Jose Livioko Atienza, Jr. (born August 10, 1941), or simply Lito Atienza, is a former Mayor of the City of Manila and is recently appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as secretary for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources(July 18, 2007). He stepped down last June 30, 2007, after serving a three-year three-term limit for local government executives set by the Philippine Constitution of 1987, making a record of being the only mayor who has been reelected twice and completing a full term as the City Chief Executive. Prior to this, Atienza was the first vice mayor to have served 2 terms, to be elected as Mayor of Manila...

Young and Wise

Atienza was born in the district of San Andres Bukid, four
months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the outbreak of World War II. Atienza’s father, Jose J. Atienza, Sr., or Pepe
was a distinguished public servant who would get up in the middle of the night to help neighbors in distress (Pepe Atienza was the pioneering head of the Department of Public Services.)

Indeed, Public Service runs in Atienza’s blood, included here
with is his uncle Herminigildo Atienza, brother of Pepe, who
was appointed Mayor of the City of Manila right after the Liberation of the City.

He grew up amidst the ruins of the city, walked through neighborhoods and streets littered with debris, and on
weekends swam in the waters of Manila Bay. In his young
mind he told himself, as Manila started to rise from the ashes
of the war, which runner-upped the devastation of Warsaw, Poland, this City is going to be vibrant, beautiful, zestful and progressive again one day.  He dreamt of Manila being up in the pedestal where it belongs. 

Lito took up his primary and secondary education from Ateneo de Manila University and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas. His family was not very wealthy but his father Pepe worked so hard to provide for the family and put their kids in reputable schools. His mother Encarnita or Titang would always be at his father side to support him, take care of the kids and be a loving wife, instilling to all of them good values and faith in God.

   According to his father, no wealth could be at par with the    heritage of clean and respected name such as “Atienza”,    backing it up with good education from highly regarded    academic institutions. Lito also took pride of the fact that his    father had so many friends. Friends, according to his father,
   are treasures who would help you unconditionally in times of    distress.

   Lito, young as he was, would always look up to his parents as    to how they brought them up and promised himself that he    would pass on the heritage and love to his very own family.

   When Pepe ran and lost for the City Council under the Liberal    Party. Pepe, who always yearned to be of constant service to    his countrymen, lost his self-esteem and gave up on politics.    

   Almost all the family’s savings were spent and they had to    move to a smaller house. Little Lito would always wait for his    classmates who had cars to get free ride to school.

Whenever he doesn’t get free rides, he would always look down as he walks to and from school not because he was ashamed of not having a car but he always hopes to find “piso” and keep it for future use. Day after day Lito would get busy staring at the road hoping to find a dime and he would always be lucky to get one each day. His “piso” collection would always help him get through his daily needs in school... Up until this day, Sec. Lito Atienza would always find a shinning dime everytime he looks down on the streets while walking. Call it coincidence or luck, maybe symbolic at times. But it does really happen. 

Bayanihan Adelaide Sydney Tour: (1.) Beng (standing,2nd from left) and Lito (wearing hat and standing 2nd from right) pose with co-dancers after their successful tour. (2) Beng (front row, 6th from left) and Lito (back row, 2nd from left) sing the Bayanihan Finale Song. (3) Lito (crouched 2nd from left)
in the Tinikling number.

He also worked as “kargador” at pier to help him sustain his needs in school. At the same time he became a dancer of the Bayanihan, the Philippine National Dance Company where he met Evelina Ilagan, the youngest and prettiest female dancer.

Family Man

Evelina or Beng took up her bachelor’s degree at the Philippine Women’s University in Manila, where the Bayanihan Dance Company was based. After their trip to Hong Kong in 1966, Lito finally decided that he has fallen in love with Beng, who had become his constant partner in Jota Caviteña and Binasuan. He did not ask her to be his girlfriend, he offered her marriage and asked her if she agrees to have a dozen children with him. Beng, who secretly had a crush on Lito, readily said yes.

He believed that everything was happening on purpose. Lito being a talented and disciplined dancer, analogized his life to be like a dance number, where the accompaniment is like God’s divine will, if you dance against the music’s tempo, the dance would be so wrong.  And he thought, Beng is the perfect partner in dances as well as God’s given better half, with whom he would grow old.

Lito and Beng:   A Marriage Made in Heaven

In May 1966, they tied the knot in a civil ceremony at the Manila City Hall (which apparently became his office for 30 years serving as a PR Officer, Vice Mayor and Mayor eventually). But Beng’s father disapproved their marriage because she was barely 18 and he was just 24 and did not have a very stable income.  So, they eloped the next month. But he did not stop proving to Beng’s father that they are meant to be together.

Lito with his children Lani, Maile and Ali, as they open their Christmas gifts.(2) Lito and Beng with Chichi relaxing near the bay with friends.

Finally, they had a church wedding in July and a year later, Matanglawin - Kuya Kim was born. The next year, Analei was born. A year after came Lani and after one year, Maile.  The fifth kid was their second son Ali, whom Lito named after the famous boxer Muhammad Ali because his built looked like he’s going to be an athlete someday. After the sixth baby Chichi, the stork stopped visiting. They wanted 12 but they only had six. So they still adopted two special children, one blind and one mentally challenged. Little did they know that Lito will be the Father of the City of Manila, a family two million strong.

As promised, Lito passed on the heritage to his children. 

“One could not be an effective public servant if he couldn’t support, instill good values and manage his own family”, Lito would always tell his children.

Lito and Beng see to it that they always spend quality time with their kids, most especially with their 14 grandchildren.

He would always make it a point to bring his children to Sunday mass and spend quality time with them. Up until now that Lito and Beng already have 14 grandchildren, they would spend Saturday evenings and wholeday-Sunday with their children and their own families updating each other with recent happenings in their lives. The children look up to Lito and Beng as their role models but still consider them as their very best friends.

Lito would always kid their children that whosoever would have the highest number of children would be rewarded.

It is indeed true that one could see a great leader through his own home.  Home-for this matter is not the structure, but the family one has successfully built.

The Atienza Family