign minister concurrently. The office of Prime Minister was abolished in late March 1986.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs

As Secretary of Foreign Affairs (February 1986 - September 1987), Vice President Laurel represented the Philippines in various international conferences attended by the heads of State. His official visit to China in 1986 was hailed as the "milestone marking the re-orientation of Philippine foreign policy."^[15] For his distinguished services, Laurel received (1) on 21 June 1996 the "Gawad Mabini Award" with the highest rank of Dakilang Kamaong; (2) the "Gran Cruz de la Orden de Isabel la Catolica" from King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1986; (3) the "Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty and Unity" from the Association for the Unity of Latin America (AULA) in 1993 in New York.

He resigned from the Cabinet as secretary of foreign affairs on September 8, 1987, citing as his reasons "fundamental differences on moral principles" with President Corazon Aquino. He was succeeded by Raul Manglapus in October 1987.

1992 presidential elections[]

In 1992, he ran for President (under the banner of the Nacionalista Party) and lost in a field of seven contenders.^[16] This was Laurel's first and only electoral defeat since 1967.

Post–vice-presidency[]

In 1993, he was appointed by President Ramos as Chairman of the National Centennial Commission (NCC) in the run-up to the Philippine Centennial of the country's independence on 12 June 1898. Through his unwavering leadership, he revived Filipino nationalism by promoting Filipino heritage and culture with heavy advertising.

He was supposed to resign after the Centennial celebrations, but President Joseph Estrada extended his term and abolished the Commission only in 1999. A few months after, Laurel was charged with graft before the Sandiganbayan (political antigraft court) for misappropriating funds for constructing of the controversial, ₱1.165-billion Centennial Expo in Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City. Laurel vehemently denied the allegation and chose to stand as his own defense counsel.

The charges, however, were eventually proved groundless in court.^[17]

Later life and death[]

Laurel's cremains are interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Following his retirement from public service in 1999, Laurel devoted much of his time to law practice, international consultancy, free legal aid, and to writing books. He also busied himself with the Nacionalista Party of which he was president.

In June 2003 Laurel flew to the U.S. to seek medical intervention after he was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes. He died on January 27, 2004, in his rented home in Atherton, California. He was 75 at the time of his death.^[18] His remains were cremated days afterward, with his ashes interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

On January 29, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued Presidential Proclamation № 544, declaring several days of official mourning for Laurel. The honors bestowed upon the former vice president did not end here as President Arroyo also bequeathed upon him the Order of Lakandula (posthumous) on February 6, 2004. According to the Official Gazette, “the Order of Lakandula which was created by virtue of Executive Order No. 236, s. 2003 (Honors Code of the Philippines) is the order of political and civic merit of the Republic, conferred in commemoration of Datu Lakandula’s dedication to the responsibilities of leadership, prudence, fortitude, courage, and resolve in the service of one’s people. It is one of the senior honors of the Republic together with the Philippine Legion of Honor (conferred for Military and Defense Merit) and the Order of Sikatuna (conferred for Diplomatic Merit).”^[19]

Notes[]

References[]

• Zaide, Sonia M. (1999). The Philippines: A Unique Nation. All Nations Publishing.

External links[]

• Official website of former Vice President Laurel
• Office of the Vice President of the Philippines