Jesus Melchor "Boy" Vega Quitain (born January 6, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer who served as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Special Assistant under the

Duterte administration Rodrigo Duterte's six-year tenure as the 16th President of the Philippines began on June 30, 2016, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. He was the first president from Mindanao, the first president to have worked in all three branches of governme ...

. He is also serving as an Undersecretary in the

Office of the President of the Philippines The Office of the President of the Philippines (OP; ) is an administrative, advisory, and consultative government agency that aids the president of the Philippines in performing their duty as head of state and chief of the executive branch of g ...

from 2016 to 2022. He is reported to be the writer of most of President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

’s high-impact speeches, like his State of the Nation Addresses and inaugural speech.

Early life and career

Jesus Quitain graduated from the

San Beda College of Law San Beda College of Law is the law school of San Beda University, a private, Roman Catholic university run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines.Directory of Higher Education Institutions, Commission on Higher Education, 2006-2007. The mai ...

in 1970. He is from

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...

. He joined

Upsilon Sigma Phi The Upsilon Sigma Phi () is the oldest Greek-letter organization and fraternity in Asia. Founded in 1918, it is also the oldest student organization in continuous existence in the University of the Philippines. It has two chapters—an integra ...

in 1963. Quitain engaged in private law practice since 1971. He also served in the academe as Dean of the College of Law of the

University of Mindanao The University of Mindanao, also referred to by its acronym UM, is a private, non-sectarian university in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. It is located in Davao City. Established in 1946, the University of Mindanao has ten branche ...

. He was the first National President of the Association of Resident Ombudsman in Government Agencies and Former President of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

of South Davao. He is the father of Davao City Vice Mayor J. Melchor "Jay" Quitain Jr. and Grace Quitain Pecson, and the grandfather of Richard Quitain Pecson.

Public service

Jesus Quitain joined the government in 2001 when then Davao City Mayor

appointed him as City Legal Officer. He also served in Davao City as Councilor of the First District, and as City Administrator. He was also the Former Resident

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

of Davao City, for which he was awarded as Outstanding Resident Ombudsman of the Philippines for 2008. Prior to his latest appointment as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel in 2021, Quitain served as the officer in charge of the

Office of the Special Assistant to the President The special assistant to the president (SAP) is the official aide of the president of the Philippines. The holder of the position leads the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP). The SAP provides general supervision to the Pres ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quitain, Jesus Melchor 1945 births Living people Filipino city and municipal councilors 20th-century Filipino lawyers San Beda University alumni 21st-century Filipino politicians Deans of law schools in the Philippines People from Davao City Duterte administration cabinet members Advisers to the president of the Philippines