Monsour del Rosario is a former Olympian, taekwondo champion, actor and politician, who has contested several electoral races in Makati City to mixed results.
In 2010 and 2013, he was elected as councilor of the 1st District of Makati City after failing in his initial attempt for the same position in 2007. He successfully ran to represent the same district in 2016.
As a one-term House representative, del Rosario principally authored at least 30 bills and passed one into law, Republic Act No. 11165 or the Telecommuting Act in 2018. He also continued to lead national taekwondo teams in international competitions during his tenure as councilor and representative.
Monsour Del Rosario ran for vice mayor of Makati City in 2019, alongside former Makati Mayor Jejomar “Junjun” Binay Jr. after the latter was dismissed from office in October 2015 by the Office of the Ombudsman over the Makati City Hall Building 2 overpricing scandal. After the 10th Division of the Court of Appeals overturned the dismissal, Binay was allowed to run for mayor by the Commission on Elections since the Ombudsman ruling had not yet become final and executory. They both lost to the incumbents, with del Rosario ranking second in the race with 105,153 votes.
For his first Senate race, Del Rosario is campaigning on his support for health care workers, athletes and farmers. He is running under the slate of Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
He backs amending the 1987 Constitution to lift foreign ownership limits, peace talks with communist rebels, reinstating the death penalty for illegal drug trading, disclosing the wealth declarations of public officials and co-authored the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Equality Bill in the lower house. He also says he is inclined to support the legalization of divorce.
Del Rosario was previously included in the Senate slate of Senators Panfilo Lacson and Vicente Sotto III but shifted his support to the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo, following Sen. Lacson’s split from Partido Reporma. Del Rosario has been added to the senatorial ticket of the 1Sambayan opposition coalition.
“I think I can contribute a lot with my experiences in life, being a national taekwondo athlete for many years, fighting for our country, giving glory for our country, later on being a leader for many Philippine national teams competing around the world in different international competitions, plus my nine years in public service.”
MONSOUR DEL ROSARIO – PROFILE
Full Name: Manuel Monsour Tabib del Rosario III
Birthday: May 11, 1965 (Age 59)
Birthplace: Manila, Metro Manila
Residence: Makati City, Metro Manila
Languages Spoken: Filipino, English, Ilonggo
Marital Status: Married, Joy Zapanta
Profession/Occupation: Businessman
EDUCATION:
- Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, Major in Applied Humanities, De La Salle University
- High School: Collegio San Agustin, Makati City, Philippines
- Grade School: St. John’s Institute, Bacolod City, Philippines
WORK EXPERIENCE:
- Head, Philippine Taekwondo Team, 2019 Southeast Asian Games (Manila), November 2019
- Chef de Mission, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (Turkmenistan), September 2017
- Congressman, Representative of 1st District, Makati City, House of Representatives – 17th Congress of the Philippines (2016-2019)
- President and Secretary General, Philippine Taekwondo Association, 2010-present
- Founding chairman, Martial Arts Combat Sports Council of the Philippines, 2016-present
- Ambassador representing the Philippine Taekwondo Association to the World, Taekwondo Association
- Councilor, 1st District of Makati City, 2010-2013, 2013-2016
PLATFORM AND POLICY:
Health
- Establish a healthcare heroes card, to provide discounts and benefits to healthcare works, along with increased pay
Agricultural reform
- Establish an agricultural inter-agency monitoring and compliance council, for modernization purposes
Education
- Establish an agricultural inter-agency monitoring and compliance council, for modernization purposes
Support for athletes
- Create a retirement fund for athletes, both as safety net and as incentive to stay in the country and train the next generation of competitors
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Public Office
Monsour Del Rosario started his public service career as councilor of the 1st District of Makati City.
In July 2014, del Rosario was impleaded in the initial complaint for plunder and graft filed by two registered Makati voters (part of the Save Makati Movement) before the Office of the Ombudsman against then-Vice President Jejomar Binay, then-Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, the COA resident auditor, and city councilors from 2007 to 2013, for approving the parking building project with an “enormous overprice of more than P1.31 billion” in 2007. However, del Rosario was not formally charged before the Sandiganbayan in February 2016 when the Office of the Special Prosecutor filed formal charges for graft violations and falsification of public documents against Junjun Binay, along with other former Makati City officials.
As a one-term lawmaker in the lower house, del Rosario principally authored at least 30 bills, one of which was passed into law, the Telecommuting Act in 2018, which recognized telecommuting arrangements as voluntarily agreed to by an employer and employee and ensured that telecommuting employees are given the same treatment as that of comparable employees working at the employer’s premises. While the law was initially intended to enhance workers’ welfare by allowing both employers and employees to take advantage of technological advances that open up alternative means of carrying out work, flexible work arrangements and telecommuting have become an absolute necessity for many employment set-ups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, “hybrid” arrangements involving both on-site and work-from-home components may continue to be utilized at some enterprises, stressing the need for the fair treatment guarantee under R.A. 11165.
When Monsour Del Rosario ran for Makati City vice mayor in the 2019 election, he was accused by incumbent Mayor Abby Binay of being largely absent from his public duties, or at least from the public eye, implying during an October 2018 press conference that he was physically non-existent as a Makati representative due to his focus on athletics and entertainment. Del Rosario defended his record, asserting that he had filed more bills in the lower house than his 2019 opponent, Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo. Both Abby Binay and Lagdameo won in 2019.
Private Sector
Monsour Del Rosario is a martial arts expert, specializing in taekwondo. He competed and medalled in several national and international contests, earning gold medals in the 14th and 15th Southeast Asian Games as well as a bronze medal in the 10th Asian Games, and reaching the quarterfinal round during the 1988 Seoul Olympics Games.
Del Rosario parlayed his exposure from his athletic feats to a show business career, appearing in several movies and television shows.
He continues to be a leading figure in taekwondo; he would later on coach and lead the national taekwondo team and head taekwondo associations.
Monsour Del Rosario started his Martial Arts training at the age of 9, which was sadly inspired by being bullied in school. At the same time, he was fascinated by Chinese Kung Fu movies, most especially by Bruce Lee. His first Martial Arts instructor was Joe Lopez-Vito, a Tang Soo Doo/Moo Duk Kwan practitioner. Later on, he shifted to Tae Kwon Do in 1977 under Sung Chon Hong when he moved to Manila for High School. He joined the Philippine National Team in 1982.
HOUSE BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS:
Author
- RA 10923: Act postponing the October 2016 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections
- RA 10928: Act amending the Philippine Passport Act
- RA 10966: Act declaring December 8 a special nonworking holiday
- RA 10969: Free Irrigation Service Act
- RA 11164: Act increasing monthly old-age pension of senior veterans
- RA 11165: Telecommuting Act
- RA 11214: Philippine Sports Training Center Act
- RA 11215: National Integrated Cancer Control Act
- RA 11223: Universal Health Care Act
- RA 11231: Agricultural Free Patent Reform Act
- RA 11333: National Museum of the Philippines Act
- RA 11350: National Commission of Senior Citizens Act
- RA 11388: Act creating two additional RTC branches and one additional MTC branch in Santa Rosa, Laguna
- RA 11394: Mandatory Provision of Neutral Desks in Educational Institutions Act
- RA 11443: Act declaring January 23 a special working holiday in Bulacan in commemoration of the inauguration of the Philippine Republic
- RA 11449: Act amending Access Devices Regulation Act
Co-author
- RA 10931: Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act
- RA 10963: Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act
- RA 11014: First Philippine Republic Day Act
- RA 11052: Philippine Food Technology Act
- RA 11145: Act declaring April 21 a special non-working holiday in Orani, Bataan
- RA 11192: Cordillera State Institute of Technical Education Act
- RA 11291: Magna Carta of the Poor
- RA 11357: Act granting Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation franchise to construct, install, establish, operate, and maintain distributed energy resources and microgrids in the remote and unviable, or unserved or underserved areas in selected provinces of the Philippines
- RA 11364: Cooperative Development Authority Charter
- RA 11434: Converting Quezon Licensing Center of LTO in Lucena City into a regular licensing center
