First Lady or First Gentleman of the Philippines

The first lady or first gentleman of the Philippines ( fil, Unang Ginang o Unang Ginoó ng Pilipinas) is the courtesy title given to the host or hostess of Malacañang Palace, the residence of the head of state and head of government of the Philippines.

The title is traditionally held by the consort of the president of the Philippines, and as such is used to interchangeably refer to the spouse of the incumbent; however, this is rarely the case, especially for presidents without a living spouse at the time of their tenure. The position, which is customary in nature and dignity, merits no official remuneration from the state.

Liza Araneta Marcos is the current first lady of the Philippines, as wife of the 17th and current president of the Philippines, Bongbong Marcos.

Terminology

The host of the Malacañang Palace, who is usually the consort of the president, has been referred to in English as the "first lady" (Filipino: ''Unang Ginang''). As Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took office as the first female president who is not a widow, the masculine form "first gentleman" (abbreviated FG; Filipino: ''Unang Ginoó'') was used for her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo.

Role

The position of first lady or first gentleman is not an elected position, carries no official duties, and has no personal remuneration. Nonetheless, the title holder participates in humanitarian and charitable work on behalf of the president, often in line with his or her policies and programmes. Furthermore, many of the holders of this post have taken an active role in campaigning for the president, or have participated in public life through some other manner.

Imelda Marcos was given a formal job as Governor of Metro Manila and as Minister of Human Settlements by her husband Ferdinand Marcos during his 21-year rule. She is also the first incumbent first lady to enter politics by winning a seat in the Interim Batasang Pambansa in 1978.

Two former first ladies later won seats in Congress after their husbands' tenures in office. In 1995, Marcos herself became the first former first lady to win a seat in the House of Representatives. In 2001, Loi Ejercito became the first former first lady to win a seat in the Senate.

List

Non-spouses who held the distinction

On a few occasions, individuals who are not spouses of the incumbent president have temporarily performed tasks reserved for the first lady or first gentleman, effectively rendering them as the ''de facto'' holder of the position; most often they are a direct relative of the president. To date, only Elpidio Quirino, Corazon Aquino, and Benigno Aquino III had no spouse to assume the title of First Lady or First Gentleman. Rodrigo Duterte did not appoint a first lady despite having Honeylet Avanceña as his common-law wife. In the case of Quirino, his daughter received the title as he was a widower upon his accession.

By president

Elpidio Quirino

Victoria Quirino-Gonzalez was the first lady for her father, Elpidio Quirino. She was made the official host of the Malacañang Palace. However Victoria is regarded as the first to be named with the role of first lady. The spouses of previous presidents, from Emilio Aguinaldo to Manuel Roxas, were not given the title during their respective husbands' terms.

Benigno Aquino III

Benigno Aquino III never married, so the palace hired professionals to manage tasks and duties customarily reserved for the first lady, such as organizing state dinners.

On some occasions, he charged one or more of his sisters with entertaining local and foreign dignitaries. During the 2015 APEC summit hosted in Pasay, his youngest sister, Kris Aquino served as temporary first lady for the event. Their other sisters, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Pinky Aquino-Abelleda, and Viel Aquino-Dee, also assisted him in his various duties.

Rodrigo Duterte

Prior to his inauguration, incumbent Rodrigo Duterte declared his eldest daughter Sara would be the first lady despite having Honeylet Avanceña as his common-law wife. He was previously married to Elizabeth Zimmerman; their marriage was annulled in 2000.

However, Sara Duterte was already mayor-elect of Davao City, and declined the offer. Following her filing of a 10-day leave of absence until June 22, there were speculations that she did so to assume the role of first lady, but she neither denied or confirmed speculations. Former Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary Rafael Alunan suggested that Vice-President Leni Robredo serve as ''de facto'' first lady but this never materialised.

Avanceña nevertheless would fulfill roles usually conducted by the first lady such as during the official visit of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, and the 30th ASEAN Summit in 2017.

Lifespan

Living former first ladies and first gentlemen

As of , there are four living former first ladies and one living first gentleman. The most recent first lady to die was Victoria Quirino (served 1948–1953), daughter of Elpidio Quirino, on November 29, 2006.

File:President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the First Family’s official photo Imelda 2022 (cropped).jpg, Imelda Marcos
served 1965–1986
born 1929 (age )
wife of Ferdinand Marcos
File:Senate-Centennial-Dinner-20161006-010 (cropped).jpg , Loi Ejercito
served 1998–2001
born 1930 (age )
wife of Joseph Estrada
File:Jose Miguel Arroyo (cropped).jpg, Jose Miguel Arroyo
served 2001–2010
born 1945 (age )
husband of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
File:Amelita-Ramos#amelita-r.amos-2da8428c-0a7d-4401-8a42-f82ad37b202-resize-750.jpeg, Amelita Ramos
served 1992-1998
born 1926 (age )
wife of Fidel Ramos

See also

* President of the Philippines
* List of presidents of the Philippines
* List of ancient Philippine consorts
* Malacañang Palace
* First lady

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philippines, First Spouse Of The
First Spouses of the Philippines