Track Record

His career in politics started in 1982 when he was elected as Guimbal Municipal Federation President of the Kabataang Barangay, the precursor of the present day Sangguniang Kabataan. At 24 years old, he was elected in 1992 as Provincial Board Member, representing the First District of Iloilo and re elected to the same position in 1995. 

In 1998 he opted out on his last term as Board Member to become the Municipal Mayor of Guimbal which he served until 2007. His tenure as Mayor was highlighted by pragmatic innovation, resulting to policies and solutions based on real and actual situations. As proof, he was able to steer Guimbal into national recognition by garnering numerous national awards, most notably, the Most Business Friendly Municipality Award given by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) as a Hall of Famer.

He returned to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan as Senior Board Member and Floor Leader in 2007. He was elected Vice Governor of the Province of Iloilo in 2010 elections with a margin of about 180,000 votes. It was an indication that majority of the Ilonggos aspire to be governed by young, competent, energetic and visionary leaders.

His two terms in office as Congressman of the First District of Iloilo is a hallmark of hard work and dedication, particularly on his advocacy for health, social services and education. As a legislator, he pushed for comprehensive and affordable health and social services programs for the people, and the expansion of technical and vocational education for the youth. Most significantly, anyone familiar with the southern part of Iloilo will readily attest that during the past six (6) years a frenzy of government project implementation swept over the First District, not only in infrastructure but also in social services, health, poverty alleviation and education.“Responsableng Gobyerno”, a catchword among his constituents, is in fact a declaration of his solemn desire to see government work for the people.

He specifically authored legislations providing social pensions for indigent senior citizens who are at least 70 years old, and the establishment of independent high schools in the country. He has filed several bills in Congress, among the most significant and important are House Bills 2147, 3417, 3418 and 3420. When he was Vice Governor of Iloilo from 2010 to 2013, he also promoted similar social legislations, like the Senior Citizens Ordinance of 2012, Person with Disability Ordinance of 2012 and the Solo Parents Ordinance of 2013.