| Jose Mari Velez | |
| Birth Name: | José Mari Uhler Vélez |
| Birth Date: | 27 May 1942 |
| Birth Place: | Manila, Commonwealth of the Philippines |
| Death Place: | New York City, New York, United States |
| Occupation: | Lawyer, Journalist, Business Executive |
| Alma Mater: | University of the Philippines Diliman, Center for Research and Communication |
| Awards: | Honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani wall of remembrance |
José Mari Uhler Vélez (May 27, 1942 – June 3, 1991)[1] was a Filipino lawyer, journalist, business executive, and activist best remembered for his long career as television newscaster anchoring The Big News on ABC 5 (now TV5) and for his service as an oppositionist delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1971.[2] He was one of the opposition delegates at the convention, which was why he was one of the first to be arrested when Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial law in September 1972.[3] [4] [5] In April 1989, Velez became one of the first recipients of the Ninoy Aquino Fellowship Award for his accomplishments in journalism, with President Corazon Aquino stating that she believes he "share[s] in Ninoy's vision of preserving and strengthening our democracy."[6]
Vélez died on June 3, 1991, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City after battling lung cancer.[7] He was a graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman and of the Center for Research and Communication, which eventually evolved into the University of Asia and the Pacific.