Jose "Joe" Bulaon Lingad (; November 24, 1914 – December 16, 1980), also known by his initials JBL, was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as governor of Pampanga from 1948 to 1951 and representative of

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

's 1st district from 1969 to 1972. He also became

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and

Bureau of Customs The Bureau of Customs (BoC or BOC; ) is a Philippine government agency that is responsible for the collecting of customs, customs duties, excise duties, and other indirect taxes in the Philippines. It is part of the Department of Finance (Philip ...

then subsequently

secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

of the Department of Labor and Employment. He is one of the victims of the

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 ...

at the hands of

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

in 1980.

Early life and education

Jose Bulaon Lingad was born in the barrio of San Jose Gumi,

Lubao, Pampanga Lubao, officially the Municipality of Lubao (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 173,502 people. The tow ...

on November 24, 1914, to Emigdio Lingad and Irene Bulaon of Arayat, Pampanga. Lingad studied in Lubao Central Elementary School and Pampanga High School for his primary and secondary education. In college, Lingad took up law at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

and

Philippine Law School The Philippine Law School (PLS), founded in 1915, is a law school in the Philippines. It formerly served as the college of law of National University. It has produced lawyers such as Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia, a member of the clas ...

where he passed the bar exam in 1938. At age 24, he was elected councilor of Lubao, making him one of the youngest elected officials in the country.

Military career

Career during World War II

After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941, Lingad joined the armed resistance against the Japanese in

Bataan Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula ...

. Served as chief of staff under the command of Colonel Edwin Ramsey. He survived the

Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March was the Death march, forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of around 72,000 to 78,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war (POWs) from the municipalities of Bagac and Mariveles on the Bataan Peninsula to Camp ...

and later joined the guerrilla movement where he would lead the Pampanga Military District.

Political career

Governor of Pampanga

In the 1947 general elections, Lingad was elected governor of Pampanga as a member of 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 ...

at the age of 33. He also became vice-president of the League of Governors of the Philippines. Seated as governor in 1948, Lingad served a single term, being defeated to Rafael Lazatin for re-election in 1951 due to the fall-out from the Maliwalu massacre in Bacolor. Had Lingad stayed on as governor though, he would have been appointed by President

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...

to lead

Department of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

due to his stellar accomplishments at the time. After his term as governor, Lingad was still recognized as the political kingpin of

. And during the elections of 1949, Lingad nominated

Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the 9th President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the 5th Vice President of the Philippines, V ...

, who was then serving as second secretary of the Philippine embassy in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

to run for the first Congressional district of Pampanga. With the help and guidance of Lingad, Macapagal would start his political career that would make him president of the Philippines one day as they were childhood friends in the town of Lubao, Pampanga.

Macapagal administration official

When his

protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

was elected

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

in 1961, Lingad joined the Macapagal administration, first as Chairman of Games and Amusement Board, second as Commissioner of Bureau of Internal Revenue, then Commissioner of Bureau of Customs and, ultimately Secretary of Labor.

House of Representatives

In 1969, Lingad was elected to the House of Representatives under the Liberal Party banner representing the 1st District of Pampanga, the same seat Macapagal had won 20 years earlier. Lingad served in the 7th Congress from 1969 to 1972. Previously perceived as holding right-wing political views, Lingad shifted to the left while in Congress, supporting farmers' rights and dialogue with the leftist insurgency. Lingad's congressional career was abbreviated with the abolition of Congress following the declaration of martial law by Marcos in 1972. On September 28, 1972, Lingad, a member of the political opposition against Marcos, was among the first political figures to be arrested and imprisoned on the day martial law was declared.

1980 Pampanga gubernatorial election

Lingad was released from prison after three months and he retired to his Pampanga farm. He was called out of retirement by the opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr., who urged him to run for Pampanga governor in the January 1980 local elections as a candidate of the anti-Marcos opposition with his running mate Jose Suarez for vice governor. Lingad was defeated by Estelito Mendoza, but he raised charges of fraud which led to the staging of a new election for governor.

Personal life

Lingad had his first born Sylvia Lingad de Guzman with former partner Consuelo Zita Perez. Later married to Estela Aranita Layug with five children including Emigdio "Emy" Lingad, a former Member of

Batasang Pambansa The Batasang Pambansa Complex, or simply the Batasan (), is the seat of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located along the Batasan Road in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The complex was initially the home of the Batasang Pa ...

, Deputy Minister of Finance, congressman for 2nd District of Pampanga from 1987 to 1995 and Teresito Lingad, former municipal councilor of Lubao. Lingad had four children with her former partner, Catalina Canlas Mañgila. Among them are Jacqueline "Jacquie" Lingad Ricci, former

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

commissioner and president of San Francisco Juvenile Probation Commission. His nephew, Josefo Sarmiento Lingad was mayor of Lubao from 1965 to 1968.

Death

On December 16, 1980, at 7:40 in the morning, Lingad was shot in a gasoline station in barangay San Agustin,

San Fernando, Pampanga San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...

while buying a pack of cigarettes. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His assassin Sgt. Roberto Tabanero, who died in a mysterious car accident before being prosecuted, was identified as a member of the

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...

Funeral

National leaders from all sides of the political spectrum attended his wake. Lingad was interred at San Nicolas Catholic Cemetery in Lubao, Pampanga together with his parents.

Legacy

On November 25, 1989, Republic Act No. 6780 entitled "An Act of Changing the Name of the Central Luzon General Hospital located in the municipality of San Fernando, province of Pampanga, to Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital was one of bills signed by then 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 ...

. On that day the hospital was formally recognized as Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lingad, Jose B. 1914 births 1980 deaths Asian politicians assassinated in the 1980s 20th-century Filipino lawyers 20th-century Filipino politicians Assassinated Filipino politicians Deaths by firearm in the Philippines Filipino democracy activists Filipino prisoners and detainees United States Army colonels Bataan Death March prisoners Philippine Army personnel Kapampangan people Politicians from Pampanga Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Filipino military personnel of World War II Governors of Pampanga Marcos martial law victims People murdered in the Philippines Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Lawyers honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Political prisoners Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Pampanga Secretaries of labor and employment of the Philippines Commissioners of the Bureau of Customs of the Philippines University of the Philippines alumni Philippine Law School alumni Filipino Roman Catholics Macapagal administration cabinet members Filipino people of World War II Politicians assassinated in 1980 1980 murders in Asia