Gilberto "Bibit" Muñoz Duavit, Sr. (November 29, 1934 – December 14, 2018) was a Filipino lawyer, entrepreneur and politician. He was a major figure in the GMA Network Inc. and a member of the House of Representatives from 1994 to 2001.

Early life and education

Duavit was born on November 29, 1934, in Manila. He was the son of Margarito Duavit and Rosa Muñoz.Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899-1984
" database with images, '' FamilySearch'' (November 11, 2017), Gilberto Duavit, November 29, 1934; Birth, November 29, 1934, City of Manila Civil Registrar, Philippines; FHL microfilm 1,511,139. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and law degree from the University of the East Manila, and held a doctorate degree in humanities from the University of Rizal System.

Career

He was chairman of GMA Network, Inc. from 1974 to 1976 and was a former director of the company in 1977. He along with accountant Menardo Jimenez and lawyer Felipe Gozon acquired the Republic Broadcasting System (RBS) from Robert Stewart in 1974 and renamed as GMA Radio-Television Arts. Duavit sat as chairman and chief executive officer of Group Management and Development, Inc., as well as chairman of Guronasyon Foundation, Inc., an organization which recognizes remarkable teachers in the province of

Rizal Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The p ...

. He was also chair or director of various firms and companies, among them Permastress Industries, Inc., Unistress Concrete Systems, Inc., Sagittarius Condominium Corporation, and Mar Fishing Company, Inc.

Political career

Duavit was a former assistant executive secretary for social, political, legal, and economic affairs (1966–1970) and acting executive secretary, Office of the President (1969), and was twice awarded the Presidential Merit Award in 1967 and 1968. He became a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, representing the

2nd district of Rizal The legislative districts of Rizal are the representations of the province of Rizal in the various national and local legislatures of the Philippines. At present, the province is represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines by ...

, and president of the Philippine Constitutional Association (PHILCONSA) in 1970. He served as executive director of the National Youth and Sports Development Foundation of the Philippines (1978), and as senior deputy minister of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (1974–1978). He was also a member of the Batasang Pambasa, representing the Southern Tagalog Region from 1978 to 1984. From 1994 to 2001, Duavit was elected as member of the 9th,

10th 10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The rea ...

, and

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

Congresses, representing the 1st District of Rizal. During his stint in Congress, he served as senior assistant minority floor leader (10th Congress) and chairman of the House Committee of Appropriations (11th Congress) after becoming a member of the same House Committee (9th and 10th Congress). He had likewise served as a member of various House Committees including Constitutional Amendments, Education and Culture, Housing and Urban Development, Public Works and Highways, and Banks and Financial Intermediaries. As a lawmaker, Duavit was cited as One of the Ten Most Outstanding Congressmen in the 9th, 10th, and 11th Congresses.

Personal life

He married Vilma D. Roy and bore four children, namely GMA network president and chief operating officer

Gilberto Duavit Jr. Gilberto "Jimmy" Roy Duavit Jr. (born October 16, 1963) is a Filipino businessman, philanthropist, producer, and writer. He is the president and chief operating officer of GMA Network Inc., one of the largest media networks in the Philippines. ...

, Rizal Representative Michael John Duavit, Rizal former representative Joel Roy Duavit, and GMA board member Judith Duavit Vasquez.

Death

Duavit died on December 14, 2018 due to a stroke. He was 84 years old. His cremated remains were placed at The Heritage Park in Taguig for public viewing. On December 18, 2018, his ashes were brought Binangonan,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duavit, Gilberto Sr. 1934 births 2018 deaths 21st-century Filipino politicians GMA Network (company) people Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Rizal University of the East alumni Ferdinand Marcos administration personnel Advisers to the President of the Philippines Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines) Chairmen of GMA Network