John Castriciones
Castriciones in 2018
14th Secretary of Agrarian Reform
In office
December 1, 2017 – October 8, 2021
PresidentRodrigo Duterte
Preceded byRosalina Bistoyong (OIC)
Succeeded byBernie Cruz (acting)[1]
Undersecretary for Operations of the
Department of the Interior and Local Government
In office
July 1, 2016 – November 30, 2017
PresidentRodrigo Duterte
Preceded byRafael Santos
Succeeded byEpimaco V. Densing III
Personal details
Born
John Rualo Castriciones

(1962-01-08) January 8, 1962
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines
Political partyPDP–Laban (2016–2018, 2021–present)
Other political
affiliations		PFP (2018–2021)
Alma materTrinity University of Asia
(AB)
Philippine Military Academy
San Beda University
Arellano University
(LL.B)
University of Notre Dame (LL.M)
ProfessionLawyer, professor

John Rualo Castriciones (born January 8, 1962), also known by the nickname Bro. John, is a Filipino lawyer and writer who served as the Secretary of Agrarian Reform under the Duterte administration from 2017 to 2021.[2] He was formerly Undersecretary for Operations of the Department of the Interior and Local Government from 2016 to 2017.[3] A member of the Philippine Military Academy "Maharlika" class of 1984, Castriciones also served in various capacities under two previous administrations and as a law school professor at his alma mater Arellano University.[3][4] His appointment to the Agrarian Reform portfolio was approved by the Commission on Appointments on May 29, 2018, after being bypassed earlier by the commission on March 14, 2018, and reappointed by Duterte on March 22, 2018.[5][6][7] Castriciones founded the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas[8][9][10][11] together with the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC).

Castriciones is a native of the province of Nueva Vizcaya. He was born on January 8, 1962, to a family of farmers in the municipality of Bayombong.[4][6] As a young cadet-student at the Philippine Military Academy during Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos, Castriciones was accused in the 1981 hazing death of fellow cadet Andres Ramos and was sentenced to five years of hard labor by a seven-man military court in July 1982.[12] He was pardoned four year later by the then newly installed President Corazon Aquino.[13]

Castriciones then enrolled at the Trinity University of Asia in Quezon City, formerly Trinity College, and graduated magna cum laude with a political science degree.[4] He went on to attend San Beda University, former San Beda College, and Arellano University to pursue legal studies where he was consistently in the Dean's List. Castriciones passed the Philippine Bar Examination in 1990.[3] He later earned an LL.M. master's degree in Comparative Government and International Law from Notre Dame Law School in London, U.K. in 1998.[3][4]

Castriciones completed his military training at the Philippine Military Academy in 1994 as part of the Maharlika Class.[3]

Career

Castriciones started practicing law in 1993 and has since litigated in both Inferior and Superior Courts, Administrative Bodies, Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan.[14] He served as legal counsel for several corporations and government officials in his more than 20 years of private law practice. Castriciones eventually founded his own law firm, the Castriciones Legal Consultancy, where his lawyer children also practice.[3]

While a private lawyer, Castriciones also taught at Arellano University School of Law where he specialized in Corporation Law, Obligations and Contracts, Sales Investment Law, Public and Private International Law and Civil Procedure.[4] He is also a former lecturer in the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) program of the Supreme Court of the Philippines for three years.[4] Castriciones has also authored several books throughout his career, including Internal Revolution: Political Vengeance and Societal Perdition (2011); A Risen Catholic Christian Soldier (1998); Philippine Military Academy Hazing Case: A General’s Son Dies (1990); and Sagutin Natin (1984).[3][14]

Castriciones entered the government sector in 2009 as Director of the Department of Transportation's Investigation, Security and Law Enforcement Service (ISLES) under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.[3] He also served as Legal Consultant of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and as assistant spokesman and deputy chairman of Task Force Gabay at Tagapagligtas sa Karagatan of the Transportation department.[3] He was reappointed to the same post in the Transportation department under President Benigno Aquino III.[15]

During the 2016 Philippine presidential election, Castriciones served as PDP–Laban's vice-president for Luzon who also supported the candidacy of then-mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte, as president of the Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte for President Movement (MRRDPM).[16] He was eventually appointed by Duterte as Undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government upon his assumption to office.[3]

In February 2018, Castriciones helped form the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas where he once served as the party's president. The political party supports the Duterte administration's campaign for a shift to federalism.[17] Castriciones, who earlier expressed interest in running for a senatorial post in the 2019 Philippine Senate election, announced in October 2018 that he was dropping out of the senatorial race and will be keeping his post as Agrarian Reform secretary. [18] In October 2021, he stepped down as secretary to run for senator in 2022 under PDP–Laban.[19] He was also named as the guest candidate under the senatorial slate of Isko Moreno,[20] as he has expressed support to his candidacy for president.[21] Castriciones lost after placing 49th in the official results and garnering over 719 thousand votes.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Yumol, David Tristan (October 30, 2021). "Duterte taps Usec Bernie Cruz as acting DAR secretary". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ Placido, D. (December 1, 2017). "Duterte names DILG exec acting agrarian reform chief". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "About the Secretary". Department of Agrarian Reform. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cabinet Secretaries Castriciones, Romulo-Puyat, Guevarra, COMELEC Commissioner, DFA senior officials, AFP Chief and ranking officers breeze through the CA" (PDF). Commission on Appointments. May 30, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ Ager, M. (May 29, 2018). "CA body confirms DAR Secretary Castriciones". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Reganit, J.C. (March 14, 2018). "CA suspends confirmation of DAR Secretary". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ Ganibe, D. (April 11, 2018). "Castriciones reappointed as acting DAR secretary". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Amid speculations on his run, Bongbong Marcos joins pro-Duterte party PFP". Rappler. October 5, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  9. ↑ Cruz, Angie dela. "Partido Federal ng Pilipinas , pormal nang inilunsad sa QC". Philstar.com. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Chairmanship ng Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, iniaalok kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte". Radyo La Verdad. October 9, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Partido Federal ng Pilipinas inilunsad sa QC, Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte tatakbong alkalde". saktoNEWS. October 8, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  12. ↑ Hollie, P. (August 15, 1982). "Philippine Military Academy is under attack". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  13. ↑ Orellana, F. (June 2, 2018). "Courage slams confirmation of Castriciones as DAR chief". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  14. 1 2 "John R. Castriciones". Land Bank of the Philippines. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) - Career Executive Service Board" (PDF). Department of Transportation (Philippines). Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  16. ↑ Nonato, V. (October 30, 2015). "'Insulted' Diño withdraws PDP–Laban candidacy". BusinessWorld. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  17. ↑ Pilapil, J. (December 18, 2018). "Federal party wants Duterte as chairman". The Manila Times. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  18. ↑ Mayuga, J. (October 17, 2018). "Castriciones drops senatorial plan, opts to keep DAR post". BusinessMirror. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  19. ↑ Patinio, Ferdinand (October 8, 2021). "PRRD attends PDP-Laban bets' COC filing". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  20. ↑ JOAHNA LEI CASILAO (February 24, 2022). "Ex-DAR chief Castriciones now included in Isko-Ong Senate slate — Aksyon Demokratiko". GMA News Online. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Duterte volunteer group, allies back Isko Moreno presidential bid". Rappler. February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
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