Blas Ople

Blas Ople
17th President of the Senate of the Philippines
In office
June 29, 1999 – July 12, 2000[1]
Preceded byMarcelo Fernan
Succeeded byFranklin Drilon
17th and 19th President pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines
In office
October 10, 1996 – June 29, 1999
Preceded byLeticia Ramos Shahani
Succeeded byJohn Henry Osmeña
In office
July 12, 2000 – June 30, 2001
Preceded byJohn Henry Osmeña
Succeeded byManuel Villar
22nd Secretary of Foreign Affairs
In office
July 16, 2002 – December 14, 2003
PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo
Preceded byGloria Macapagal Arroyo (acting)
Succeeded byFranklin Ebdalin (acting)
Senator of the Philippines
In office
June 30, 1992 – July 16, 2002
Minister of Labor
In office
1972 – February 25, 1986
PresidentFerdinand Marcos
Preceded byAdrian E. Cristobal
Succeeded byAugusto Sanchez
Secretary of Labor
In office
September 16, 1967 – 1971
PresidentFerdinand Marcos
Preceded byEmilio Espinosa, Jr.
Succeeded byAdrian E. Cristobal
Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) from Bulacan
In office
June 30, 1984 – March 25, 1986
Served with:
Jesus S. Hipolito
Rogaciano M. Mercado
Teodulo C. Natividad
Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) from Central Luzon
In office
June 12, 1978 – June 5, 1984
Member of the Philippine Constitutional Commission
In office
June 2, 1986 – October 15, 1986
PresidentCorazon Aquino
Personal details
Born
Blas Fajardo Ople

(1927-02-03)February 3, 1927
Hagonoy, Bulacan, Philippine Islands
DiedDecember 14, 2003(2003-12-14) (aged 76)
Taoyuan, Taiwan
Resting placeLibingan ng mga Bayani
14°31′16″N 121°2′34″E / 14.52111°N 121.04278°E / 14.52111; 121.04278
Political partyLaban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (1992–2003)
Other political
affiliations
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (1978–1992)
Nacionalista (until 1972)
SpouseSusana Ople
Children7, including Susan
Alma materManuel L. Quezon University (BA)
OccupationJournalist; Politician

Blas Fajardo Ople (February 3, 1927 – December 14, 2003) was a Filipino journalist and politician who held several high-ranking positions in the executive and legislative branches of the Philippine government, including as Senate President from 1999 to 2000, and as Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2002 until his death. Perceived as a leftist-nationalist at the onset of his career in public service, Ople was, in his final years, a vocal supporter for allowing a limited United States military presence in the Philippines, and for American initiatives in the War on Terror including the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Ople's most enduring role was his nineteen years as Secretary (later Minister) of Labor and Employment during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, when Philippine labor laws were overhauled through the enactment of the Labor Code of the Philippines that he had helped author.