Eduardo R. Ermita (born July 13, 1935) is a former Executive Secretary of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and former spokesperson for President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

. Ermita took his Defense Resource Management Course at the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under b ...

, U.S.A. from 1978 to 1979; Command and General Staff Course, Fort Bonifacio in 1974; Unit Psychological Officers Course,

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

, U.S.A. from 1970 to 1971; Special Forces Course, Fort Magsaysay from 1962 to 1963; Counterintelligence Course, Special Intelligence School, Fort Bonifacio in 1962; Airborne School, Fort Benning,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, U.S.A. in 1961; and Ranger School, Fort Benning, Georgia from 1960 to 1961. Ermita was a three-term congressman, defeating one of the most influential political families in the 1st District of Batangas from 1992 to 2001. He was appointed on October 3, 2003, as Secretary of National Defense. He is the provincial chairman of Lakas-CMD in Batangas and regional chairman of Lakas-CMD in

Calabarzon Calabarzon (), formally known as the Southern Tagalog Mainland, is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IV-A. The region comprises five provinces: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal; and one highly urba ...

since 1992. He was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The ...

during the series of coup attempts from 1986 to 1988, Undersecretary of National Defense during the last major coup attempt in December 1989, head of the Special Information group during the EDSA

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

in February 1986, and president of the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( fil, Akademiyang Militar ng Pilipinas / es, Academia Militar de Filipinas) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of ...

Alumni Association from 1986 to 1988. Ermita is married to Elvira Ramos from

Dipolog City Dipolog, officially the City of Dipolog ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dipolog; Subanen: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dipuleg/Bagbenwa Dipuleg''; Chavacano: ''Ciudad de Dipolog''; fil, Lungsod ng Dipolog), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province ...

, with whom he has four children, including former Batangas representative Eileen Ermita-Buhain.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ermita, Eduardo 1935 births Living people Arroyo administration cabinet members Executive Secretaries of the Philippines Filipino military personnel Grand Crosses of the Order of Lakandula Lakas–CMD politicians Lakas–CMD (1991) politicians Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Batangas People from Batangas Philippine Army personnel Philippine Military Academy alumni Presidential Advisers on the Peace Process of the Philippines Presidential spokespersons (Philippines) Secretaries of National Defense of the Philippines