Joseph Emilio "Jun" Aguinaldo Abaya (born May 28, 1966) is a Filipino politician, lawyer, and military officer. He was the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) of the Philippines under the administration of President

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...

. 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 ...

, he has been elected to three terms as a member of 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 ...

, representing the 1st District of Cavite. He first won election to the House in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007. He and other Aquino administration officials have been charged over the alleged anomalous contracts for the MRT Line 3 during their tenure.

Early life and education

Abaya is the great-grandson of the first Philippine president,

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

through his granddaughter, Consuelo Aguinaldo, daughter of his son, Emilio Aguinaldo Jr., and the descendant of Isabelo Abaya, the revolutionary hero and founding father of

Candon, Ilocos Sur Candon, officially the City of Candon (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61, ...

. He is also the second son of the three-term Congressman Plaridel M. Abaya. Abaya finished his elementary education at the Basic Education Unit of the

De La Salle University De La Salle University (), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private, Catholic coeducational research university run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with main campus in Taft Avenue, Malate, Man ...

in 1979. During his secondary schooling, he was a consistent honor student at the

Philippine Science High School Main Campus The Philippine Science High School - Main Campus is the flagship campus of the Philippine Science High School System. It was founded in 1964. It is located along Senator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue (formerly Agham Road), Diliman, Quezon Ci ...

, and he became a university and college scholar of 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 ...

where he took his engineering studies. After a year in UP, he took and topped the entrance examination for the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...

that he was sent by the government to the

US Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the sec ...

(USNA) in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics (1988) with distinction of being a consistent Dean's Lister in all the semesters he was there. Jun then proceeded to

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

, and completed a master's degree in electrical engineering (1989 – he was also a fellowship awardee). He was the vice president of PMA Maringal Class of 1988 and is a member of the

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to the area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of educa ...

honor society and Friends of Aguinaldo Shrine. He received his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from the law school of Ateneo de Manila University in April 2005. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2007.

Political career

Prior to representing the first district of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...

to the House of Representatives in 2004, he first served in the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...

as a cadet (1984–1988) and as a naval officer of the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...

(1988–2004). He ran for congressman in 2004 and won against Jeffrey Sescon Uy and represented the 1st District of Cavite to the

13th Congress of the Philippines The 13th Congress of the Philippines (), composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 26, 2004, until June 8, 2007, during the fourth, fifth, and sixth years of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's presidency. The conven ...

. He was re-elected in the 2007 elections. During the 14th Congress, he was chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology. He was also co-chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Science and Technology and Engineering with Sen.

Edgardo Angara Edgardo Javier Angara (, September 24, 1934 – May 13, 2018) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as Senate President from 1993 to 1995. Angara had the second longest tenure in the history of the Senate, serving four terms and a ...

. In 2009, he among with fellow representatives of Cavite – Elpidio Barzaga, Jr. and

Jesus Crispin Remulla Jesus Crispin "Boying" Catibayan Remulla (; born March 31, 1961) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who has served as the 59th secretary of justice since 2022. He previously served as a representative of Cavite from 2004 to 2013 and again fr ...

— authored the biggest congressional reapportionment in the history of the Philippines by passin
Republic Act No. 9727
unofficially titled The Cavite Congressional Reapportionment Act of 2009, bringing the representatives of Cavite from three to seven. During the 15th Congress and on his last term, he served as the chairman of House Committee on Appropriations. On October 12, 2012, Abaya was appointed by

as the Secretary of Transportation and Communications, succeeding

Mar Roxas Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines ...

. In February 2016, the

Philippine Senate The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives as the lower house. The Senate is composed of 24 senators who are elected at-large (the country f ...

released a report stating that Abaya and other DOTC officials "may have violated" the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in relation to questionable contracts with the subsequent maintenance providers. In a Senate report where the line's condition was found to be in "poor maintenance" as per studies made by MTR HK, DOTC officials were reported to be involved in graft in relation to questionable contracts, especially those for the maintenance of the line. Abaya stepped down on June 30, 2016, after Aquino's term ended.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abaya, Jun 1966 births Living people Joseph Aguinaldo Ateneo de Manila University alumni 21st-century Filipino lawyers Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Secretaries of transportation of the Philippines Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Cavite People from Kawit, Cavite University of the Philippines Diliman alumni Benigno Aquino III administration cabinet members Presidents of the Liberal Party of the Philippines