Niel Tupas Jr.
Niel "Junjun" Causing Tupas Jr. is a Filipino lawyer and politician.[1]
Niel Tupas Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Iloilo's Fifth District | |
| In office June 30, 2007 – June 30, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Rolex Suplico |
| Succeeded by | Raul Tupas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Neil Causing Tupas Jr. July 3, 1970 Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Spouse(s) | Yvonne Angeli Lee-Tupas |
| Parents | Niel Tupas Sr. Myrna Causing |
| Profession | Politician |
Political life
Tupas served as the Representative of the 5th District of Iloilo and a member of the Philippine Judicial and Bar Council(JBC).[2] He is a member of Liberal Party under the leadership of former President Benigno Aquino III. He was also the Chairman of the Committee on Justice in the House of the Representatives. He was one of the prosecutors in the Impeachment Trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Education
Rep. Niel "Junjun" Tupas graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1998. He graduated in the top 20 of his batch. After graduating from law school, he promptly took the bar exams for the first and only time in September 1998 and successfully passed it with a strong general average of 83.05 per cent. During the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, he displayed his legal prowess as a litigation lawyer having been trained in the craft during his stint with the Belo Gozon Elma Asuncion & Lucila Law Offices in Makati. He obtained his degree in B.A.Political Science from the University of the Philippines, Diliman in 1993 and graduated magna cum laude. He was a consistent university scholar and was a member of the Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society.
Professional life
After passing the bar, he worked as an associate lawyer at the Belo Gozon Elma Parel Asuncion & Lucila Law Offices in Makati specializing in litigation and labor law. He was then promoted junior partner before he left the law firm to seek public office in 2004. He was elected no. 1 Board Member of the 5th District of Iloilo in 2004. Also in 2004, he was elected President of the National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL), Western Visayas Chapter (RegionVI). He was elected Congressman of the 5th District of Iloilo in 2007 and was re-elected as such in 2010.
Personal life
He is the husband of Atty. Yvonne Angeli Lee Tupas. He is the son of former Iloilo governor Niel Tupas Sr., brother of Barotac Viejo mayor Niel Tupas III, and brother of Iloilo City councilor Lex Tupas.
Chief Justice Corona Impeachment
He has been assigned to be lead prosecutor for the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.[3] Trial started on January 16, 2012 and ended May 29, 2012. Despite his poor performance as lead prosecutor and constant fishing of evidence, an overwhelming majority of the senators voting 20-3, impeaching the former Chief Justice for when he was found guilty of "committing culpable violation of the Constitution and betraying the public trust." [4]