Dick Gordon, 76, an incumbent senator, has served in the upper chamber of Congress for over 11 years. He has also chaired the Philippine Red Cross since 2004.
He has led the passage of laws aiming to transform the political and economic landscape of the country, including the automated election system law, the one-time tax amnesty law, and the Tourism Act of 2009. He was also part of the Senate majority that voted in favor of the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, a law assailed by 37 groups of petitioners but mostly upheld by the Supreme Court.
Gordon's political career began when he was elected as the delegate of the first district of Zambales to the 1971 Constitutional Convention. After his father’s assassination, he became the Mayor of Olongapo City, transforming the city into a highly urbanized area.
In 2004, he lodged his first senatorial bid, running under the administration party, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats. After his first senatorial term, he went on to launch failed bids for the presidency in 2010 and the Senate in 2013.
He successfully returned to the Senate in 2016 as an independent senatorial candidate but quickly allied with the president. He took over as chairman of the Senate justice committee in the 17th Congress, following the unprecedented ouster of Senator Leila De Lima who was leading the panel's inquiry into the extrajudicial killings linked to the administration's drug campaign.
As Senate blue ribbon chairman in 2021, Gordon led the investigation into the alleged anomalous procurement of pandemic supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., a firm that was newly incorporated and undercapitalized in 2020 but managed to bag the largest contracts with the government. This marked a souring of his relationship with the president who began to rail at him during public addresses, accusing the senator of politicking ahead of the elections.
He is now seeking reelection under the senatorial slates of the 1Sambayan opposition coalition and Vice President Leni Robredo, together with De Lima who has been detained for over five years. The latter welcomed Gordon's inclusion in the slate and lauded what she called his courage and conviction during the Senate hearings on Pharmally. He has also been included in the Senate lineups of Senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson.
Gordon opposes legalizing abortion, restoring the death penalty, lowering the corporate income tax and shifting to a federal system of government. He supports passing an anti-balimbing bill, publicizing the wealth declarations of public officials, and prohibiting end-of-contract schemes.
The candidate's top priorities if elected to office, tracked against previous promises and accomplishments, if any
- To push for a Regional Investment and Infrastructure Coordinating Hub (RICH) in Central Luzon (the bill was passed by both houses but was vetoed by Duterte); he plans to have hubs in Negros, Panay Island, in Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon
- To build airports and seaports to generate more jobs
Promised to fix the country’s social, physical, and legal infrastructure when he ran for the presidency in 2010
- Among authors of the Act Further Strengthening the Powers and Functions of the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan, passed on Aug. 30, 2019
- Among authors of the Charter of the Davao International Airport Authority passed on Aug. 30, 2019
- Among authors of the Act Amending Republic Act No. 7227, as amended, otherwise known as the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, and for other purposes, passed on Mar. 30, 2007
- Gordon pledged to set up safety nets and competitiveness-enhancement measures in agriculture and reversing the government’s reliance on food importation
- Continues to push for the passage of RICH bill, an area that will serve as a one-stop shop for farmers to fulfill their different needs
In 2016, he disagreed with Aquino’s veto on the proposed SSS pension hike
- Filed the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act
- Among authors of the Act Increasing The Age For Determining Statutory Rape And Other Acts Of Sexual Abuse And Exploitation To Protect Children, passed of Mar. 4, 2022
- Among authors of Agricultural Free Patent Reform Act, passed on Feb. 22, 2019
- Among authors of Free Irrigation Service to Small Farmers Act, passed on Feb. 2, 2018
- Filed SB No. 2233 or the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act
Public Office
Gordon first entered public service after he was elected as the delegate of the first district of Zambales to the 1971 Constitutional Convention. After his father’s assassination, he became the Mayor of Olongapo City, transforming the city into a highly urbanized area.
He chaired the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority from 1992 to 1998 and rose to national prominence after popularizing the Wow Philippines campaign during his stint as tourism secretary from 2001 to 2004.
In 2004, he lodged his first senatorial bid, running under the administration party, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats. After his first senatorial term, he went on to launch failed bids for the presidency in 2010 and the Senate in 2013.
In his two terms as senator, Gordon authored at least 45 laws, including the one that abolished the death penalty during the administration of President Arroyo. He also authored laws that extended the validity of Philippine passports and driver's licenses.
He successfully returned to the Senate in 2016 as an independent senatorial candidate but quickly allied with President Duterte, supporting the administration’s flagship campaign against illegal drugs. He replaced Senator De Lima as chairman of the Senate justice committee in the 17th Congress after she was ousted from the post. As the justice committee chairman, he denied that the extrajudicial killings linked to the so-called war on drugs were state-sponsored.
Gordon was also part of the Senate majority that passed the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, a law assailed by 37 groups of petitioners but mostly upheld by the Supreme Court.
In 2020, the Commission on Audit’s findings of poor spending of P67 billion in pandemic funds by the health department led to full investigations by both chambers of Congress into alleged anomalous pandemic contracts.
The Senate blue ribbon committee hearings, led by Gordon, uncovered that Pharmally bagged some P10 billion in deals in 2020 and 2021, edging out all other bidders despite its lack of capital and prior experience to manage such contracts. Close associates of the president, such as Chinese businessman Michael Yang, were linked to Pharmally by its own executives who claim that the president's former economic adviser acted as their financier and guarantor. Also implicated were President Duterte’s closest aide and Senator Bong Go and Lloyd Christopher Lao, the latter a volunteer election lawyer of the president who later headed the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management and signed off on the Pharmally contracts.
In October 2021, President Duterte ordered his Cabinet members not to attend the blue ribbon committee hearings into the Pharmally controversy, including Lao and health secretary Francisco Duque III, causing the Senate leadership to petition the Supreme Court for a temporary restraining order against the directive.
The probe signaled a severing of ties between Duterte and Gordon, causing Duterte to order COA to investigate the Philippine Red Cross which Gordon chairs.
In October 2021, Gordon released the Senate panel’s partial report that recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against Pharmally officers, former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang and Lao. According to Gordon, eight senators have signed the report, as of Feb. 7, 2021. Sen. Panfilo Lacson later clarified that while he signed the report, he had “strong reservations” about a comment in the report stating that President Duterte had “betrayed [the] public trust.” Gordon said that 11 senators, who make up the blue ribbon committee, should sign the report so it could be brought to the plenary floor for debate.
Author, 2006
Lapsed into law on May 25, 2007
Author and co-sponsor, 2006
Approved by the president on Aug. 24, 2006
Principal author and among the sponsors, 2007
Approved by the president on Apr. 9, 2008
Principal author, 2009
Approved by the president on May 27, 2010
Author and principal sponsor, 2021
Approved by the president on Mar. 4, 2022
Private Sector
Gordon was an associate in the Angara Cruz Concepcion Abello and Associates Law Office in the 1970s to 1980s.
He has chaired the Philippine Red Cross since 2004.
2018-present
2018-present
Actions and/or proceedings pending against or resolved in courts or tribunals involving the candidate, based on publicly available information
Resolved Actions and/or Proceedings
| Subject Matter | Relevant Dates | Potential Liability | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
G.R. No. 175352 Liban vs. Gordon Petition to declare Gordon as having forfeited his seat in the Senate after accepting the chairmanship of the Philippine National Red Cross Board of Governors, in violation of Sec. 13, Article VI of the Constitution |
Gordon was elected chairman of PNRC in 2006 | The Supreme Court declared that the office of the chairman of PNRC is not a government office or an office in a GOCC for purposes of the prohibition in Sec. 13, Article VI of the Constitution | |
|
G.R. No. 134171 Executive Secretary vs. Gordon Petition to declare Gordon and two others in contempt of court, due to alleged forum shopping by Gordon in the two petitions he filed to prevent his ouster as chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority upon the change of administration from President Fidel V. Ramos to President Joseph Ejercito Estrada |
Gordon filed a petition for prohibition before the Supreme Court on June 29, 1998 to prevent his ouster on the ground that he had a fixed term of six years expiring on Feb. 10, 2004 Grodon’s appointment was cancelled on June 30, 1998 by Administrative Order No. 1 On July 1, 1998, Gordon filed a Notice of Withdrawal of Petition, and later in the day, filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition in the Regional Trial Court The filing of the RTC petition, the alleged second filing, caused the filing of petition to declare Gordon (and counsels) in contempt |
On Nov. 18, 1998, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition, ruling that Gordon had filed a notice of withdrawal of the first petition which was later granted | |
|
G.R. No. 104732 Flores, et al. vs. Drilon, Gordon The constitutionality of Sec. 13, par. (d), of the "Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992," under which Mayor Gordon of Olongapo City was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the SBMA was challenged in a petition for prohibition "to prevent useless and unnecessary expenditures of public funds by way of salaries and other operational expenses attached to the office |
On June 22, 1993, the Supreme Court declared that Gordon remains Mayor of Olongapo City, and his acts as SBMA official are not necessarily null and void; he may be considered a de facto officer Any and all per diems, allowances and other emoluments which may have been received by Gordon pursuant to his appointment may be retained by him. | ||
|
G.R. No. L-55230 Gordon vs. Judge Veridiano The issue before the Court is the conflict between the Food and Drug Administration and the mayor of Olongapo City over the power to grant and revoke licenses for the operation of drug stores in the said city. While conceding that the FDA possesses such power, the mayor claims he may nevertheless, in the exercise of his own power, prevent the operation of drug stores previously permitted by the former. |
“Test buy” operation of the FDA agents was conducted on Mar. 21, 1980 Mayor permits of two drug stores were cancelled Owners filed a complaint for mandamus and damages with the Regional Trial Court of Olongapo City on May 7, 1980m which later ordered the maintenance of the status quo pending resolution of issues Mayor Gordon filed the petition for certiorari and prohibition against the RTC’s orders |
The Supreme Court declared that the challenged Orders are MODIFIED in the sense that the suspension of Mayor's Permit No. 1955 shall be considered valid but drug stores return to their original sites as specified in the FDA licenses and the mayor's permits or until the request for transfer, if made by the private respondents/owners, is approved by the petitioner/Mayor Gordon |
Also known as SALN, this document is a declaration of one's personal finances. Philippine Law requires the SALN to be submitted by all public officials and employees to the Ombudsman. Public officials and employees may opt to voluntarily disclose their SALN to the public.
* As of December 31, 2020
Key details about the candidate's campaign
Included in the senatorial slates of the tandems of:
1. Leni Robredo-Francis Pangilinan
2. Manny Pacquiao-Lito Atienza
3. Panfilo Lacson-Vicente Sotto III
Endorsed by the 1Sambayan coalition
Candidate's major donors and campaign funding sources
The candidate's top advocacies in the last 15 years or so
- Chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross, 2004-Present
- Co-founder of Mt. Pinatubo Hidden Temple Shrine and Community Foundation, Inc.
- Stationed ambulance, food trucks, first aid, and welfare desks during the Taal volcano bursts
- Among authors of the Act Strengthening Philippine Disaster Risk Management Capability By Institutionalizing The National Disaster Risk Management Framework, Appropriating Funds Therefor And For Other Purposes, passed on May 27, 2010
- Among authors of SSS Deferment of Contribution Hike Law, passed on May 26, 2021
- Senate blue ribbon committee chairman, 2004-2010 and 2017-present
- As senator, 2004-2010 and 2016-present, was among authors of An Act Amending Articles 183 And 184 of Act No. 3815, or the Revised Penal Code, passed on Nov. 22, 2021
- Founding Chairman of the Bagumbayan-Volunteers for a New Philippines
Most recently, has led the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation into the Pharmally controversy
- As tourism secretary from 2001 to 2004, launched the Wow Pilipinas campaign
- As a senator, was among authors of the Tourism Act of 2009, passed on May 25, 2009, and An Act Amending Chapter V, Section 85 Of Republic Act No. 9593, passed on June 4, 2019
- Offered cheap RT-PCR test through the Philippine Red Cross
- 160 medical tents put up
- Mobile bakuna
- Financial aid amounting to P82 million to 23,000 families
- As a senator, was among authors of Bayanihan We Heal as One Act, passed on June 2, 2021
- Filed the COVID-19 Benefits Bill, which aims to provide Special Risk Allowance, life insurance, regular COVID-19 testing, meals, accommodations and transportation allowance, and compensation to all healthcare workers
Basic information on the candidate's family, background and work experience
James Leonard T. Gordon, father (deceased), first municipal mayor of Olongapo City
Amelia J. Gordon, mother (deceased), mayor of Olongapo City (following the assassination of her husband)
Veronica Lorenzana
Barbara de los Reyes
Cecille Mullen
James Gordon Jr., former congressman and Olongapo city mayor
Imelda Deza
Ali Gordon
Brian Gordon
LJ Gordon
Marnie Gordon
• Bachelor of Laws, University of the Philippines, 1975
• Bachelor of Arts, History and Government, Ateneo de Manila University, 1962
• Senator, Senate of the Philippines, 2004 to 2010 and 2016 to present
• Chairman, Philippine Red Cross, 2004 to present
• Secretary, Department of Tourism, 2001 to 2004
• Chairman, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, 1992 to 1998
• Governor, Philippine National Red Cross, 1987
• Mayor, Olongapo City, 1980 to 1986 and 1988 to 1993
• Delegate, Constitutional Convention of the Philippines, 1971
Learn more about this candidate
Other Legislative and Executive Accomplishments
An Act Amending Republic Act No. 8436, entitled An Act Authorizing the Commission on Elections to use an Automated Election System in the May 11, 1998 National or Local Elections and in subsequent National And Local Electoral Exercises, to encourage transparency, credibility, fairness and accuracy of elections, amending for the purpose Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, as amended, Republic Act No. 7166 and other related elections laws, providing funds therefor and for other purposes
Author and principal sponsor, 2006
Approved by the president on Jan. 23, 2007
R.A. No. 11262, or an Act Amending Sections 85 and 103 of Republic Act No. 9593
Principal author and among the sponsors, 2008
Principal author and sponsor, 2017
Approved by the president on May 12, 2009
Approved by the president on Apr. 10, 2019
An Act Declaring a One-Time Amnesty on Certain Tax and Duty Liabilities, inclusive of Fees, Fines, Penalties, Interests and other additions thereto, incurred by certain business enterprises operating within the Special Economic Zones and Freeports created under Executive Order No. 80, series of 1993; Proclamation No. 216, series of 1993; Proclamation No. 420, series of 1994; and Proclamation No. 984, series of 1997, pursuant to Section 15 of Republic Act No. 7227, as amended, and for other purposes
Author and sponsor, 2006
Approved by the president on Mar. 20, 2007
Principal author and sponsor, 2017
Approved by the president on Feb. 22, 2019
Principal author, 2007
Approved by the president on Nov. 25, 2009
