Fredenil Castro

Political career

Castro was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2001, representing the 2nd district of Capiz. He was re-elected in 2004 and 2007, thus reaching the limit of three consecutive terms in 2010. During his first two terms in the House, Castro was a member of the Liberal Party and an ally of fellow Capiznon Mar Roxas (who at that time was trade secretary and later a senator). In the 2007 elections, he ran under Lakas–CMD, the party supporting then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He also served as the chairman of the party's Capiz chapter.

In 2009, Castro also chaired the Capiz-based local party Ugyon Kita Capiz (UKC). With UKC, his wife Jane Tan-Castro was elected to the position he vacated. Jane served as the 2nd district's representative from 2010 to 2013. The Castros also allied themselves with former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, who was facing allegations of plunder. Bolante was UKC's vice-chairman who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2010.

Castro successfully returned to the House in 2013. Running under the National Unity Party (NUP; formed by disgruntled Lakas members), he defeated Maria Andaya of the Liberal Party. He then became chair of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms in the 16th Congress.

In November 2013, Castro's committee unanimously approved House Bill 3587 or the Anti-Political Dynasty Act of 2013, which aims to prohibit relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity to hold or run for public offices in successive, simultaneous, or overlapping terms. It was the first time since 1988 that an anti-political dynasty bill passed the committee level. Castro then delivered the bill's sponsorship speech in May 2014, calling on his colleagues to "place the interest of the country ahead of personal interest".

Castro was unopposed in the 2016 elections. In the 17th Congress, he was elected by the House as one of the deputy speakers under Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

Before they were elected to their leadership posts, Castro and Alvarez co-authored House Bill No. 1 which aimed to restore capital punishment. The bill proposed lethal injection for crimes such as human trafficking, plunder, treason, parricide, infanticide, rape, piracy, bribery, kidnapping, illegal detention, robbery, car theft, destructive arson, terrorism, and drug-related cases.

Castro voted for the abolition of capital punishment back in 2006, but has changed his mind, explaining that he "could not accept the way crimes are being committed" in the country. The bill was approved by the House on its third and final reading on March 7, 2017. However, numerous amendments transformed it into House Bill No. 4727 with only drug-related crimes as capital offenses, in support of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

Castro and Alvarez also co-authored House Bill No. 2 which aims to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 9 years old. Their joint statement reasoned that youth offenders "commit crimes knowing they can get away with it" and that adult criminals "knowingly and purposely make use of youth below 15 years old to commit crimes… aware that they cannot be held criminally liable." The bill was criticized by child rights advocates, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and opposition legislators. On January 28, 2019 the House approved on the third and final reading House Bill No. 8858, which aimed to set the age of criminal responsibility at 12 years old instead. He also served as Majority Floor Leader of the House during the 17th Congress.

In 2022, Castro was elected Governor of Capiz. In September 2024, ahead of his 2025 reelection bid, Castro founded the One Capiz local party.

Personal life

He took up a Bachelor of Arts at Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion, graduating in 1971, and he attained a Bachelor of Laws in San Beda College in 1975. He is a member of the Legal Management Council of the Philippines and the Association of Bank Lawyers of the Philippines.

He is married to Jane Tan. The couple reportedly became parents to twins through a Russian surrogate mother.

References

References

1. (November 17, 2018). "Certified List of Candidates - Capiz". Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
2. (2015). "Philippine Electoral Almanac". Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office.
3. (May 21, 2013). "Castro open to reconciliation with LP". The Daily Guardian.
4. (June 6, 2007). "An abnormal return to normality".
5. (May 22, 2007). "Arroyo allies dominate Philippine lower house polls". Reuters.
6. (February 4, 2010). "Unfazed by raps, Bolante running for Capiz gov". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
7. "Former Agri execs urged to name mastermind". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
8. (March 10, 2009). "Report: Bolante's gubernatorial bid gets more support".
9. (November 10, 2011). "National Unity Party accredited". The Manila Bulletin.
10. (January 21, 2019). "Who is new House Majority Leader Fredenil Castro?". The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
11. (May 6, 2014). "Anti-political dynasty bill makes historic debut in House plenary".
12. (May 7, 2014). "House starts debates on anti-political dynasty bill". Manila Standard.
13. (May 13, 2016). "Old names, faces dominating the 2016 elections". ABS-CBN.
14. (July 25, 2016). "Pantaleon Alvarez is new House Speaker". Rappler.
15. (July 7, 2016). "House Bill No. 1: Restore the death penalty". The Philippine Star.
16. (December 15, 2020). "Solon: House has 'overwhelming' support for death penalty bill". ABS-CBN News.
17. (March 7, 2017). "House approves death penalty bill on final reading". ABS-CBN News.
18. (July 6, 2016). "Congressmen want 9-year-old kids charged for crimes". Rappler.
19. (November 21, 2016). "Lower criminal liability age nixed". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
20. (February 2, 2017). "Alvarez stands firm on lowering minimum age of criminal responsibility". CNN Philippines.
21. (January 28, 2019). "House OKs on final reading bill lowering age of criminal responsibility to 12". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
22. Guardian, Daily. (2024-09-23). "One Capiz political party launched in Roxas City".
23. Yap, Tara. (October 9, 2024). "Castro vs Contreras for governor of Capiz". [[Manila Bulletin]].
24. (18 March 2021). "Russia's liberal surrogacy rules are under threat". The Economist.