Rufus Rodriguez

Rufus B. Rodriguez (born September 13, 1953) is a Filipino politician. A member of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino party, and affiliated with the Genuine Opposition, he was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives, representing the Second District of Cagayan de Oro City beginning in 2007.

A graduate of the De La Salle University (Ab Economics '75, Summa Cum Laude) and the University of the Philippines College of Law, Rodriguez served as Vice-Governor of Misamis Oriental from 1984 to 1987. In 1990, he became the Dean of the College of Law of San Sebastian College. Rodriguez was appointed as the head of the Bureau of Immigration by President Joseph Estrada in 1998, and served in that capacity until 2001.

In June 2012, Representative Rodriguez sponsored an amendment to the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009. The proposed amendment revises the provisions rendering a time for breastfeeding babies during work hours. Breastfeeding mothers would no longer be paid for time spent breastfeeding as they are under the current Milk Code, provided the breaks do not exceed 40 minutes during an eight-hour work period.

Rufus B. Rodriguez was born and grew up in Cagayan de Oro City.

He was Valedictorian in Grade School in 1967 and also Valedictorian in High School in 1971, both at Xavier University.

During his High School graduation, he was the recipient of the Insular Life Excellence Award.

He went on to take AB-Economics at De La Salle University, Manila where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

He entered the College of Law at the University of the Philippines at Diliman, Quezon City as an Entrance and College Scholar.

As a sophomore law student, he was elected the first and Filipino President of the World Association of Law Students based in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. As such he presided over the organization’s assemblies in Khartoum, Sudan, Africa; Madrid, Spain; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Also as a junior law student at U.P. he became the youngest author of law books by writing the Law on Transportation published by Rex Bookstore.

He was a consistent honor student at the U.P. College of Law, a member of the Order of the Purple Feather Honor Society from 1st to 4th year. He graduated in the Top Seven in his class and placed among the Top Twenty in the 1981 Bar Examinations with grades of 90% in three bar subjects namely: Commercial Law, Criminal Law and Labor Law.

In 1980, while on his senior year at law school, he was elected the youngest senior board member of Misamis Oriental. In 1984, he became the youngest Vice Governor of Misamis Oriental. Also that year, he finished his M.A. in Economics with High Distinction at Xavier University.

In 1990, he was appointed the youngest law dean of the San Sebastian College of Law, Manila.

He took up further studies in law overseas, and graduated with Harlan Fiske Stone Honors (equivalent to Magna Cum Laude) Master of Laws at Columbia School of Law, New York City in 1995.

In 1998, he was appointed the youngest Commissioner of Bureau of Immigration by President Joseph “Erap” Estrada where he initiated an efficiency and transparency program.

Two great universities in the country have honored him. He was awarded “Most Outstanding Alumnus” by De La Salle University in 1999 and Xavier University in 2002. In December, 2008 he was awarded The Xavier University 75th Anniversary Most Outstanding Alumnus Award for Public Service.

In 2007, he was elected Representative of the Second District of Cagayan de Oro City in the 14th Congress where he had a perfect attendance, ranking second among 268 Congressmen on the most number of bills and resolutions filed at 554 of which 53 have become Republic Acts. He was re-elected last May 10, 2010 elections with a winning margin of 100,000 votes over his opponent.

At present, in the 15th Congress, he ranks first in the House of Representatives in the number of bills and resolutions with 997, of which 9 have become laws currently making him the House member with the most number of bills filed that became law. He also has a perfect attendance.

On June 19, 2009, he received a Certificate, Leaders in Development from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Last November 14, 2010, he received the Gold Vision Triangle Award, the highest award given by the YMCA of the Philippines for his exemplary and distinctive service to the Filipino youth.

On March 31, 2011, he was conferred the degree of Doctorate of Humanities (Civil Law) Honoris Causa by the Central Mindanao University at Musuan, Bukidnon.

On July 22, 2011 he received a Certificate on Summer Courses on Public International Law from The Hague Academy of International Law in Netherlands.

Last November 11, 2011, he was awarded the YMCA Centennial Leadership Award for Government Service.

He was also conferred a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) degree by University of Negros Occidental Recoletos (UNO-R) last May 24, 2012 Attended the 17th Session of the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy in Rhodes, Greece last July 2012.

He is happily married to Fenina Tiukinhoy of Surigao City and blessed with daughter Regine Beatrice.