First Spouse of the Philippines

First Spouse of the Philippines
Incumbent None since 30 June 2010
Residence	Malacañan Palace
Inaugural holder	Hilaria del Rosario-Aguinaldo
Formation	23 January 1899

The First Lady / Gentleman of the Philippines (Filipino: Unang Ginang / Ginoó ng Pilipinas) is the unofficial, customary title of the host/ess of Malacañan Palace, the residence of the head of state of the Philippines. The title is traditionally occupied by the consort of the President of the Philippines, and as such is sometimes exclusively used for a spouse of the incumbent.

Terminology

The consort of the Philippine President is, as in other countries, conventionally styled in English as the First Lady (Filipino: Unang Ginang). As Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took office as the second female President, the male form First Gentleman (abbreviated FG; Filipino: Unang Ginoó) was used for her husband, Miguel Arroyo.

This is perhaps one reason for the use of gender-neutral title of First Spouse, although of note also is that many indigenous nouns lack grammatical gender in many Philippine languages, compared to thousands of gendered loanwords from Spanish or English. The terms "husband" and "wife" are thus covered by genderless words for "spouse" (e.g. the Tagalog asawa, kabiyák).

Role

The position of First Spouse is not an elected position, carries no official duties, and has no personal remuneration. Nonetheless, the title holder participates in humanitarian and charitable work on behalf of the President. Furthermore, many First Spouses have taken an active role in campaigning for the President or have participated in public life through some other manner.

Imelda Marcos was given a formal job as Governor of Metro Manila and as Minister of Human Settlements by her husband during their 21-year stay in the Palace. She is also the first First Lady to enter the world of Philippine politics by winning a seat in the Interim Batasang Pambansa in 1978.

In 2001, physician Luisa Estrada became the first former First Lady to win a seat in Senate.

The wife or husband of the Vice President of the Philippines is sometimes referred to as the Second Spouse of the Philippines; actual usage of this title, however, is rare.

List

#		First Lady/Gentleman	Relation to President	Government	Start	End
1		Hilaria Aguinaldo (1877-1921)	first wife of Emilio Aguinaldo (officially recognised as the first President)	First Philippine Republic (1899–1901)	January 23, 1899	April 1, 1901
2		Aurora Quezon (1888-1949)	wife of Manuel L. Quezon	Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935–1946)	November 15, 1935	August 1, 1944
3		Pacencia Laurel (1889-1960)	wife of José P. Laurel	Second Philippine Republic (1943–1945)	October 14, 1943	August 14, 1945
4		Esperanza Osmeña (1896-1978)	wife of Sergio Osmeña	Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935–1946)	August 1, 1944	May 28, 1946
5		Trinidad Roxas (1900-1995)	wife of Manuel Roxas	Third Philippine Republic (1946–1972)	May 28, 1946	April 15, 1948
6		Victoria Quirino-Gonzalez (1931-2006)	daughter of widower Elpidio Quirino		April 17, 1948	December 30, 1953
7		Luz Magsaysay (1915-2004)	wife of Ramón Magsaysay		December 30, 1953	March 17, 1957
8		Leonila Garcia (1906-1994)	wife of Carlos P. García		March 23, 1957	December 30, 1961
9		Eva Macapagal (1915-1999)	wife of Diosdado Macapagal		December 30, 1961	December 30, 1965
10		Imelda Marcos (1929-)	wife of Ferdinand E. Marcos		December 30, 1965	February 25, 1986
				Philippines under Martial Law (1972–1981)
				Fourth Philippine Republic (1981–1987)
-	None since Corazon C. Aquino is a widow			Fifth Philippine Republic (1987–present)	February 25, 1986	June 30, 1992
11		Amelita Ramos (1927-)	wife of Fidel V. Ramos		June 30, 1992	June 30, 1998
12		Loi Ejercito (1930-)	wife of Joseph Ejército Estrada		June 30, 1998	January 20, 2001
13		Jose Miguel Arroyo (1946-)	husband of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo		January 20, 2001	June 30, 2010
-	None since Benigno S. Aquino III is a bachelor				Since June 30, 2010

Non-spouse First Ladies

On few occasions, individuals who are not spouses of the incumbent president has perform tasks reserved for the First Spouse effectively rendering them as the de facto first spouse in selected occasions. These people are usually the relative of the president.

Victoria Quirino-Gonzalez was the First Lady of Elpidio Quirino, who was the latter's daughter. However Victoria is regarded as the first to be named with the role "First Lady". The spouses of Emilio Aquinaldo to Manuel Roxas were not given this distinction during their husband's term.

Corazón Aquino was married to Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., whose assassination on 21 August 1983 was a key factor in her 1986 rise to the presidency. Her eldest daughter, María Elena "Ballsy" Aquino-Cruz, served as her mother's proxy in some social functions and accompanied her on state visits. In a similar fashion to Victoria Quirino-Delgado, Aquino-Cruz was informally styled "First Lady"; her brother, Benigno III (later President) was meanwhile considered First Gentleman.

During the 2015 APEC summit hosted in Manila, Benigno Aquino III's sister, Kris Aquino served as de facto First Lady for the occasion. The president other sisters, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Pinky Aquino-Abelleda, Viel Aquino-Dee also assisted Kris Aquino in performing her duties. On the absence of a First Lady for Aquino, the Malacanang Palace hires professionals to fulfill the roles usually reserved for the first spouse such as organizing state dinners.

Out of those who became presidents, Elpidio Quirino, Corazon Aquino and Benigno Aquino III had no First Spouse.

	First Lady	Relation to President	Government	Term of President
				Start	End
	Victoria Quirino-Gonzalez	Daughter of widower Elpidio Quirino	Third Philippine Republic (1946–1972)	April 17, 1948	December 30, 1953
	Ballsy Aquino-Cruz	Daughter of widow Corazon Aquino	Fifth Philippine Republic (1987–present)	February 25, 1986	June 30, 1992
	Kris Aquino	Sister of bachelor Benigno S. Aquino III		June 30, 2010	June 30, 2016

See also

• Second Spouse of the Philippines
• First Lady