Dr. Orlando S. Mercado

Before Dr. Orlando S. Mercado became the 21st Secretary of National Defense, he was first a media practitioner. Orly, as he prefers to be called, is the host of the longest running public service program in Philippine television "Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko" on GMA 7.

The multi-awarded program provides direct assistance to indigent patients from all over the country. He is also the President of the Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko Foundation.

He started his broadcast journalism career as a radio announcer in May 1966. However, he lost his first broadcasting job at the Republic Broadcasting System when he organized a labor union which later declared a strike.

He joined the ABS-CBN News as television news correspondent in 1968 covering the police beat. He headed the Philippines first "all talk-all news" radio station DZAQ Radyo Patrol (ABS-CBN).

He produced a documentary "Where a Thousand Flowers Bloom" which garnered the 1971 Citizens Award for television.

In 1974 he joined GMA Channel 7 news and covered the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Justice, and the Supreme Court.

Through most of his career he has produced and hosted public affairs/public service programs: "Tipunang Bayan", GMA channel 7; Network Line, The Public Eye, Sixty Minutes Plus, Channel 4. He was also a regular host of a noontime variety show "Lunchdate, GMA Channel 7; and a cooking program "Lasang Pinoy, also GMA Channel 7. He and his wife hosted on ABC Channel 5, public affairs programs Reach and Kontak 5.

In 1978, Dr. Mercado was awarded Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) for Public Service.

Dr. Mercado graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science in 1968, a Master's degree in Communication in 1983 and a Ph.D. in Political Science 1n 1997.

For his doctoral dissertation, he completed a research on "The Dynamics of the 1990-1991 Republic of the Philippines - United States of America Military Bases Negotiations."

Dr. Mercado was born on April 26, 1946. He is happily married to Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado and they are blessed with four children.

His Works

He initiated reforms in the Retirement and Separation Benefit System (RSBS) particularly the pension plan of the soldiers. He also instituted a computerization program for the Philippine Veterans Administration Office (PVAO) to reduce the incidence of graft in the agency.

Concurrently, he chaired the National Disaster Coordinating Council. He declared that "The Department of National Defense is also the Department of Defense of the Environment."

Dr. Mercado has held the positions of Majority Leader and Assistant Majority Leader of the Senate. He was also principal author of a number of laws. Among them are: the Generics Drug and Medicines Act of 1988; an act establishing provincial centers for Science and Technology; an act creating the Commission on the Filipino language; the Consumer Act of the Philippines; an act prescribing the intellectual property code and establishing the intellectual property office, providing for its powers and functions; and Children's Media Act of 1996.

When he was in the National Assembly from 1884-1986, he produced a video documentary on the "hidden wealth" of the deposed president Ferdinand Marcos.

As an academician, he held professorial chairs at the University of the Philippines, Asian Institute of Journalism, Ateneo de Manila University, Assumption College and the University of Sto. Tomas, teaching Communication Theory and Radio-Television Production. He was also Associate Professor and Head of the Communication Arts Department of Maryknoll College (now Miriam College).

Dr. Mercado has participated in various national and international conferences and missions on inter-parliamentary cooperation, environmental issues and international security.