Bonifacio Hubilla Gillego (June 5, 1921 – August 1, 2002) was a Philippine politician, military officer, and author. He served in the

Philippine House of Representatives The House of Representatives (; '','' thus commonly referred to as ''Kamara'') is the lower house of Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the Senate of the Philippines as the upper house. The lower house is commonly refe ...

for three terms (1987–1998), representing the 2nd Legislative District of Sorsogon. "Boni" was one of the Framers of the

1987 Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and rat ...

. He had also served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1970. For his resistance against the Marcos dictatorship, which led to a 14-year exile from the country, Gillego is one of the heroes honored by having his name etched at the wall of remembrance at the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought the authoritarian regime of Ferdinand Marcos.

Background

Gillego earned his degrees in English and Philosophy at the

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private research non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and ...

in Manila in 1950. He earned a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University

School of Advanced International Studies The School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C. The school also maintains campuses in Bologna, Italy and Nanjing, China. The school is devoted to the study of int ...

as an Armed Forces of the Philippines Scholar. His eldest sister,

Celerina Gotladera Celerina Gotladera (born Celerina Gillego; 1920–1993) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission during the Corazon Aquino administration. Gotladera's husband, Pantaleon G. Gotladera, served ...

, served as the Chairman of Civil Service Commission and Mayor of

Bulan, Sorsogon Bulan, officially the Municipality of Bulan ( Waray Sorsogon: ''Bungto san Bulan''; Waray: ''Bungto han Bulan''; Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Bulan''), is a municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a p ...

. He is a cousin of

Gregorio Honasan Gregorio "Gringo" Ballesteros Honasan II (, born March 14, 1948), is a Philippines, Filipino politician and a Cashiering, cashiered Philippine Army officer who led 1986–1990 Philippine coup attempts#August 1987 coup attempt, unsuccessful coup ...

Military career

He was also part of the resistance during the

Japanese occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas''; ) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan, Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during Wo ...

. As a soldier, Gillego served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and served in Operation Brotherhood in Laos.

Marcos Era: Exile and Resistance

BantayogWall20181115Alternativity-2000-2001-2002-2004-2005

Gillego was exiled in the United States for 14 years during

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

. He was one of the leaders of the opposition to Marcos in the United States and was a member of the

Movement for a Free Philippines Movement for a Free Philippines (often referred to by its acronym, MFP) was a Washington, D.C.–based organization established in 1973 by exiled Filipinos in opposition to the authoritarian regime of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. Establishm ...

(MFP) during his exile. Gillego was often interviewed by American and western media to expose Marcos' fraud, particularly with his military medal decorations. Through his writings and countless interviews with the American press, Gillego publicly questioned Marcos' war record. In 1986, he served on the Commission on Good Government on behalf of President

Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...

to find real estate holdings of the Marcoses in New York.

Congress

As a Congressman, "Boni" was known for his spartan lifestyle and stance against government corruption. One of his key accomplishments in Congress was agrarian reform legislation passed in June 1988.

Books and articles

* ''Requiem for Reformism: The Ideas of Rizal on Reform and Revolution'' (1990) * "The Other Version of FM's War Exploits". ''We Forum'' (November 1982) * "Marcos: The Hero of Kiangan Who Never Was". ''Philippine News'' (September 1982) * "Our Police Forces as a Tool of American Imperialism". ''Ronin'' (October 1972)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillego, Bonifacio 1921 births 2002 deaths Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Sorsogon Filipino military personnel of the Korean War Far Eastern University alumni Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies alumni Corazon Aquino administration personnel Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Military personnel honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Movement for a Free Philippines