City to give tribute to late City Councilor German Gonzales today
The Iloilo City government will hold a necrological service as a tribute to the late former city councilor German T. Gonzales 6 p.m. today at the Sangguniang Panglungsod session hall where his remains will be laid overnight. The necrological service will be preceded by a holy mass at 5 p.m.
City government officials, colleagues in the media and the city government, friends and relatives of Gonzales are expected to attend the necrological ceremony.
City Councilor Julienne Baronda, coordinator of the affair, said Gonzales's close friends and former colleagues in the media and the City Council were invited to deliver their eulogies.
Gonzales succumbed to a lingering illness last March 11, 2009. He was 66 years old.
Gonzales was known in his schooldays as an active student leader and an activist fighting the excesses of the late strongman Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. He took up Political Science at the University of the Philippines Iloilo College (UPIC) but after two years he transferred to the University of Iloilo (UI) where he finished the said degree.
At UPIC he became president of the Student Republic. Among his classmates were Senators Franklin Drilon and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
Gonzales also excelled in UI, he became the captain of the university debating team and was awarded best debater twice.
Gonzales started his media career at dyFM, forerunner of Bombo Radyo, handling the radio program “On the air force” until it was ordered stopped by Marcos in 1972 when martial law was declared.
Gonzales was among those arrested and imprisoned during martial law because of his anti-Marcos commentaries.
In 1978, Gonzales's voice was again heard over the air through radio station dyII.
When Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) opened its Iloilo station dyRI Gonzales was tapped to become its program director. It was during his stint with dyRI where Gonzales was elected president of the Iloilo Press Club (1981-1982). He also earned the title Best Radio Commentator.
Gonzales started his political career as councilor of his hometown Barotac Nuevo.
In 1986 he was appointed by Pres. Corazon Aquino as Iloilo City Councilor. He served as city councilor for two more terms after he won during the 1989 and 1992 elections. In 1995 he ran for vice mayor but lost. Eventually, he was appointed by then Mayor Mansueto Malabor as his Executive Secretary.
In 1998 he again tried his luck in politics by running for city councilor and he won.
After his stint in politics, Gonzales came back to his first love which is radio broadcasting. He anchored his radio program “German Gonzales at your service” over the now defunct dyBQ Radyo Budyong.
In 2004 Gonzales was again elected president of the Iloilo Press Club.