Roy Señeres

Roy Villareal Señeres (July 6, 1947 – February 8, 2016) was a Filipino statesman and diplomat who initially ran in the 2016 Philippine presidential election under the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka party before withdrawing on February 5, 2016, three days before his death. Señeres was elected as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the OFW Family Club party-list in the 2013 general elections. He is the father of former congressman Christian Señeres.

Roy Señeres was born on July 6, 1947 in Mambusao, Capiz to Federico Señeres and Lourdes Villareal. They formerly resided in the Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte, but eventually moved to Butuan. Roy studied at the Primary Butuan Elementary School, Butuan Central Elementary School, and Agusan National High School. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Santo Tomas in 1967 and a Bachelor of Laws at San Beda College in 1971. He passed the bar exam the same year.

He was also a columnist of the tabloid, Pilipino Star Ngayon. His column is entitled Amba's Briefs.

Señeres chair the National Labor Relations Commission of the Department of Labor and Employment from 2002 to 2005. During the 2013 elections, he won a seat in the Philippine House of Representatives as a representative of the OFW Family Club party-list.

United Arab Emirates

He has served as a labor attaché in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates from 1983 to 1989. During his tenure as labor attaché his residence served as a refuge for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who fled from their employers. This would lead to the establishment of the first Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) center in the Emirati city.

Señeres was also instrumental to the handling of the case of Sarah Balabagan, an OFW who was on death row for stabbing her male employer. The OFW insists that her act was done as a self-defence against rape. Through his connections with the royal family of Abu Dhabi secured a pardon for the migrant worker having convinced them that Balabagan was only 15 years old and not 22 as stated on her falsified passport.

Presidential bid

Roy Señeres' presidential campaign logo

Señeres first bared his plan to run for the Presidency on October 20, 2014, during the launch of his Respect our Security of Employment (ROSE) movement in Butuan. He reiterated his plan to run for President in the 2016 presidential election a year later during a briefing at the House of Representatives. He will run under the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka and will field a vice-presidential candidate and a 12-man senatorial slate. He formally launched his presidential bid on October 11, 2015 at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila.

Señeres' bid was the subject of jokes during a meeting in the Philippine House of Representatives, as it was viewed as a stunt by his fellow congressmen who did not believe he was running, claiming that Señeres needed to run a serious nationwide campaign to have a chance of winning the presidency. Señeres has expressed his hope that he will not be declared a "nuisance candidate" by the Comelec.

Señeres was open to the possibility that Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte would be his substitute candidate if Duterte became a pro-life advocate. However, Señeres later refused to substitute for him and slammed Duterte's decision to pursue the presidency. He said that Duterte should support and endorse him instead.

On November 22, 2015, he launched the National Headquarters of the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka for his presidential campaign in Las Piñas.

Citing his health conditions due to his long-standing diabetes, Señeres officially decided to withdraw in the presidential race on February 5, 2016.

Shortly after withdrawing his bid for presidency due to health reasons, Señeres suffered a cardiac arrest and was admitted to the intensive care unit of the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig, which according to his sister-in-law was triggered by his diabetes. On February 8, 2016, in an interview with DZMM, his eldest son RJ said that Señeres died from his cardiac arrest that morning while at the intensive care unit. Señeres was 68 years old and was survived by his wife and their six children.

He was married to Minnie Seneres with 7 children: Jay Thomas, Christian, Roy Jr. (RJ), Monique, Hannah, Hazel, Christopher. RJ and Hannah are the first and second nominees of OFW Family Club party-list.