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

from 1994 to 2001.

Early life and education

Duavit was born on November 29, 1934, 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 was the son of Margarito Duavit and Rosa Muñoz.Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899-1984
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FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is part of the Church's Family History Department (FHD). The Fami ...

'' (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 The University of the East (), also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" when i ...

Manila, and held a doctorate degree in humanities from the

University of Rizal System The University of Rizal System (URS) is a network of colleges located in the Rizal province, Philippines. It operates multiple campuses, with the main campus being in Tanay, Rizal. It is committed to produce graduates in agriculture, engineering ...

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 Felipe Enrique "Henry" Lapuz Gozon (born December 8, 1939), is a Filipino lawyer, business executive, and the current chairman and adviser of the board of GMA Network Inc., one of the largest media conglomerate in the Philippines. A lawyer b ...

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 most commonly refers to: * Rizal (province), a province of the Philippines * José Rizal, Filipino national hero whom the province is named after Rizal may also refer to: People * Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli, Malaysian footballer * Atep Ri ...

. 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, 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 Southern Tagalog (), designated as Region IV, was an administrative region in the Philippines that comprised the current regions of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, the province of Aurora in Central Luzon, and most of the National Capital Region. ...

Region from 1978 to 1984. From 1994 to 2001, Duavit was elected as member of the 9th, 10th, and 11th 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 executive 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 executive 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 Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...

for public viewing. On December 18, 2018, his ashes were brought

Binangonan Binangonan, officially the Municipality of Binangonan (), is a municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 313,631 people. A thriving fish port and fishing industry is found in Binan ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duavit, Gilberto Sr. 1934 births 2018 deaths 21st-century Filipino politicians Advisers to the president of the Philippines Chairmen of GMA Network Ferdinand Marcos administration personnel GMA Network (company) people Kilusang Bagong Lipunan politicians Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Rizal (province) Nationalist People's Coalition politicians People from Binangonan Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines) University of the East alumni