Prospero Nograles

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^[4][5] 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.^[1] 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.^[6][1]

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.^[6]

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.^[5][7] 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.^[6]

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.^[8] On February 5, 2008, majority of House members approved a motion to declare House speakership vacant.^[9] Shortly thereafter, de Venecia nominated Nograles as his replacement. No objections were posed to Nograles' unopposed election.^[3]

2010 mayoralty bid and reconciliation with Rodrigo Duterte

Nograles ran again for mayor of Davao City in 2010,^[10] 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.^[10] 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.^[10]

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.^[11] 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.^[12] 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 ₱47 million of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for "bogus" projects and foundations.^[13]

Death

Nograles died of respiratory failure on May 4, 2019. He was 71.^[14] President Duterte attended his wake and expressed his condolences to the Nograles family.^[15] He was interred at the Forest Lake Memorial Park in Davao City.^[16]