Louise Araneta-Marcos

Louise Araneta-Marcos was born on 21 August 1959 in Manila, Philippines to politically-connected parents, Manuel “Manolet” Ledesma Araneta Jr. and Milagros “Mila” Azaola Cacho.

The First Lady is known to many as “Liza”, or simply by her initials “LAM.”

Her father was born on 8 December 1926 in Iloilo City, but grew up in Bago, Negros Occidental. He was often referred to as “twinkle toes,” for his lightness when prancing around the basketball court during tournaments. He was a member of the 1948 London Summer Olympics for basketball. Her father is the first cousin of Judy Araneta-Roxas, the wife of Senator Gerardo Roxas — the son of President Manuel Roxas.

Her mother, Mila, was born on 16 January 1930 in Manila. She is the daughter of Jesus Cacho and Rosario Barlow Azaola. Her mother’s youngest sister, Rosario Cacho, was married to Pedro Cojuangco, the eldest brother of President Corazon C. Aquino.

She graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1981. Subsequently, she earned her law degree from the same university in 1985.

Marriage & Family

Liza first met future President, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in New York City while working as a lawyer in 1988. They got married at the San Francesco Convent in Fiesole, Italy on 17 April 1993.

The couple has three sons:

Ferdinand Alexander, known as “Sandro” (born on 7 March 1994)

Joseph Simon, known as “Simon” (born on 25 November 1995)

William Vincent, known as “Vinny” (born on 17 May 1997)

Career

Liza is a law professor and a lawyer. She was a founding partner at MOST law firm (Marcos, Ochoa, Serapio & Tan), where she worked from 2006 until January 2019. She subsequently took a leave of absence to help her husband with the 2016 Vice Presidential election protest. In September 2019, she founded M & Associates law firm.

On 15 June 2022, before her husband’s inauguration as the 17th President of the Philippines, she dissolved her firm.

As a law professor, Liza taught a wide range of subjects for over two decades: Administrative Law, Alternative Dispute Resolutions, Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Law II, Criminal Law I, Criminal Law II, Criminal Law Review, Criminal Procedure, Election Law & Law on Public Officers, Evidence, Intellectual Property, Laws on Local Government, Legal Ethics, Natural Resources & Environmental Law, Public International Law, Practice Court 1, Remedial Law I, Remedial Law II, Remedial Law Review, Special Labor & Social Legislation, Special Proceedings, Transportation and Trial Technique.

First Lady of the Philippines

This is the first time that the Philippines has had a First Lady who is a lawyer by profession. The country has not had an official First Lady in over two decades.

As First Lady, Louise Araneta-Marcos has continued to support her husband in every way possible.

However, since becoming the First Lady, Liza refused to stop teaching aspiring law students, and has found ways to make this possible despite her tight schedule. As it has always been in the past, the compensation she receives as a law professor is used to defray the costs of her students Bar Examinations.

Given her extensive experience in the field of education, part of her advocacy is to increase the quality of education in public schools. In fact, she was instrumental in the planning and construction of a new building with “smart technology” for West Visayas State University’s (WVSU) College of Law.

People who have worked for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos over the years have witnessed how they bring out the best in each other. The Philippines has a dedicated and very capable First Couple committed to work in the best interest of its people.