Luis Villafuerte

Villafuerte was the son of Mariano E. Villafuerte Sr., a lawyer who became a member of the National Assembly of the Philippines during the Commonwealth era and Governor of Camarines Sur during the Japanese occupation. During the liberation of Naga in May 1942, his father and his pregnant mother, Soledad Robredo Villafuerte, were on their way to Legazpi, Albay when were killed by members of the Tangcong Vaca Guerrilla Unit (TVGU) in Barrio Vito, Siruma in Camarines Sur for allegedly collaborating with the Japanese during World War II. His elder brother, Mariano ("Titoy"; born 1929), later became vice mayor of Naga City. Villafuerte graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law with a degree in law and was a member of the Sigma Rho fraternity. He subsequently worked in the private sector as a lawyer, businessman and investment banker based in the United States before becoming Senior Executive Vice President of the Bancom Development Corporation from 1965 to 1974. ==Politics==

Villafurte was an assemblyman in the Batasang Pambansa from 1978 to 1986. He also served as the Minister of Trade in the cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos from 1979 to 1981. However, he then broke with Marcos and joined the opposition UNIDO party. While campaigning for him during the 1984 Philippine parliamentary election, his sister-in-law Rosita Villafuerte, who was also the Vice Mayor of Sipocot, Camarines Sur, was assassinated after speaking at a rally. After Marcos was overthrown in 1986, Villafuerte served as Secretary of Government Reorganization under President Corazon Aquino. He defeated singer and actress Nora Aunor to win his third and final term as governor, ending in 2004. At the same time, Villafuerte was the first president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines from 1988 to 1990 and from 1998 to 2004. During his tenure, Villafuerte was accused of involvement in the Fertilizer Fund scam, but was acquitted in 2018. In 2004, he was elected to the House of Representatives representing Camarines Sur and served until 2013. He also supported proposals to split parts of Camarines Sur into a separate province to be called Nueva Camarines, which resulted in a feud with his son and successor as governor, Luis Raymund Villafuerte. In 2013, he ran again for governor but lost to his grandson Miguel Luis Villafuerte, which occurred during a falling-out between the two in which the latter was supported by his father, Luis Raymund. The three reconciled in 2018. ==Personal life and death==

Villafuerte was married to Nelly Favis and had six children, including Luis Raymund Villafuerte, who also entered politics. Villafuerte was the uncle of Jesse Robredo, whom he influenced to enter politics beginning with the mayorship of Naga in 1988. However, the two fell out in 1992 following allegations of corruption and jueteng involving the Villafuertes, which led to Villafuerte disowning Robredo and attempting to have him disqualified from public office multiple times. Villafuerte died on September 8, 2021, at the St. Luke's Medical Center – Global City, at the age of 86. ==References==