Luwalhati Antonino

In this Philippine name for married women, the birth middle name or maternal family name is Lopez, the birth surname or paternal family name is Ricasa, and the marital name is Antonino.
Luwalhati R. Antonino
Antonino, circa 2020
Chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority
In office
September 12, 2010 – September 9, 2016
PresidentBenigno Aquino III
Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded byJesus Dureza
Succeeded byDatu Abul Khayr Alonto
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from South Cotabato's 1st District
In office
June 30, 1992 – June 30, 2001
Preceded byAdelbert Antonino
Succeeded byDarlene Antonino Custodio
Personal details
Born
Luwalhati Lopez Ricasa[1]

(1943-10-22)22 October 1943
Upi, Cotabato, Philippines
Died30 October 2023(2023-10-30) (aged 80)
Political partyIndependent (2001-2023)
Other political
affiliations		LAMMP (1998-2001)
Lakas-NUCD (1992-1998)
SpouseAdelbert W. Antonino
ChildrenDarlene Antonino Custodio
Eliza Bettina R. Antonino
Alma materUniversity of Santo Tomas
New York University

Luwalhati Lopez Ricasa-Antonino (October 22, 1943 – October 30, 2023) was a Filipino politician who was the chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), the highest public post in Mindanao. She was part of President Benigno S. Aquino III's Cabinet, holding the rank of a national secretary.

Political career

Antonino served as the representative of the 1st District of South Cotabato for three terms (9th to 11th Congress) from 1992-2001 .Within these years, she also served as the president of the Mindanao Lawmakers Association (MLA), a 50-member Mindanao bloc in Congress.

While in Congress, Luwalhati Antonino held the chairmanship for the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the vice-chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee.

Antonino was appointed MinDA chair by the President in September 2010, replacing Jesus Dureza.[2] She was the first woman to ever take the helm of the government's principal planning and coordinating agency in Mindanao.

Personal life and death

Antonino was born in Upi, North Cotabato, and raised in Kiamba, Sarangani Province. Antonino was married to former representative and former mayor of General Santos, Adelbert Antonino.[3] She is also the mother of former representative and former city mayor of General Santos, Darlene Antonino Custodio and restaurateur Eliza Bettina R. Antonino.

Antonino earned her degree in B.S. Chemical Engineering at the University of Santo Tomas and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Economics at New York University. After obtaining her master's, she was hired as an economic and statistical analyst at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in New York.[4]

Luwalhati Antonino died on 30 October 2023, at the age of 80.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Luwalhati Lopez Ricasa Antonino (Ricasa) (1943 - 2023) - Genealogy". geni.com. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  2. ^ Arguillas, Carolyn (3 September 2010). "Dureza out, Luwalhati Antonino in as new MinDA chair". MindaNews. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  3. ^ Ben, Sumug-oy (26 October 2010). "Meet Lu Antonino, new MinDa Chairperson". GenSan News Online. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  4. ^ "MinDA Chairperson". Mindanao Development Authority. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Luwalhati "Lu" Antonino: GenSan political matriarch, former MinDA chair passes away". www.mindanews.com. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-10-30.