Prospero Nograles

{{Short description|Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2008 to 2010}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Honorable

| name = Prospero Nograles

| image = Prospero Nograles.jpg

| image_size = 220px

| smallimage =

| caption =

| order = 19th

| office = Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

| term_start = February 5, 2008

| term_end = June 30, 2010

| predecessor = Jose de Venecia

| successor = Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

| office3 = Member of the
Philippine House of Representatives
from Davao City's 1st district

| term_start3 = June 30, 2001

| term_end3 = June 30, 2010

| predecessor3 = Rodrigo Duterte

| successor3 = Karlo Nograles

| term_start4 = June 30, 1995

| term_end4 = June 30, 1998

| predecessor4 = Jesus Dureza

| successor4 = Rodrigo Duterte

| term_start5 = June 16, 1989

| term_end5 = June 30, 1992

| predecessor5 = Jesus Dureza

| successor5 = Jesus Dureza

| birth_name = Prospero Rafael Castillo Nograles

| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|10|30|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Davao City, Philippines

| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|5|4|1947|10|30|mf=y}}

| death_place = Davao City, Philippines

| party = NUP (2011–2019)

| otherparty = Lakas–CMD (1995–2011)
LDP (1988–1995)
Lakas ng Bansa (1987–1988)

| spouse = Rhodora Bendigo

| relations =

| children = Karlo
Jericho
Margarita
Kristine Elizabeth

| residence = Davao City

| alma_mater = Ateneo de Manila University (BA, LL.B)

| occupation = Politician

| profession = Lawyer

| signature =

| footnotes =

}}

Prospero Rafael Castillo Nograles (October 30, 1947 – May 4, 2019, {{IPA|tl|nɔˈɡrɐlɛs|pron}}) also known as "Boy" or "Nogie", was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the speaker of the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2010.{{cite news | url = https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1113780/breaking-former-house-speaker-prospero-nograles-dies-at-71 | title = Former House Speaker Prospero Nograles dies at 71 | newspaper = Inquirer}} He was the first speaker from Mindanao in a hundred years of Philippine legislative history.{{cite news |first=Maila |last=Ager |title=Nograles is new House Speaker |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080205-116796/Nograles-is-new-House-speaker |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=February 5, 2008 |access-date=February 5, 2008 }} From 1989 to 2010, he served as the representative for Davao City's 1st district.

Biography

=Early life and education=

Nograles was born on October 30, 1947 in Davao City. He finished his elementary and secondary education at the Ateneo de Davao University. He then studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1967. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila Law School in 1971{{cite web |url=http://i-site.ph/Databases/Congress/13thHouse/personal/nograles-personal.html |title=Prospero Nograles – Personal Information |access-date=February 4, 2008 |work=I-Site.ph }} and placed second in the bar examinations of the same year with an average score of 90.95 percent.

=Early political career=

Nograles was active in the political opposition against President Ferdinand Marcos.{{cite news |title=Former House Speaker Prospero Nograles dies at 71 |url=https://www.rappler.com/nation/229667-former-house-speaker-prospero-nograles-dies |access-date=May 5, 2019 |work=Rappler}} He was involved in the litigation of human rights cases during that period, and he actively campaigned for Corazon Aquino in the 1986 snap presidential election.

After Aquino's assumption to power, Nograles sought a seat in the House of Representatives in 1987 for the first district of Davao City but initially lost to Jesus Dureza. Nograles was eventually seated into Congress in 1989 following a favorable decisionby the House Electoral Tribunal.{{cite news |first=Jeffrey M. |last=Tupas |author2=Germelina Lacorte |title=Nograles from human rights lawyer to Arroyo's 'lapdog' |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080204-116751/Nograles-from-human-rights-lawyer-to-Arroyos-lapdog |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date= February 4, 2008 |access-date=February 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928104611/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080204-116751/Nograles-from-human-rights-lawyer-to-Arroyos-lapdog|archive-date=September 28, 2012}}

In 1992, Nograles gave up his congressional seat to mount an unsuccessful bid for mayor of Davao City against re-electionist Rodrigo Duterte. He was defeated by Duterte with a landslide margin of 112,000 votes.{{cite news |title=Duterte condoles with family of late ex-Speaker, rival Nograles |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1113973/duterte-condoles-with-family-of-late-ex-speaker-rival-nograles |access-date=May 5, 2019 |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer |quote=In 1992, Prospero ran against but lost to then reelectionist mayor and now President Duterte.}}{{cite news |title=Ex-House Speaker Prospero Nograles dead at age 71 |url=https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/05/04/1914976/ex-house-speaker-prospero-nograles-dead-age-71 |access-date=May 5, 2019 |work=The Philippine Star|quote=Their rivalry started in 1992 during the Davao mayoral elections when both traded barbs against each other. Duterte was then running for second term as mayor and Nograles was trying his hand for the mayoral post. Nograles was defeated by Duterte.}} After his second unconsecutive term in Congress, Nograles launched another bid for mayor of Davao in 1998. He lost to Duterte-backed Vice Mayor Benjamin de Guzman, who would later become his political ally.

Nograles returned to his congressional seat in 2001 and was re-elected unopposed for two more terms in 2004 and 2007. During his stay in Congress, Nograles chaired the Special Committee on Law Enforcement and its subcommittee on Gambling, Committee on Housing and Urban Development, and the Committee on Rules. He authored 17 bills and co-authored 85 bills.

=Speaker of the House=

In 2008, several members of Congress dissatisfied with the leadership of House Speaker Jose de Venecia expressed support for Nograles to replace de Venecia as speaker.{{cite news |first=Norman |last=Bordadora |title=Would-be successor was De Venecia's No. 2 |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080204-116596/Would-be-successor-was-De-Venecias-No-2 |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=February 4, 2008 |access-date=February 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204100822/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080204-116596/Would-be-successor-was-De-Venecias-No-2 |archive-date=February 4, 2008 |url-status=dead }} On February 5, 2008, majority of House members approved a motion to declare House speakership vacant.{{cite news |title=De Venecia ousted as House speaker |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080204-116757/De-Venecia-ousted-as-House-speaker |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=February 5, 2008 |access-date=February 5, 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207003740/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080204-116757/De-Venecia-ousted-as-House-speaker |archivedate=February 7, 2008 }} Shortly thereafter, de Venecia nominated Nograles as his replacement. No objections were posed to Nograles' unopposed election.

=2010 mayoralty bid and reconciliation with Rodrigo Duterte=

Nograles ran again for mayor of Davao City in 2010,{{cite news |title=Nograles, Duterte end decades of political rift |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/11/28/15/nograles-duterte-end-decades-of-political-rift |access-date=May 5, 2019 |work=ABS-CBN News|quote=In 2010, Prospero ran again for mayor but lost to Duterte’s daughter Sara. }} this time to Vice Mayor Sara Duterte, daughter of his long-time political nemesis, then-mayor and future president Rodrigo Duterte who ran for vice mayor. Nograles lost to the younger Duterte by a margin of 200,000 votes while his running mate, former mayor Benjamin de Guzman, lost to the elder Duterte by a wider margin of 300,000 votes.

After thirty years of political rivalry, Nograles and Duterte eventually reconciled on November 27, 2015 when Nograles supported Duterte's 2016 presidential bid.

=Post-Congress=

In September 2016, reports surfaced that Nograles' bodyguards were killed by the Davao Death Squad (DDS) when he ran for mayor against Sara Duterte in 2010.{{cite news |title=Ex-Speaker Nograles: Aides alive, not killed by Davao Death Squad |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/815740/ex-speaker-nograles-aides-alive-not-killed-by-davao-death-squad |access-date=May 5, 2019 |date=September 15, 2016}} Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed DDS member, claimed that the group had kidnapped and killed four supporters of Nograles in Samal, Davao del Norte upon the orders of then-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.{{cite news |title='DDS member' says Duterte ordered slay of Nograles supporters |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/815487/dds-member-says-duterte-ordered-slay-of-nograles-supporters |access-date=May 5, 2019 |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer}} Nograles denied the claim.

On March 7, 2017, the Ombudsman filed graft and malversation charges against Nograles for alleged misuse of pork barrel funds for "ghost projects" when he was caretaker congressman for Misamis Oriental. The investigation showed that the Department of Budget and Management had released {{Philippine peso|47 million|link=yes}} of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for "bogus" projects and foundations.{{cite news |date=March 7, 2017 |title=Nograles faces raps for P47-M pork barrel misuse |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/878256/nograles-faces-raps-for-p47-m-pork-barrel-misuse |access-date=May 5, 2019}}

=Death=

Nograles died of respiratory failure on May 4, 2019. He was 71.{{cite news |title=Ex-Speaker Prospero Nograles passes away |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/04/19/ex-speaker-prospero-nograles-passes-away |access-date=May 5, 2019 |work=ABS-CBN News}} President Duterte attended his wake and expressed his condolences to the Nograles family.{{cite news |title=Duterte speaks of Nograles legacy |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1113965/duterte-speaks-of-nograles-legacy |access-date=May 5, 2019 |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer}} He was interred at the Forest Lake Memorial Park in Davao City.{{cite news|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/13/19/former-house-speaker-boy-nograles-laid-to-rest|title=Former House Speaker Boy Nograles laid to rest|first=Hernel|last=Tocmo|accessdate=January 8, 2022|work=ABS-CBN News|date=May 13, 2019}}