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Stephen Paduano

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Filipino politician (born 1965) In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Salupeza and the surname or paternal family name is Paduano.
Stephen Paduano
Official portrait, 2023
Chair of the House Public Accounts Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 27, 2022
Preceded byJose Singson Jr.
House Minority Leader
In office
October 19, 2020 – June 30, 2022
Preceded byBienvenido Abante
Succeeded byMarcelino Libanan
Member of the House of Representatives for Abang Lingkod
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 28, 2014
Personal details
BornJoseph Stephen Salupeza Paduano
(1965-01-22) January 22, 1965 (age 59)
Enrique B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Political partyAbang Lingkod (from 2012)
Other political
affiliations		Revolutionary Workers' Party (until 2012)
Communist Party of the Philippines (1982–?)
OccupationPolitician
Rebel career
Other name(s)Carapali Lualhalti
AllegianceRevolutionary Proletarian Army
Years of service1996–2012 (RPA-ABB)

Joseph Stephen Salupeza Paduano (born January 22, 1965), also known by his nom de guerre Carapali Lualhati, is a Filipino politician who previously served as the House Minority Leader from 2020 to 2022. He has been the party-list representative for Abang Lingkod since 2014.

He was the national commander of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), an armed communist revolutionary group.

Activism

Paduano became a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in 1982 at the age of 17, which went against his aunt Haydee Yorac's wishes to send him to school; Yorac herself had experienced being a member of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930 (PKP) in the 1960s.

He later became part of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army—Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), the military wing of the Revolutionary Workers' Party (RPM), a communist party that split from the CPP in 1995. Paduano went on to become its national commander with the nom de guerre of "Carapali Lualhalti." In December 1999, the RPA-ABB issued a statement signed by Paduano admitting the group's involvement in the assassination of former Philippine Constabulary officer Rolando Abadilla in 1996, and that the five men ("Abadilla 5") convicted of the crime were "mere fall guys" named by the police. On July 21, 2000, Paduano was mistakenly arrested for a few hours in Murcia, Negros Occidental by the military despite carrying a "safe-conduct" pass for his involvement in peace talks between rebels and the government; he was soon released upon the request of governor Rafael Coscolluela. In May 2007, Paduano was expelled from the RPM alongside Veronica "Inca" Tabara and one other member by chairman Nilo de la Cruz for alleged abuses committed during the 2007 election in Negros island and corruption. Paduano then accused de la Cruz of covering up his own misdeeds by depicting them in a bad light as well as usurpation of power, claiming that only the party's congress could expel any of its members.

Paduano later disengaged from the RPA-ABB as he sought to participate in the 2013 elections as a party-list representative for Abang Lingkod, to which he was its first nominee.

Political career

Despite his party-list winning more than 260,215 votes in the 2013 elections and earning them one seat in the House of Representatives, Paduano's group was disqualified by the Commission on Elections because it "didn't have a track record." However, on October 22, 2013, the Supreme Court reversed the election body's decision saying that the said party-list "need not prove track record." He was later sworn into office by then Speaker Feliciano Belmonte as the 290th member of the House of Representatives on May 28, 2014.

As the party-list's first nominee, Paduano continued to serve in the House of Representatives after his group was re-elected in the 2016 and 2019 elections.

In the 18th Congress, Paduano served as Deputy Minority Leader. Of all the representatives who hail from Negros Occidental, it was only Paduano who did not vote for Pateros–Taguig lone district representative Alan Peter Cayetano as Speaker in 2019 and instead, voted for Manila 6th district representative Bienvenido Abante as he was hoping to remain as Deputy Minority Leader. Abante was later elected as Minority Floor Leader.

He was a co-author to House Bill No. 3713, authored by Parañaque City 2nd district representative Joy Myra Tambunting, which sought to give a fresh 25-year franchise to ABS-CBN. During the 13th hearing on the network's franchise renewal on July 9, 2020, Paduano withdrew his co-authorship of the bill after concurring with the observations of Sagip party-list representative and Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta that the network "has been funneling some of its income to Big Dipper" to "avoid paying taxes".

On October 19, 2020, he was unanimously elected to become the Minority Floor Leader after Abante's resignation on October 16, 2020. He is the first party-list representative to hold such a position.

On September 4, 2024, Paduano was designated by Speaker Martin Romualdez as caretaker representative of the 3rd district of Negros Occidental following the appointment of Jose Francisco Benitez as director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

References

  1. "The Pride of EB Mag". ebmagalona.gov.ph. Municipality of EB Magalona, Negros Occidental. March 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  2. Ellera, Teresa (May 29, 2014). "Ex-rebel leader now congressman". SunStar. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  3. ^ Cepeda, Mara (October 16, 2020). "House minority leader Abante steps down, joins Velasco-led majority". Rappler. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  4. Espina, Rolly (September 15, 2005). "Negros Occidental mourns Yorac loss". Philstar.com. Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  5. Arcangel, Xianne (May 28, 2014). "Ex-hit squad leader 'Carapali Lualhati' now a congressman". GMA News. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  6. Gonzales, Stella Ruth O.; Calauor-Carvajal, Nancy (December 12, 2002). "Judge junked ABB angle as PNP feared losing face". Inquirer News. INQUIRER.net. p. A18. Retrieved December 10, 2024. The Abadilla 5, according to Lualhati, 'are mere fall guys (who) have nothing to do with the ABB, much less with its punitive operation against Abadilla
  7. Gomez, Carla (July 24, 2000). "Head of rebel group in peace talks with gov't held, released". Inquirer News. INQUIRER.net. p. A16. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Ombion, Karl G.; Pauyon, Richard (May 26, 2007). "RPA-ABB Headed for Split?". Bulatlat. Bacolod City. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  9. Gomez, Carla (May 24, 2007). "Lualhati: I'm in control, de la Cruz a gun-for-hire". The Visayan Daily Star. Bacolod City. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  10. "NPC stages 'show of force' for Alvarez-Lacson". SunStar. February 3, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2020. Former Revolutionary Proletariat Army (RPA) national commander Stephen Paduano, alias "Carapali Lualhati," the number one nominee of Abang Lingkod, which is seeking a seat in Congress via the party-list route, was also present.
  11. Bueza, Michael (June 14, 2013). "Sectoral? Party list votes come from reg'l bailiwicks". Rappler. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  12. Gomez, Carla (May 30, 2014). "Breakaway rebel now member of House". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  13. Panti, Llanesca (May 28, 2014). "House welcomes 290th member". The Manila Times. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  14. Bueza, Michael (May 14, 2016). "Regions, provinces deliver votes for party-list groups". Rappler. Retrieved October 21, 2020. Newly-created Negros Island Region also went all out for the Abang Lingkod party list, which has reelectionist Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano and outgoing Negros Oriental Representative Manuel Iway as its first two nominees.
  15. Canet, Carla (June 28, 2019). "Albee Benitez bids farewell". SunStar Bacolod. Retrieved October 21, 2020. He administered the oath of office of his brother Congressman-elect Kiko Benitez after his SODA including that of re-elected Abang Lingkod Partylist Rep. Stephen Paduano.
  16. "Who's who: Winning party-lists and their representatives". The Philippine Star. July 22, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  17. Gascon, Melvin (August 3, 2019). "Pulong, 30 PDP-Laban congressmen join NUP". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 21, 2020. For the minority bloc, PCFI members who landed important posts were Abang Lingkod Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano as deputy minority leader, and Magsasaka Rep. Argel Joseph Cabatbat as assistant minority leader.
  18. Ellera, Teresa (July 22, 2019). "Paduano explains vote for Abante". SunStar Bacolod. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  19. Cepeda, Mara (July 9, 2020). "Party-list reps Paduano, Salo withdraw authorship of ABS-CBN franchise bills". Rappler. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  20. Rosario, Ben (October 19, 2020). "Rep. Paduano, Velasco's supporter, elected House minority leader". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved October 21, 2020. Paduano, a known ally of Velasco, will be the first party-list solon to hold the post.
  21. Delilan, Ambo (September 5, 2024). "Romualdez names Paduano as caretaker of Negros Occidental 3rd District". Rappler. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
House of Representatives of the Philippines
Preceded byBienvenido Abante Minority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
2020–present 		Incumbent
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