Mateo Armando Tengco Caparas (December 28, 1923 – July 15, 2020) was a Filipino statesman, lawyer, and civic leader. He served as chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) under the administration of 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 ...

Early life and education

Caparas was born on December 28, 1923, in

Cuyapo Cuyapo , officially the Municipality of Cuyapo (; ), is a municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,066 people. Cuyapo is from Cabanatuan, from Palayan, and from Manil ...

, Philippines. His father was a lawyer who settled in

Moncada, Tarlac Moncada, officially the Municipality of Moncada (; ; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 62,819 people. The economy is primarily based on agriculture, with ...

. He finished his secondary schooling at Bulacan High School in 1940 but was interrupted by the Second World War. He graduated cum laude from the

University of the Philippines College of Law The University of the Philippines College of Law (often referred to as UP Law) is the law school of the University of the Philippines Diliman. Formally established in 1911 in UP Manila, it is the third oldest continually-operating law school ...

in 1949, where he joined the

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 ...

. He later finished his Master of Laws from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1950.

Career

As a lawyer, Caparas practiced in Caloocan and specialized in labor law and tax cases. In 1960, he transferred his law practice to Manila when he was invited to join the Rotary Club. He represented the province of Bulacan during the 1971 Constitutional Convention. In 1988, he was appointed chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Government tasked to retrieve the Marcos administration's ill-gotten wealth. He is the first and only Filipino to date to be elected president of

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest 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, goodwill, and p ...

and the only Filipino trustee of Rotary Foundation. During his presidency, Rotary started the campaign to raise $120 million to eradicate polio by 2005. The campaign reportedly generated more than $240 million in two years.

Death

Caparas died on July 15, 2020, at the age of 96. He has three surviving children: Jorge, Matt, and Pilar; eight grandchildren; and two great granddaughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caparas, Mateo 20th-century Filipino lawyers University of the Philippines alumni University of the Philippines College of Law alumni Harvard Law School alumni 1923 births 2020 deaths