Romeo "Ome" D. Candazo (June 18, 1952 – August 19, 2013) was a Filipino politician who served as the representative for Marikina's at-large district from 1992 to 2001. He was elected as an independent and later affiliated with 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 ...

by the end of his tenure. Born in

Marikina Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4 ...

, Candazo was educated 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 was active in student activism, being imprisoned thrice during the

presidency of Ferdinand Marcos A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

. He was elected to 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 ...

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

as the member for Marikina's at-large district. With a tenure marked by anti-poverty legislation, he was re-elected twice, in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

and in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. Candazo ran for mayor of Marikina in 2001 as a member of the Liberal Party and lost to Marides Fernando, the wife of the incumbent Bayani Fernando. Candazo ran in the 2010 Philippine House of Representatives elections to represent Marikina's second district in the lower house. He lost to Miro Quimbo, placing third.

Early life and education

Candazo was born in

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 ...

, on June 18, 1952. He studied law at the

. He obtained his AB History Degree in 1975 and finished his studies in 1986, passing the bar exam in the following year. During his time as a student, he became involved with

student activism Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. In addition to education, student groups often play central roles in democratization and winning civil rights. Modern stu ...

; he was a member of the Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (SDK), co-founding its Marikina chapter, and also became the first Secretary General of the Youth and Students Bureau of the

Communist Party of the Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP; ) is a far-left, Marxist–Leninist–Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. The CPP has been fighting a gue ...

. As an activist during

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 ...

's regime, he was imprisoned thrice: in 1973, 1975, and 1979.

House of Representatives of the Philippines (1992–2001)

Elections

, Candazo was elected to the

, representing Marikina's at-large district. He was subsequently re-elected in

and

Tenure

Candazo took office on June 30, 1992. Throughout his tenure, he had authored or co-authored 488 bills in Congress. His legislative portfolio largely revolved around livelihood opportunities and skills training to his poverty-stricken citizens within the city. While in Congress, Candazo maintained a shaky relationship with Mayor Bayani Fernando, although they collaborated in the efforts for Marikina cityhood, which succeeded in 1996. In August 1996, Candazo met with editors of the ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broad ...

''. He anonymously testified how legislators and other government officials earned from overpricing projects in order to receive large commissions. Articles published following the meetings sparked public outrage over the misuse of the Countrywide Development Fund (CDF). His identity remained undisclosed up to his death. His testimony would later become the subject of the publication's exposé on the CDF. Candazo left the office on June 30, 2001; he was succeeded by future mayor Del de Guzman.

2001 Marikina mayoral campaign

Upon reaching the term limit as a representative, Candazo ran for the mayoralty of Marikina under the

. Candazo lost the election to Marides Fernando, who would serve until 2010.

2010 congressional campaign

In 2010, Candazo sought a comeback to the

. He ran in the second district under the

Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (), formerly Partido ng Masang Pilipino (), is a populist political party in the Philippines. It is the political party of former Philippine President Joseph E. Estrada. In the May 1998 presidential election, ...

banner. He lost to Miro Quimbo, placing third in the polls. He received 10,883 votes, or 13.52% of the votes.

Personal life and death

Candazo worked as a writer and news anchor. Candazo died on August 19, 2013, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. His wake was held in Concepcion Uno, Marikina. He was buried in Iglesia Filipina Independiente Cemetery.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Candazo, Romeo 1952 births 2013 deaths Filipino socialists Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Marikina People from Marikina People from Rizal (province)