Ex-Quezon City vice mayor Charito Planas dies

Michael Bueza

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Ex-Quezon City vice mayor Charito Planas dies
(UPDATED) Planas, 87, is an esteemed lawyer who fought the Marcos dictatorship. She served as QC vice mayor from 1992 to 1995.

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Former Quezon City Vice Mayor Rosario “Charito” Planas died on Thursday, December 7. She was 87 years old.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista confirmed the news through the city’s Public Affairs Department.

“It is with a heavy heart that [on] behalf of the people of Quezon City, I announce the passing of our dear former vice mayor, Charito Planas,” Bautista said.

In a Facebook post, the Quezon City Council expressed their condolences to the Planas family, “with heartfelt gratitude for her work and legacy as a true public servant.”

Born on April 28, 1930, Planas is the sister of Carmen Planas, the first woman councilor of Manila. She earned her law degree from the University of the Philippines.

Planas fought the Marcos dictatorship by questioning before the Supreme Court, through Planas vs. Comelecthe plebiscite that ratified the 1973 Constitution.

Later that year, she was arrested by authorities, joining other Marcos opponents in detention. She was then placed under solitary confinement when military officials became “unhappy” about her “boosting up the detainees’ morale.” Planas was released years later to undergo a medical procedure. 

In 1978, she was among the candidates of the Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) party, led by Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr, for the Interim Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) elections.

Planas fled the country soon after and continued anti-Marcos efforts abroad. After the People Power Revolution in 1986, she returned to the Philippines.

Her QC mayoralty bid in 1988 was unsuccessful, but in 1992, she won as vice mayor, serving until 1995. 

She later became the deputy spokesperson (with the rank of undersecretary) of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from 2010 to 2011. She has served as executive director and trustee of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, as well as president of the Quezon City Parks Development Foundation.

The Liberal Party, of which Planas was a stalwart, remembered that she “embodied liberal values in her political career.”

“Hers is a story of love for country and freedom. Her legacy lives on in us who remember and strive to continue the fight she and her many contemporaries once fought and won nearly 40 years ago,” the party said in a statement Friday. 

Necrological services for the late vice mayor will be held at the Quezon City Hall on Friday, December 8, before her remains will be brought back to the Loyola Chapel in Marikina City. – Rappler.com

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Michael Bueza

Michael is a data curator under Rappler's Tech Team. He works on data about elections, governance, and the budget. He also follows the Philippine pro wrestling scene and the WWE. Michael is also part of the Laffler Talk podcast trio.