Emilio Espinosa Jr.

Early political career

At the age of 18, Espinosa joined guerrilla forces during World War II. He was elected to the Masbate Provincial Board in 1955.^[1]

In 1957, Espinosa was first elected to the House of Representatives under the Nacionalista Party, representing Masbate's at-large district. He served in the 4th and 5th Congresses until 1965.^[2] In 1963, he was named by the Philippines Free Press as one of the country's 10 outstanding congressmen.

Cabinet service under Marcos

Espinosa was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos as the first secretary of labor of his administration in December 1965. His tenure in the department was marked by a stronger push for the implementation of the minimum wage law, with Espinosa proposing stricter penalties for violating employers. He also ordered stricter enforcement of the eight-hour labor law and proposed overtime pay equivalent to 25% of a worker's regular salary for employees working beyond the prescribed limit.^[1] He left his cabinet post in September 1967 to run for the Senate.^[3]

Congressional return and first gubernatorial tenure

Espinosa was fielded by the Nacionalista Party as one of its eight candidates in the 1967 senatorial elections, but placed ninth, falling short by nearly 200,000 votes. He ran for another term in the House in 1969 and won, serving until the imposition of martial law in September 1972. In 1975, he was appointed governor of Masbate.^[4] In 1976, he concurrently served as a member of the Batasang Bayan, a presidential advisory body on legislation representing the Bicol Region.^[2]

Malacañang official and Batasang Pambansa

Espinosa briefly served as presidential executive assistant in Malacañang in 1969, and as Political Affairs Executive Assistant from 1972 to 1976. He ran and won under the banner of Kilusang Bagong Lipunan in the 1978 election for the Interim Batasang Pambansa as one of the representatives from Region V.

Second gubernatorial tenure

Espinosa later ran for governor of Masbate for a second term in 1980 while also serving in the national legislature. His term was cut short after the 1986 People Power Revolution, when President Corazon Aquino appointed officers in charge in various local government units. He later ran in the 1988 local elections, the first held under the new Constitution, and won three consecutive terms until 1998.^[4] It was in his term as governor in 1993 that the annual Rodeo Festival was first held.^[5]

Return to the House

Espinosa returned to the House of Representatives in 1998, representing Masbate's 2nd district, and served until 2007.^[2] He authored notable legislation such as Republic Act (RA) No. 9239, or the Optical Media Act of 2003; RA No. 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003; and RA No. 8807, or the law converting the municipality of Masbate into the component city of Masbate.^[6] He was elected deputy speaker for Luzon on July 23, 2001, during the 12th Congress, and again on July 27, 2004, during the 13th Congress, under the speakership of Jose de Venecia Jr.^[7][8]