Juliet Marie "Yoyette" Benedicto de Leon-Ferrer (born July 1, 1969) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the representative of the Fourth District of Negros Occidental in the

House of Representatives of the Philippines The House of Representatives (; '','' thus commonly referred to as ''Kamara'') is the lower house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the Senate of the Philippines as the upper house. The ...

from 2016 to 2025.

Early life and education

Juliet Marie Ferrer was born on July 1, 1969, in La Carlota,

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental (; ), officially the Province of Negros Occidental (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Negros, Negros Island. Its capital is the city of Bacolod, of which it is geographically s ...

, Philippines. She is the daughter of Richard De Leon and television producer Kitchie Benedicto, and the granddaughter of former ambassador and businessman

Roberto Benedicto Roberto Salas Benedicto (April 17, 1917 – May 15, 2000) was a Filipino lawyer, ambassador, diplomat, and banker historically most remembered as a crony of President Ferdinand Marcos. Benedicto owned Philippine Exchange Company, the '' Phili ...

. She earned her Bachelor of Laws degree, later passing the bar to become a practicing lawyer.

Political career

Ferrer began her political career when she was elected as the representative of the Fourth District of Negros Occidental in 2016, succeeding her husband, Jeffrey Ferrer. She has been re-elected since then and has served in various capacities in the House of Representatives. She was the chairperson of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms from 2019 to present. In 2022, she was elected chairperson of the House Committee on Justice, where she also served as an ex-officio member of the Judicial and Bar Council. In the May 13, 2019 elections, Ferrer ran under the National Unity Party (NUP) and defeated independent candidate Enrique Erobas and Ann Joan Lenling of PDDS-DPP.

Personal life

She is married to Jeffrey Ferrer, the Vice Governor of Negros Occidental and a former congressman. Their son Julius Martin Asistio, her son from her previous husband, is a councilor in La Carlota City.

References

1969 births Living people 21st-century Filipino lawyers Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Negros Occidental National Unity Party (Philippines) politicians Women members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines {{Philippines-politician-stub