Juan Manuel García Passalacqua
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Juan Manuel Garcia-Passalacqua (born February 22, 1937 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a well known lawyer, writer and political analyst. He was born in the San Juan's Hato Rey district.
Garcia Passalacqua showed interest in studying from a very young age, and he holds degrees from Tufts, Tulane and Harvard universities. His father was a biology professor at the University of Puerto Rico and candidate for governor for the Puerto Rican Independence Party.
After obtaining his lawyer's degree, he went on to work as special helper of governors Luis Muñoz Marín and Roberto Sanchez Vilella, both of the PPD. He was a member of a reformist group, known in Puerto Rico as The 22.
Garcia-Passalacqua later showed discontent with the PPD, eventually leaving the party. He became a television producer in Puerto Rico; one of his most important shows was Cara a Cara (Face to Face).
During the 1980s, Garcia-Passalacqua became one of the most sought after political analysts by other television producers. He became a common figure on Puerto Rican television during election years.
Garcia-Passalacqua is known to give his opinion or criticism of Puerto Rican parties without particularly lining up with or against any of the three major parties there, but with the agenda that favors an associate republic political relations with the United States, position he has stated since his masters of law degree thesis from Tulane Law School.
He has also written columns for such newspapers as El Nuevo Dia (The New Day), El Vocero (The Spokesperson) and The San Juan Star.
In 2006, he returned to Puerto Rico's most respected news radio station, WKAQ-AM, as an on-air political commentator.
He was also co-director of the Puerto Rico Junior College for a small period of time.
Juan-Ma, as he is referred by some, can be seen on Medio Día Puerto Rico (Midday Puerto Rico), during the lunchtime hours on Televicentro Puerto Rico in a segment called "La Escuelita" (The Small Schoolhouse). One of his trademarks is that he never looks at the television camera, but at the monitor, instead.
