Danilo Suarez

Suarez attended West 1 and Quezon High in Lucena. As a working student, he tried everything from shining shoes, to selling newspapers, to being a hotel bellboy. Armed with nothing but his wits, he moved to Manila to find greener pastures. There, he met his wife Aleta. They had a difficult life, but perseverance rewarded them with better opportunities. The Suarez couple found their calling as entrepreneurs, and in 1992, started giving back to the people of Quezon through public service.{{cite news|url=https://www.quezon.gov.ph/transparency/governor-danilo-e-suarez |title=Governor Danilo E. Suarez |publisher=Quezon Province |access-date=December 15, 2020}}

Suarez first served as Quezon 3rd district representative in 1992 and served for three consecutive terms until 2001. Due to term limitation, his wife Aleta ran in 2001.{{cite news |url=http://pcij.org/imag/SpecialReport/business4.html |title=Open For Business : Part 4 |last=Coronel |first=Shiela |publisher=Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism |date=July 23, 2003 |access-date=July 27, 2016 |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530185207/http://pcij.org/imag/SpecialReport/business4.html |url-status=dead }} He was appointed as vice chair of the National Road Board by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. After his wife's term ended, he served for three consecutive terms from 2004 to 2013. On January 16, 2012, Suarez assumed post as Minority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines replacing Edcel Lagman who earlier resigned due to a term-sharing agreement.{{cite news|url=http://www.philstar.com/headlines/769168/lagman-resigns-minority-leader |title=Lagman resigns as minority leader |publisher=Philippine Star |date=January 20, 2012 |access-date=July 27, 2016}}{{cite news |url=http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=5&title=Suarez-new-minority-head-after-Lagman&id=44415 |title=Suarez new minority head after Lagman |publisher=BusinessWorld |date=January 4, 2012 |access-date=July 27, 2016 |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331104106/http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=5&title=Suarez-new-minority-head-after-Lagman&id=44415 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|url=http://news.abs-cbn.com/-depth/01/05/12/lagman-suarez-squabble-over-minority-leadership |title=Lagman, Suarez squabble over minority leadership |publisher=ABS-CBN News |date=January 5, 2012 |access-date=July 27, 2016}}

He ran again unopposed during the 2016 election. He then ran for the Speakership in the 17th Congress of the Philippines but lost to Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez where he got 7 votes while Teddy Baguilat got 8 votes. Even though it is a tradition that the one who got the second highest votes is automatically the minority floor leader, a change in the house rules says that there should be an election within the minority bloc. He won as minority floor leader during the election on July 27, 2016, with 22 votes and 3 abstentions.{{cite news|url=http://www.rappler.com/nation/141057-quezon-3rd-district-representative-danilo-suarez-elected-house-minority-leader |title=Danilo Suarez elected as House minority leader |publisher=Rappler |date=July 27, 2016 |access-date=July 27, 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://www.rappler.com/nation/140848-no-minority-leader-house |title=Still no minority leader for House? |publisher=Rappler |date=July 25, 2016 |access-date=July 27, 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/575263/news/nation/quezon-s-danilo-suarez-elected-house-minority-leader |title=Quezon's Danilo Suarez elected House minority leader |publisher=GMA News |date=July 27, 2016 |access-date=July 27, 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/799950/suarez-binay-ally-elected-house-minority-leader |title=Suarez — Binay ally — elected House minority leader |last=Cayabyab |first=Marc Jayson |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=July 27, 2016 |access-date=July 27, 2016}}

Suarez has been championing the protection of the environment throughout his political career. He opposed the Kaliwa Dam Project in Rizal province during the term of President Benigno Aquino III.{{Cite web|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/30/14/aquino-oks-p62-billion-worth-projects|title=Aquino OKs P62-billion worth of projects|date=May 30, 2014|website=ABS-CBN News}}

As House Representative, Suarez has been fighting for the growth and development of the local palm oil (copra) industry, urging the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other concerned agencies to stop the importation of palm oil in support of the development of the country's coconut industry.{{Cite web|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1095228/quezon-lawmaker-asks-dti-to-stop-palm-oil-importation|title=Quezon lawmaker asks DTI to stop palm oil importation|website=Inquirer.net|date=13 March 2019 }}

Suarez pushed for a congressional investigation on palm oil importation back in 2013 since it was dragging copra prices down.

Suarez introduced House Bill No. 599, an Act Mandating the Construction of the Quezon–Bicol Expressway to be called QuBEx, an expressway that shall link the provinces of Quezon with the Bicol regions starting from Malicboy in Pagbilao, Quezon and terminating in the province of Sorsogon in Bicol.{{Cite news|url=https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/11/30/quezon-bicol-expressway-okd-by-house-body/|title=Quezon-Bicol expressway OK'd by House body|work=Manila Bulletin}}

He also filed House Bill No. 6479, an act establishing Quezon Coconut Research and Development Center in Catanauan, Quezon.

He filed House Bill No. 7503, an act declaring Filipino sign language as the National sign language of the Filipino deaf. This was enacted into Republic Act No. 11106 in 2018.

{{Expand section|date=July 2021}}

Suarez was elected Governor of Quezon in 2019. He assumed office on June 30, 2019, succeeding his son David.{{cite news|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1073716|title=Save coco industry, scrap palm oil importation: Suarez|date=July 1, 2019|first=Gideon|last=Belen|work=Philippine News Agency|access-date=July 27, 2021}}

He ran for reelection in 2022, but lost to 4th district representative Angelina "Helen" Tan.

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{{s-ttl|title=Governor of Quezon|years=2019–2022}}

{{s-aft|after=Angelina Tan}}

|-

{{s-par|ph-lwr}}

{{s-bef|before=Aleta Suarez|rows=2}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the House of Representatives
from Quezon's 3rd district|years=2016–2019}}

{{s-aft|after=Aleta Suarez|rows=3}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Member of the House of Representatives
from Quezon's 3rd district|years=2004–2013}}

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{{s-bef|before=Bienvenido Marquez Jr.}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the House of Representatives
from Quezon's 3rd district|years=1992–2001}}

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{{s-bef|before=Ronaldo Zamora}}

{{s-ttl|title=House Minority Leader|years=2016–2019}}

{{s-aft|after=Benny Abante}}

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{{s-bef|before=Edcel Lagman}}

{{s-ttl|title=House Minority Leader|years=2012–2013}}

{{s-aft|after=Ronaldo Zamora}}

{{s-end}}

{{Quezon House Representatives}}

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Category:Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Quezon

Category:People from Lucena, Philippines

Category:Lakas–CMD (1991) politicians

Category:1942 births

Category:Living people

Category:Minority leaders of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

Category:Governors of Quezon

Category:Filipino columnists