29 Facts About Cesar Climaco

Cesar Climaco was famous for his refusal to cut his hair until democratic rule was restored in the Philippines.

Cesar Climaco was assassinated by an unknown gunman in 1984.

Cesar Climaco finished his primary and secondary education in his hometown, then moved to Manila together with his future wife, Julia, to pursue a college education.

Cesar Climaco enrolled in a pre-law course at the University of Santo Tomas and worked as a family driver to finance his studies.

Cesar Climaco then studied law at the University of the Philippines College of Law, working at the same time as a janitor at the Court of Appeals.

Cesar Climaco earned his law degree in 1941, and was admitted to the Philippine bar later that year after having passed the bar examinations.

Cesar Climaco first entered political life when he ran and won a seat in the Zamboanga City council in 1951.

In 1954, Cesar Climaco joined Operation Brotherhood, a group sponsored by the Jaycees to help provide medical and relief needs to refugees in war-torn Vietnam.

Cesar Climaco first won election as Zamboanga City mayor in 1956, as a candidate of the Liberal Party, and served in such capacity until 1961.

Cesar Climaco became known for his personal courage, as shown by his willingness to venture alone out to hotspots and personally confront neighborhood toughs with threats of imprisonment.

Cesar Climaco maintained a similarly tough stance towards the city's policemen, once disarming cops he caught asleep at their posts during a surprise inspection.

Cesar Climaco maintained a harmonious relationship with the city's Muslim population, and cracked down on gambling.

In 1961, Cesar Climaco gave up his post as mayor for an unsuccessful run for the Senate under the Liberal Party, in which he finished 12th.

Cesar Climaco again ran and lost for a Senate seat in 1963.

Cesar Climaco was then appointed as a Presidential Assistant under Macapagal.

In 1965, Cesar Climaco tried for a third time to win election as a senator, but fell around 4,000 votes shy.

Distressed at the development, Cesar Climaco left for exile to the United States He vowed never to cut his hair until democratic rule was restored in the country.

Cesar Climaco returned to the Philippines in 1976, and two years later, sought election to the Interim Batasang Pambansa as a member from Zamboanga.

In 1980, Cesar Climaco staged his political comeback when he won re-election as Zamboanga City mayor under the banner of a political party he had organized, the Concerned Citizen's Aggrupation.

Cesar Climaco did not hesitate in denouncing the military and the police in the city, and had the police chief transferred out of the city.

Cesar Climaco maintained a highly critical view towards the Marcos government.

Cesar Climaco was critical of the highly centralized structure of government under which it was necessary to obtain the blessing of the Office of the President before funds could be disbursed.

In 1984, Cesar Climaco successfully sought election as a Member of Parliament in the Batasang Pambansa in which he ran against former mayor and incumbent Representative Joaquin Enriquez, Jr.

Cesar Climaco supervised operations to put out the fire, then prepared to leave.

Cesar Climaco sighted a display of caskets at the nearby La Merced funeral homes and jokingly said, "reserve one of those for me".

Cesar Climaco then mounted his motorcycle to return to his office.

The assassin escaped, while Cesar Climaco was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Cesar Climaco himself was said to have remarked before his death that if he were ever assassinated, the military would blame Alih for the murder.

In 1994, ten years after his assassination, Eddie Garcia starred in a film biography of Climaco, Mayor Cesar Climaco; produced by Seiko Films, the film was rated PG7 in an effort to show the youth the fights of one of Ninoy Aquino's greatest allies in the fight for democracy.