Leonila Garcia
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Leonila Dimataga Garcia | |
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8th First Lady of the Philippines | |
In role March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961 | |
President | Carlos P. Garcia |
Preceded by | Luz Magsaysay |
Succeeded by | Eva Macapagal |
Second Lady of the Philippines | |
In role December 30, 1953 – March 18, 1957 | |
Vice President | Carlos P. Garcia |
Preceded by | Maria Salvacion Javellana |
Succeeded by | Eva Macapagal |
Personal details | |
Born | Leonila de la Serna Dimataga July 17, 1906 Opon, Cebu, Philippine Islands |
Died | May 17, 1994 Quezon City, Philippines | (aged 87)
Resting place | Libingan ng mga Bayani, Taguig |
Political party | Nacionalista |
Spouse | |
Children | Linda Garcia-Campos |
Alma mater | University of Santo Tomas |
Profession | Pharmacist |
Leonila "Inday" de la Serna Dimataga Garcia (July 17, 1906 – May 17, 1994) was a Filipino pharmacist who was the eighth First Lady of the Philippines. She was the wife of Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia. She assumed the title on March 18, 1957, upon the accession of her husband, who was then-Vice President, shortly after the death of President Ramon Magsaysay.
Garcia was born to a family of politicians. Her father, Bartolome Mangubat Dimataga, was a former mayor of Opon (now Lapu-Lapu City), Cebu, while her mother, Leoncia dela Serna, was a sister of another former mayor. Leonila's brother Mariano became the first mayor of Opon following its cityhood and renaming. Another sibling, Rosita was the sister-in-law of Senator Alejandro Almendras.[1] Nicknamed "Inday", Leonila was a pharmacist graduate of the University of Santo Tomas. She met her future husband Carlos while working at a drug store in Tagbilaran, Bohol, that he had frequented.[2] They married on May 24, 1933, and had a daughter together, Linda Garcia-Campos.[3]
As First Lady, Garcia became active in cultural and social activities in line with her husband's Filipino First Policy.

She ran for a Senate seat in 1971, but lost.[1] She died in 1994.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Oaminal, Clarence Paul (April 17, 2014). "The Cebuano candidates in the 1971 Senatorial Elections". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ Dolor, Danny (May 20, 2018). "Leonila D. Garcia:Gracious First Lady". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ Oaminal, Clarence Paul (July 20, 2016). "Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, the Boholano who married a Cebuana". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Dolor, Danny (May 20, 2018). "Leonila D. Garcia:Gracious First Lady". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- Filipino politician stubs
- 1906 births
- 1994 deaths
- Filipino pharmacists
- Filipino Roman Catholics
- People from Bohol
- People from Lapu-Lapu City
- Nacionalista Party politicians
- University of Santo Tomas alumni
- First ladies and gentlemen of the Philippines
- Second ladies and gentlemen of the Philippines
- Spouses of presidents of the Philippines
- Women pharmacists