Joseph Emilio Abaya

Joseph Emilio "Jun" Aguinaldo Abaya (born May 28, 1966) is a Filipino politician, lawyer, and military officer. He is the incumbent Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) of the Philippines. A member of the Liberal Party, he has been elected to three terms as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representing the 1st District of Cavite. He first won election to the House in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007.

Early life

Jun, as he is commonly called, is the great grandson of the first Philippine president, Emilio Aguinaldo, and the descendant of Isabelo Abaya, the revolutionary hero and founding father of Candon, Ilocos Sur. He is also the second son of the three-term Congressman Plaridel M. Abaya.

Education

Jun finished his elementary education at the De La Salle University in 1979. During his secondary schoolyears, he was a consistent honor student at the Philippine Science High School that he became a University and College Scholar of the University of the Philippines where he took his engineering studies. While in UP, Jun took and topped the entrance examination for the Philippine Military Academy that he was sent by the government to the US Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland 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 in Ithaca, New York and completed Master's degree in Electrical Engineering (1989 - he was also a fellowship awardee).

He thought it fit to prepare himself further as a lawmaker that he studied law. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law of Ateneo de Manila University in April 2005. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2007.

Career history

Prior to representing the first district of Cavite to the House of Representatives in 2004, he first served in the Armed Forces of the Philippines as a cadet (1984–1988) and as a naval officer of the Philippine Navy (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. 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.

During the 15th Congress (2010) and on his last term, he serves as the chairman of House Committee on Appropriations.

In 2009, he among with fellow representatives of Cavite -- Elpidio Barzaga, Jr. and Jesus Crispin Remulla—authored the biggest congressional reapportionment in the history of the Philippines by passing Republic Act No. 9727, unofficially titled The Cavite Congressional Reapportionment Act of 2009, bringing the representatives of Cavite from three to seven.

Affiliations

He was the Vice president of PMA Maringal Class of 1988 and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Friends of Aguinaldo Shrine.

References

• "Member Information: Joseph Emilio A. Abaya". House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved 2008-03-19. 

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