Renato "Rene" Salud de Villa (born July 20, 1935) is a Filipino former police and military officer and government official. He served as Chief of

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; tl, Hukbóng Pamayapà ng Pilipinas, ''HPP''; es, Policía de Filipinas, ''PF'') was a gendarmerie-type police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Po ...

, Director-General of the Integrated National Police, and

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP) is the highest-ranking military officer (except for the President of the Philippines, who holds the position of Commander-in-Chief equivalent to a five-star general) and the head ...

. He then served as Secretary of National Defense under presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos. He founded

Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma The Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma ( en, Party for Democratic Reform; PDR), commonly known as Partido Reporma, is a political party in the Philippines. History It was founded by former Defense Secretary Renato de Villa when he left th ...

for his unsuccessful presidential bid in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

. He then briefly served as Executive Secretary under 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 ...

Early life and education

Renato de Villa was born on July 20, 1935, in San Juan, Batangas. He completed his elementary education at San Juan Elementary School, and completed high school at Batangas Eastern Academy, also in San Juan. He studied engineering for one year at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

before taking and passing the entrance exam for 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 ...

. De Villa has a master's degree in Business Management from the

Asian Institute of Management The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) is an international management school and research institution. It is one of the few business schools in Asia to be internationally accredited with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Busines ...

Career

Armed Forces of the Philippines

De Villa served as Chief of

and Director-General of the Integrated National Police in 1986 and was concurrent Vice-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 ...

in 1987. In 1988, he was promoted to Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Corazon Aquino. In 1989, he defended

Corazon Aquino against coup plots in Manila by

Gregorio Honasan Gregorio "Gringo" Ballesteros Honasan II (, born March 14, 1948), is a Filipino politician and a cashiered Philippine Army officer who led unsuccessful coups d'état against President Corazon Aquino. He played a key role in the 1986 EDSA Rev ...

Reform the Armed Forces Movement The Reform the Armed Forces Movement, also referred to by the acronym RAM, was a cabal of officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) known for several attempts to seize power in the Philippines during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1986, som ...

(RAM) and the siege of an army camp by Rizal Alih in

Zamboanga City Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (Chavacano and es, Ciudad de Zamboanga, Tausūg: ''Dāira sin Sambuangan'', fil, Lungsod ng Zamboanga, ceb, Dakbayan sa Zamboanga), is a city in the Zamboanga Peninsula region of the Philipp ...

Awards in military service

Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines) The Presidential Medal of Merit (''Pampanguluhang Medalya ng Merito'') is an honor given by the Republic of the Philippines. History The Presidential Merit Award was renamed the Presidential Medal of Merit by Executive Order 236 on September 1 ...

Outstanding Achievement Medal * PHL Visayas Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal ribbon

Visayas Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal *

Mindanao Anti-dissidence Campaign Medal * AFP Long Service Medal

Long Service Medal * Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Operations Ribbon

Disaster Relief & Rehabilitation Operation Ribbon * PHL Military Commendation

Military Commendation Medal The Military Commendation Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is presented for exemplary execution of military duty. Description The medal is a three-pointed star, made of bronze color ...

Secretary of National Defense

In 1991,

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

resigned as Defense secretary to run for president. Aquino appointed de Villa as his replacement. When Ramos won as president in 1992, he reappointed de Villa to the post.

1998 presidential election

In 1997, he resigned as Defense secretary and made his bid for the presidency. He joined Lakas-NUCD the same year to get Ramos' endorsement. De Villa was widely believed to be the preferred candidate of President Fidel V. Ramos, due to their long association in the

, shared experience in the

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

, and appointment as Secretary of National Defense. However, in December 1997, Ramos endorsed House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr., who became the official presidential candidate of the party. De Villa bolted the party and formed his own party called the '' Partido ng Demokratikong Reporma'' (Democratic Reform Party) and formed an alliance with the Lapiang Manggagawa (Labor Organization) as '' Reporma–LM''. He chose Pangasinan Governor

Oscar Orbos Oscar Muñoz Orbos (born January 28, 1951), popularly known as Ka Oca, is a Philippine TV personality and host of GMA Network's ''Debate with Mare at Pare''. Orbos was a former cabinet secretary, provincial governor, and vice presidential candi ...

as his running mate and brought rebel members of Lakas to his party. Many criticized his actions, most of whom think that he basically cloned Ramos' career (Ramos did the same when he lost the nomination of the LDP). In the May 11 elections, he lost to

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

and placed sixth overall in a field of 11 candidates.

Executive Secretary

De Villa reappeared in 2001 when the second EDSA People Power Revolution escalated and influenced active officers of the Armed Forces to withdraw support to

. When

assumed office, she appointed de Villa as her executive secretary. He resigned from the cabinet the succeeding year citing health conditions. In the 2004 elections, he formally withdrew alliance with Arroyo and endorsed Raul Roco as president. His party did not fill any candidates other than what was endorsed by Roco. Roco however lost to the incumbent Arroyo in the elections. In July 2005, De Villa was speculated to be picked as ''transition president'' in case the opposition successfully ousted President Arroyo and Vice President

Noli de Castro Manuel Leuterio de Castro Jr. (; born July 6, 1949), professionally known as Noli de Castro, is a Filipino journalist, news anchor and politician who served as the 12th vice president of the Philippines from 2004 until 2010, under President ...

from their positions and form a ''revolutionary government''. Those plans did not happen when the Arroyo impeachment was dismissed in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Personal life

As a young captain on the armed forces in the 1960s, De Villa would spend his leisure time at the

Fort Bonifacio Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly named Fort William McKinley) is the site of the national headquarters of the Philippine Army (Headquarters Philippine Army or HPA) located in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located near the national headquarter ...

quarters of

Eduardo Ermita Eduardo R. Ermita (born July 13, 1935) is a former Executive Secretary of the Philippines and former spokesperson for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Ermita took his Defense Resource Management Course at the Naval Postgraduate School, Montere ...

, his classmate at the Philippine Military Academy. Also staying there was Monica "Monet" Barrica of

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 o ...

, a

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange, PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the Philippine National Bank, PNB Financial Cen ...

flight attendant and niece of Ermita's wife. De Villa married Barrica in 1968, a month before shipping out to Vietnam. De Villa and Barrica had four children: *Ma. Mercedes Josefina de Villa Colet *Patrick Roland B. de Villa *Katherine Johanna de Villa Maravilla - President of Batangas Eastern Colleges (2008―2020). *Michael Celestino B. de Villa Barrica was diagnosed with stage III malignant cancer in 1990, and died in September 2006 after a 16-year struggle. Her remains are buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery in San Juan, Batangas.

References

External links

Department of National Defense - Renato De Villa
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:De Villa, Renato 1935 births Living people People from Batangas Tagalog people Philippine Constabulary personnel Philippine Military Academy alumni Candidates in the 1998 Philippine presidential election Filipino generals Filipino military personnel of the Vietnam War Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma politicians Secretaries of National Defense of the Philippines Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs (Philippines) Executive Secretaries of the Philippines Arroyo administration cabinet members Ramos administration cabinet members Corazon Aquino administration cabinet members Asian Institute of Management alumni