Former prime minister and economic technocrat Cesar Virata died on Friday, October 2, at the age of 95 due to natural causes.
In a statement, Virata’s family said the ex-finance minister is survived by his wife Phylita Joy Gamboa Virata; his children, Steven, Gillian, and Michael; his grandchildren, Enzo, Danni, Xavi, and Diego; and his great-grandchildren, Coco and Sierra.
The family said it will announce details about the memorial services for Virata later.
A long-serving technocrat and statesman, Virata served as Minister of Finance from 1970 to 1986 and as Prime Minister from 1981 to 1986 during the term of then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
He also served as chair of the Board of Investments and represented the Philippines as governor at the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
He played a central role in shaping Philippine economic policy and international financial relations over two decades.
The University of the Philippines’ business school, the Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business, was renamed after him amid public controversy.
Before he entered the government, Virata was dean of UP’s then College of Business Administration. He earned his engineering and business degrees from UP and a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School.
Virata also served on the board of the Yuchengco-led Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. since 1995 and its corporate vice chairman for over 20 years.