Jose Luis Montales
Secretary of the Senate of the Philippines (May–June 2026)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jose Luis Garcia Montales (born August 28, 1964) is a Filipino lawyer and government official. He serves as the Secretary of the Senate of the Philippines on May 18, following the election of Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president.[1] He previously served as the Secretary-General of the House of Representatives from 2019 to 2020, under Cayetano's tenure as speaker of the House of Representatives.[2]
Jose Luis Montales | |
|---|---|
Official portrait as Senate secretary, 2026 | |
| Secretary of the Senate of the Philippines | |
| In office May 18, 2026 – June 3, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Llandro Mendoza |
| Succeeded by | Renato Bantug Jr. |
| Secretary General of the House of Representatives of the Philippines | |
| In office July 22, 2019 – October 12, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Dante Roberto Maling (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jocelia Bighani Sipin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 28, 1964 |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Early life and education
Montales was born in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro. He obtained a degree in AB Philosophy from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1989 and pursued graduate studies at the University of the Philippines, where he earned his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1993.[3]
Political career
Montales served as head of the City Administrator's Office of Taguig under the mayoralty of Lani Cayetano from 2010 to 2017. Upon Alan Peter Cayetano's appointment as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Montales served in the Department of Foreign Affairs as undersecretary for civilian security and consular concerns.[4]
He was elected secretary-general of the House of Representatives on July 22, 2019, at the opening of the 18th Congress, following the election of then-Taguig representative Alan Peter Cayetano as speaker. He was succeeded by Jocelia Sipin during a special session convened by allies of Lord Allan Velasco, who unseated Cayetano as speaker on October 12, 2020.[5]
Montales was elected secretary of the Senate on May 18, 2026, a week after Alan Peter Cayetano was elected Senate president following the controversial ouster of Tito Sotto and the return of Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.[1]
On June 3, 2026, when the then 11-member minority bloc, together with Senator Francis Escudero, attended a session prior to the Senate's sine die adjournment, Montales was called upon by presiding officer Sherwin Gatchalian to conduct the roll call but refused to do so. He was subsequently replaced by former Senate secretary Renato Bantug Jr.[6]