Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez, though born in Medina, Misamis Oriental finished his Associate in Arts at the Cebu Junior College (now the U.P. Cebu Campus, now headed by a Cebuano Dean, Atty Liza Corro). Pelaez was the son of Gregorio Pelaez Sr. and Felipe Neri on November 30, 1915.
Emmanuel Pelaez, of Cebuano roots became Vice President of the Philippines when elected in 1961 as the running mate of President Diosdado Macapagal of the Liberal Party. Pelaez was Vice President from December 30, 1961 to December 30, 1965. Pelaez while he was Vice President was given a cabinet post by Macapagal as his Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1961 until 1963 when he resigned from the position.
When Pelaez earned his preparatory law course in Cebu, he went to the University of Manila for his Law Degree and topped the Bar Examinations in 1938 (he was admitted to the Bar on January 9, 1939).
Pelaez, started his political career by running as Congressman in 1949 (he succeeded Pedro Baculio) in the Province of Misamis Oriental (now the Province has three Districts to include the lone district of the City of Cagayan de Oro). His performance in Congress earned him the accolades such as One of the Ten Outstanding Congressman by the Congressional Press Club and One of the Ten Useful Congressman of the Free Press. Emmanuel, then run for the Senate in 1953 and won, serving until 1959 (term was from December 30, 1953 to December 30, 1959).
Pelaez after finishing his term as Vice President run for Congress in 1965 (Lone District of the Province of Misamis Oriental), his term was from December 30, 1965 to December 30, 1969 (he succeeded Vicente de Lara and he was succeeded by Pedro Roa). But Emmanuel Pelaez did not finish his term in Congress as he run for the Senate in 1967. He was Senator again from December 30, 1967 until September 23, 1972 when President Ferdinand E. Marcos abolished the House of Representatives and the Senate.
President Marcos reopened the country's legislative body by creating the so called Regular Batasang Pambansa after he ended the Interim Batasang Pambansa, Pelaez run for Assemblyman representing Region X (Northern Mindanao). Pelaez was Assemblyman from June 12, 1978 to June 5, 1984.
When Corazon C. Aquino became President in 1986, Emmanuel Pelaez was appointed Philippine Ambassador to the United States of America, a position held by Benjamin Romualdez, brother of First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos.
Emmanuel Pelaez married Edith Fabella and had the following children: Emmanuel Jr. (became a lawyer on March 21, 1966), Ernesto, Elena, Esperanza, Eloisa, Eduardo, Enrique, Edmundo and Elvira.
There is a street in Cebu City named after a Pelaez, its complete name is Pedro Pablo Pelaez, a Priest born in Laguna. He founded the newspaper, El Catolico Filipino and advocated the equality of Filipino priests with that of the Spanish Friars, he was then called the "Father of Secularization". A Pelaez (Rhett O. Pelaez) became Presidential Assistant for the Visayas during the Presidency of Fidel V. Ramos (1992 to 1998).
Emmanuel Pelaez, the 1938 Bar Topnotcher also has relatives who became lawyers: Fulvio C. Pelaez (a cousin of VP Pelaez, admitted to the Bar on August 31, 1946, he was President of the Liberal Party of Cebu, it was in his residence that President Macapagal had breakfast on April 30, 1962 with the Provincial and Municipal Officials of Cebu), Efrain C. Pelaez (admitted to the Bar on December 21, 1936), Vicente Pelaez (October 12, 1912), Vicente C. Pelaez Jr. (became a lawyer on January 18, 1954), Pacifico S. Pelaez (became a lawyer on March 8, 1972), Rodolfo N. Pelaez, April 1, 1953, Isacio A. Pelaez (February 23, 1962), Rene V. Pelaez (March 3, 1960), Benjamin E. Pelaez, April 1, 1976, Vincent K. Pelaez II (admitted to the Bar on April 3, 2003), Ma. Leila A. Pelaez on May 4, 2000 and Arlyn A. Pelaez admitted to the Bar on March 20, 2003.
Emmanuel Peleaz, the Honorable Man from Visayas and Mindanao died on July 27, 2003.