Alex Lacson
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Alexander Ledesma Lacson (born January 5, 1965) is a Filipino bestselling author of patriotic books, a poet, lawyer, businessman, civil society leader, and NGO leader. He is best known as the bestselling author of the books ''12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country'' and ''Five Hundred Years Without Love'', for the poem "I am Filipino" and for running in the
2010 Philippine Senate election The 2010 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 30th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 10, 2010, to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. The winners in this election joined the winners ...
.


Early life

Lacson was born on January 5, 1965,
Kabankalan Kabankalan, officially the City of Kabankalan (; ; , Spanish: ''Ciudad de Cabancalán''), is a component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2025 census, it has a population of 330,378 people making it th ...
,
Negros Occidental Negros Occidental (; ), officially the Province of Negros Occidental (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Negros, Negros Island. Its capital is the city of Bacolod, of which it is geographically s ...
, the sixth of eight children. His mother, Fe Tenefrancia Ledesma, was a public school teacher who taught second graders in the barrios of Kabankalan. His father, Jose Ramos Lacson, who had only a high school education, became a
land surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...
and eventually a businessman. Lacson's parents separated when he was in high school. Lacson graduated fifth in his class at Esteban R. Abada Memorial School (ERAMS) in Kabankalan in 1978. He went on to graduate from Kabankalan Catholic College in 1982, where he was the
salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in Armenia, the Philippines, Canada, Afghanistan and the United States to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. ...
and student council president. Two major events during his childhood helped shape his outlook. The first was the imprisonment of one of his closest friends, Father Vicente Dangan, the leader of the Kristiyanong Katilingban of Kabankalan (KKK; Christian Community of Kabankalan) and the parish priest of the church where Lacson served as an altar boy. When nine peasant leaders of the KKK were killed and buried in the
hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...
of the Kabankalan mayor, Father Dangan was among the first to condemn it. When the mayor was killed by members of the
New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...
, Father Dangan was accused of being one of the masterminds and imprisoned. The second formative event for Lacson was a one-week suspension from his high school after he led a boycott of classes in 1982, around two months before his graduation. After a classmate was threatened and verbally abused by the husband of a faculty member, Lacson and the classmate's parents demanded an apology, but the school authorities refused. After weeks of inaction, Lacson, as the class president, led a school-wide boycott of classes for several days. Until then, Lacson had been the
valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...
of his class, but after the boycott, his grade in deportment went down and he graduated as salutatorian.


Education

After finishing high school in 1982, Lacson received a full scholarship at the
Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...
in
Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
. He studied there for three years before transferring to the
University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...
(UPD), where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1991. In order to finance his studies at UPD, he worked as a professor's assistant by day and a
telemarketer Telemarketing (sometimes known as inside sales, or telesales in the UK and Ireland) is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products, subscriptions or services, either over the phone or throu ...
by night. He also received help from his sister, who was working in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. When he entered the
University of the Philippines College of Law The University of the Philippines College of Law (often referred to as UP Law) is the law school of the University of the Philippines Diliman. Formally established in 1911 in UP Manila, it is the third oldest continually-operating law school ...
, he decided to work full-time during the day and study at night; he graduated in 1996. As a student, Lacson was the leader of three campus organizations. He was president of the Association of Political Science Majors, chairman of the Independent Student Alliance political party, and lord chancellor of the
Alpha Phi Beta The Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity (also known as , Association of Philippine Barristers, or Abogado Para sa Bayan) is a fraternity based in the University of the Philippines College of Law with no recognized chapters outside University of the Philip ...
fraternity at the UP College of Law. He was also a member of the UP Law debate team, which defeated the Ateneo Law School team in 1992 in a competition hosted by the Association of Law Schools of the Philippines. In 2002, Lacson took a short summer program at
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
. In 2007, he attended a month-long Christian leadership training at the Haggai Institute in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, where he delivered the valedictory address for graduates from more than 30 countries.


Political campaigns

In
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
, Lacson unsuccessfully ran for
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in the sixth district of Negros Occidental, under the
People Power Coalition People Power Coalition (PPC), formerly called "''EDSA Forces''", was a Philippine administration-based political multi-party electoral alliance in the May 14, 2001 midterm legislative elections. The coalition was created after the EDSA Revolut ...
that toppled President
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, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...
. In
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, he ran for the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
under the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
coalition of
Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
, whom Lacson had been instrumental in convincing to run for the presidency. He focused his campaign on honesty in government, employment, education, environmental protection, support for migrant workers, and the cultivation of a Filipino culture that would spur national development. The writer Lester Cavestany summed up Lacson's legislative platform in three points: educational support, scholarship, and "faith in the Filipino". He lost again but was offered a position in the Aquino administration, which he declined. Instead, Lacson founded the Kabayanihan Foundation to promote patriotism and good citizenship. In
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, he ran as senator under
Ang Kapatiran Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP, ), also known as the Alliance for the Common Good, is a political party in the Philippines founded by Reynaldo "Nandy" Pacheco in 2004. The party participated in the 2007 Philippine general election, 2007 elections and ...
and was supported by the
1Sambayan 1Sambayan, (read as ''isambayan'') is a political organization founded by former Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio. History 2021–2022 1Sambayan's mission is to unite the opposition with placing and support only one candidate ...
coalition. He was also named to the
Team Robredo–Pangilinan Team Robredo–Pangilinan (TRoPa), also known as Tropang Angat, was an electoral alliance that supported Philippine vice president Leni Robredo's Leni Robredo 2022 presidential campaign, presidential campaign and Senator Francis Pangilinan's vic ...
senatorial slate of Vice President
Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; Gerona; born April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She is the mayor-elect of Naga, Camarines Sur, having won the ...
. However, he lost once again.


Advocacy and philanthropy

Lacson is the current chairman of the
Civil Service Commission A civil service commission (also known as a Public Service Commission) is a government agency or public body that is established by the constitution, or by the legislature, to regulate the employment and working conditions of civil servants, overse ...
's Advisory Council, which is composed of leaders in various sectors who help the Civil Service Commission improve its systems, operations, and quality of public service. He is a member of the boards of trustees of World Vision Philippines, Alay Buhay Community Development Inc., the Dilaab Foundation, and the Joey Velasco Foundation. He is also the lead convenor of the Pilipino Movement for Transformational Leadership (PMTL), a coalition of faith-based organizations from the country's Catholic, Protestant, and evangelical communities that aims to elect honest, competent, and dedicated public servants. During the 2016 elections, the group created the "Gabay Kristo", a scorecard that it used as a voter's guide for all the member organizations of the PMTL. Since 2001, Lacson has been supporting scholars in Kabankalan, including the children of some of his own high school classmates. He has also been supporting scholars under World Vision since 2007. He and his wife established a foundation to help underprivileged children through school, which is now subsidizing 27 students in public schools in Negros Occidental, Lacson's home province.


Legal and business work

Lacson was the CEO of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), which implements good-governance programs in local and national government agencies in the Philippines. He is also a co-founder and partner at the Malcolm Law Offices in Ortigas. He served as a legal counsel for the
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
(UNDP) in the Philippines from 1997 to 2004, and wrote a weekly legal column in the ''
BusinessWorld ''BusinessWorld'' is a business newspaper in the Philippines with a nationwide circulation of more than 117,000 (as of March 2014). Founded in 1967 as ''Business Day'', it is Southeast Asia's first daily business newspaper. History ''Busin ...
'' newspaper from 1996 to 2004. He also served as a court attorney under
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
Justice Teodoro Padilla, studying and drafting court decisions. Lacson is currently the chairman and CEO of a family food business in
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. He is also the president of Alay Pinoy Publishing House Inc. (which publishes books, pamphlets, and other materials on patriotism and good citizenship) and a co-founder and board member of Remax TRP Inc., a support systems office for real estate agents in
Ayala Alabang Ayala Alabang, in terms of land area, is the third largest barangay in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines. A large portion of it came from Barangay Alabang. Its land area of includes Alabang Town Center, Ayala Alabang Village, El Molito, ...
.


Publications

Lacson is known for his bestselling book ''12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country'', published in 2005, and for his 2008 poem "I am Filipino", which is now memorized by students in some parts of the country. His publications also include the poem "Our Dream Philippines" (2010) and the books ''12 Little Things Our Youth Can Do to Help Our Country'' (2011), ''12 Little Things Global Filipinos Can Do to Help Our Motherland'' (2011), ''8 Principles of Success for the Filipino Youth'' (2011), and ''12 Wonderful Things about the Filipino & Our Motherland'' (2012).


''12 Little Things''

When he published a 108-page book titled ''12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country'', it struck a nerve among many Filipinos. The 12 "little things" are: # Follow traffic rules. Follow the law. # Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt. # Don't buy smuggled goods. Buy local. Buy Filipino. # When you talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively about us and our country. # Respect your traffic officer, policeman, and soldier. # Do not litter. Dispose of your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve. # Support your church. # During elections, do your solemn duty. # Pay your employees well. # Pay your taxes. # Adopt a scholar or a poor child. # Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country. According to Lacson, it was the ''Philippine Star'' founder and columnist
Maximo Soliven Maximo Villaflor Soliven (September 4, 1929 – November 24, 2006) was a Filipino journalist and newspaper publisher. In a career spanning six decades, he founded the ''Philippine Star'' and served as its publisher until his death. Backgr ...
who opened the door for him and his book. Lacson and Soliven met for the first time on December 15, 2005, five months after the book was published. According to Soliven, his new BMW broke down in the middle of the street, and Lacson pulled over and offered to help. Inside Lacson's car, Soliven saw a few copies of his book, and four days later, on December 19, he wrote a newspaper column titled "A Filipino of Faith". The column
went viral Viral phenomena or viral sensations are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the te ...
on social media. Many people called Soliven's office to ask how to contact Lacson and where to buy his book. Lacson started receiving speaking invitations—more than 300 in 2006 alone—and sales took off.


Awards and honors

The awards Lacson has received include: * Family Values Award,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
in the Philippines (November 2014) * Most Distinguished Lay Leader, Diocese of Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental (March 2013) * Good Citizen / Good Filipino award, Edsa People Power Commission (February 2009) * Best in Filipino linguistics award, M.I. International School (2009) * Good Pilipino award, Galing Pilipino Movement (2006)


Personal life

In 1990, Lacson and his siblings learned that they had a half-brother: a son whom their father had with another woman, who died giving birth to the child. In 1995, when Lacson was studying for the bar examination, he took time off to look for his half-brother in
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
. With the help of his father's sisters, he found him in a remote barangay. Lacson's father-in-law, Teodoro Peña, found the half-brother employment as a utility worker (janitor and messenger) at Palawan State University in
Puerto Princesa Puerto Princesa (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially the City of Puerto Princesa (Cuyonon language, Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in th ...
. Lacson subsequently decided to help all four of his half-brother's children with their studies. The eldest finished college and got a job at a hotel in Puerto Princesa; another child is employed in one of Lacson's companies. Lacson married fellow lawyer Pia Peña in 1995, and they have four children: Theo, Angeli, Ally, and John. In 1999, at the height of a financial crisis in Asia, Lacson and his wife considered moving to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
or
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Lacson's older brother and his family had immigrated to the US the previous year, and in 1999, another brother and his family applied for residency in Canada. In 2000, however, Lacson and his wife decided to stay in the Philippines.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacson, Alexander 20th-century Filipino lawyers Living people People from Negros Occidental University of the Philippines Diliman alumni Harvard Law School alumni 1965 births 21st-century Filipino lawyers