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LEADERS of theHOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES

District : 4th District, Quezon CityMember : 9th, 10th, 11th and 15th

CongressesBirthday/Age : 2 October 1936 / 73 years

oldProfession : LawyerSchool/sAttended : Lyceum of the PhilippinesAffiliation/s : Jaycees;RotaryClubof

Manila;KnightsofRizalCitations : Outstanding Congressman

of the 9th, 10th, and 11th Congresses;1993GintongAmaAwardee;OustandingAlumni Award – Lyceum of thePhilippines;2003MostOutstanding City Mayor

Feliciano “Sonny” BELMONTE Jr.Speaker

Raul S. DAZADeputy Speaker

District : 1st District, Northern SamarMember : RBP,8th,9th,10thand

15th CongressesBirthday/Age : 2 May 1935 / 75 years oldProfession : Lawyer / AccountantSchool/sAttended : University of the

Philippines;Universityofthe East

Affiliation/s : PhilippineInstituteofCertifiedPublicAccountants;StateBarofCalifornia,USA;IntegratedBarofthePhilippines;California Society of Public Accountants, USA

Spouse : TeresitaSambewitoRuiz

Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr. possesses a rare

combination of legislative acumen and executive savvy, having served as Representative of the 4th District of Quezon City during the 9th, 10th, and 11th Congresses, and consequently, Mayor of Quezon City for three consecutive terms.

During his previous stint as a lawmaker, Speaker Belmonte became chairman of the Metro Manila Congressional Caucus. He was senior vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations and vice chairman of the Committees on Government Reorganization and Civil Service and Professional Regulation. He was a member of the Committees on Transportation and Communication, National Defense, Banks and Financial Intermediaries, and Government Enterprises and Privatization. He also became House Minority Leader, and later on, Speaker of the House of Representatives from January 24–June 30, 2001.

Speaker Belmonte is author and co-author of the following landmark laws: the Ecological Solid Waste

Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003); RA 8975, which ensures the expeditious implementation and completion of government infrastructure projects; the Seat Belts Use Act of 1999 (RA 8750); the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (RA 8749); the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998 (RA 8479); the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act (RA 8425); RA 7924, which created the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority; the Export Development Act of 1994 (RA 7844); the Dual Training System Act of 1994 (RA 7686), the New Central Bank Act (RA 7553); and various laws regulating professions such as teaching, mechanical and chemical engineering, and seamanship.

During the term of President Corazon Aquino, he restored the financial health of several struggling government-owned corporations. He was president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System and Manila Hotel as well as chairman of the National Reinsurance Corporation of the Philippines. He also represented the government in the corporate boards of the San Miguel Corporation and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. He was once president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Airlines, then wholly owned by the government.

His exceptional work is reflected in his various key positions in the past three decades. He was elected Representative of the Congressional District of Samar from the 7th to the 10th Congress. He was Speaker Pro Tempore in the 9th Congress (1992-1995) and Senior Deputy Speaker in the 10th Congress (1995-1998).

He was also appointed Deputy Minister of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) in 1986-1987 and served as Commissioner of the Preparatory Commission on Constitutional Reforms in 1999. In 2001, he was

Deputy Speaker Raul A. Daza has a passion for public service, distinguishing himself both in the legislative and executive departments. Continued on page 2

University of San CarlosAffiliation/s :IntegratedBarofthe

PhilippinesCitation/s : 1999 Most Outstanding

GovernorforCentralVisayas;Ten Most Outstanding Congressman Awardee of the8thand9thCongress;President Emeritus of theIntegratedBarofthePhilippines-IBPCebuCityChapter

Spouse :RetiredJudgeEsperanzaFiel

Deputy Speaker Lorenzo R. Tañada III is a third term member of the House of Representatives. In the 14th Congress he was chairman of the Committee on Human Rights which acted on several resolutions calling for investigations in aid of legislation on alleged human rights violations. His committee passed on third reading HB 2799, the Internal Displacement Act; and HB 5886, the Involuntary

District : 2nd District, CebuMember :8th,9th,14thand15th

CongressesBirthday/Age:25September1925/84years

oldProfession : LawyerSchool/sAttended :UniversityofthePhilippines;

Lorenzo “Erin” R. Tañada IIIDeputy Speaker

District : 4th District, QuezonMember : 13th, 14th and 15th

CongressesBirthday/Age : 16 August 1963 / 46 years oldProfession : LawyerSchool/sAttended :AteneodeManilaUniversity;

Manuel L. Quezon UniversityAffiliation/s :IntegratedBarofthe

Philippines;ManilaJaycees;RotaryClubofManilaBay;FreeLegalAssistanceGroup

Disappearance Act. He authored and co-authored bills enacted into law such as: RA 9500, the University of the Philippines Charter; RA 9502, the Cheaper Medicines Law; RA 9346, the Repeal of the Death Penalty; RA 9513, the Renewable Energy Act; RA 9640, amending the Local Government Code by lowering the amusement tax; RA 9700, the Extension of the Agrarian Reform Law; RA 9745, the Anti-Torture Act of 2009; RA 9851, the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity; and RA 9903, the Social Security Condonation Law.

He also authored and co-authored the following measures: HB 15, the Anti-Smuggling Act; HB 318, the Charter of the Philippine Trade Representative Office; HB 1803, mandating the creation of marine protected areas in coastal municipalities and cities; HB 3732, the Freedom of Information Act; HB 5256, the People’s Participation in Budget Deliberations Act of 2008; and Joint Resolution 40, declaring January 25 as Cory Aquino Day.

In the 13th Congress, Deputy Speaker Tañada’s accomplishments include the passage of RA 9495, Creating the Provinces of Quezon del Sur and Quezon del Norte, and RA 9346, Abolishing the Death Penalty.

elected Governor of the province of Northern Samar. After being re-elected as such for three-consecutive terms, he won in the May 2010 election as the Representative of the 1st District of Northern Samar. Since 1969 to the present, he has held high positions in the Liberal Party as secretary-general, vice-president and president. Deputy Speaker Daza dedicated most of his professional life to public service contributing to the political, economic and cultural advancement of his countrymen, particularly the Warays. He excels not only in politics but also in other fields, particularly law and accounting.

Pablo “Pabling” P. GARCIADeputy Speaker

From page 1, Deputy Speaker Raul S. Daza

Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia was recognized as the “Constitutionalist of the House” during his tenure as Representative of the 3rd District of Cebu in the 8th and 9th Congresses. He later became Senior Board Member, Vice Governor and Governor of Cebu. He returned to the House in the 14th Congress to represent the people of Cebu’s 2nd district.

As a respected legal luminary and constitutionalist of the 14th Congress, Deputy Speaker Garcia rendered his opinion on several controversial issues relating to the Human Security Act, Cheaper Medicines Bill, issuance of arrest warrants, aborted GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, “Hello Garci” scandal, and May 2010 automated election.

Notable of the laws he authored from 1987 to 1995 are RA 6809, lowering the age of majority from 21 to 18 years old; RA 6850, granting Civil Service Eligibility to public school teachers who have rendered 5 years of continuous and efficient service; RA 6733, granting members of both Houses of Congress general authority to administer oaths; RA 7659, declaring certain crimes as heinous crimes punishable by death; RA 7975, redefining the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan; RAs 7691 and 7902, both amending the Judiciary Act of 1980; RA 6968, punishing the Crimes of Coup d’etat by amending Art. 134, 135 and 136 of the Revised Penal Code; and RA 9520, amending the Cooperative Code of the Philippines.

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District : 4th District, Camarines SurMember :RBP,9th,10th,11th,13th,

14th and 15th CongressesBirthday/Age : 29 October 1945 / 64 years

oldProfession : LawyerSchool/sAttended :UniversityofthePhilippines;

HarvardUniversity,KennedySchoolofGovernment,Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Affiliation/s :NewYorkStateBarAssociation;AmericanBarAssociation;IntegratedBarofthe Philippines

Citation/s : 1994 Top Achiever Solon (ThePhilippineLegislator);LawmakeroftheYear:TheWorkaholic1994(CongressPostPhilippines);Outstanding Public Servant oftheYear(NationalMediaStatisticsResearchNewsPublication,2000);Outstanding Congressman in the 9th (Consumer Welfare FoundationofthePhilippines);10th and 11th Congresses (Congress Magazine and MakatiSchoolofArtsandJournalism);OutstandingParliamentarianoftheYear1979

Spouse :EvelynBuquidFuentebella

Arnulfo “Noli” P. FUENTEBELLADeputy Speaker

Deputy Speaker Arnulfo P. Fuentebella is known for his selfless dedication to the upliftment of the socio-economic stature of Bicolanos. He hails from a family of public servants in Camarines Sur with a history of strong dedication and commitment to public service.

As six-term Representative of the 3rd District of Camarines Sur, Deputy Speaker Fuentebella was elected to key positions in Congress as Deputy Majority Leader, Deputy Speaker and even Speaker—attesting to his exemplary performance in the legislature.

District : 7th District, CaviteMember : 13th, 14th and 15th

CongressesBirthday/Age : 31 March 1961 / 49 years oldProfession : LawyerSchool/sAttended : University of the PhilippinesAffiliations :CarabaosClub-Imus,Cavite;

RotaryClubofCavite-East;CaviteGolfers’Association;Calabarzon Provincial Board Members Association

Spouse :Ma.JosefinaD.Remulla

Jesus Crispin “Boying” C. REMULLADeputy Speaker

Deputy Speaker Jesus Crispin C. Remulla is one of the most diligent and hardworking members of the House.

He was Deputy Majority Leader and a member of the rewriting team of the Committee on Rules in the 13th Congress. He was Vice-Chair of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education and a member of all standing House committees.

He considers his bills revitalizing the University of the Philippines Charter, enacting the Philippine Normal University Charter, and several other bills concerning higher education as his best accomplishments as a legislator. His legislative agenda is focused on

education, medical assistance and infrastructure.

Deputy Speaker Remulla pushed for the approval of more than 60 bills in the Committee on Higher and Technical Education, including the use of English as a medium of instruction and the Magna Carta for Students. He also supported the approval of local education bills for most regions as part of human resource development.

Among the bills he filed are HB 5958 entitled “An Act Strengthening Further the Regulatory Powers of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,” and HB 1954 entitled “The Philippine Immigration and Naturalization Act of 2007.”

District : 1st District, Zamboanga CityMember : 14th and 15th CongressesBirthday/Age : 7 September 1966 / 43 years

oldProfession :Teacher/Guidance

CounselorSchool/sAttended :AteneodeZamboanga;

Ateneo de Manila UniversityAffiliation/s :PhilippineCouncilofYoung

PoliticalLeaders;InterfaithCouncilofLeaders;PhilippineCouncilorsLeague;GenderandDevelopmentFocalPoint;FoundationfortheDevelopmentofChildren;Lady Legislators of the Philippines

Spouse : Trifonio P. Salazar

Maria Isabelle “Beng” G. CLIMACODeputy Speaker

Deputy Speaker Climaco is on her second term as member of the House of Representatives. During the 14th Congress she advocated children’s and women’s welfare. She is also known for her active involvement, nationally

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Among his notable accomplishments and contributions to national policy were: The Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001 (RA 9136); Amendments to Crop Insurance Corporation Charter (RA 8175); Amendments to The Code of Agrarian Reform (RA 7907); and Omnibus Measures on Bills on Taxation, Revenue Generation, Economic Measures, Environmental Concerns, Peace and Order, Health, Education, and many others.

District : Lone District, Mandaluyong City

Member : 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th and 15th Congresses

Birthday/Age : 29 August 1954 / 55 years old

and internationally, in gender issues. She is also behind the program named PINK October, a Breast Cancer Prevention Advocacy, which was adopted and implemented in different legislative districts in the country.

She is proud to have authored the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710), and the Amendment of the Cooperative Code (RA 9520). She also authored three local bills establishing three National High Schools particularly in Barangay Recodo (RA 9581), Barangay Capisan (RA 9594) and Barangay Sinubong (RA 9588) all in Zamboanga City.

In her home district, she emphasizes the importance of consultation with the people. She funded programs and projects such as First Aid Kits for Public Schools, the Bata Kontra Bulati Campaign, Barangay Entre-Negosyo Caravan, among others. Her district projects also include partnerships with various non-government organizations for the hearing-impaired and differently-abled persons.

Deputy Speaker Climaco served as Councilor of Zamboanga City for two consecutive terms after she won in 1998. She was also Vice Mayor of Zamboanga City in 2004.

Neptali “Boyet” M. GONZALES IIMajority Leader

Majority Leader Neptali M. Gonzales was a practicing lawyer before he got elected in 1995 as representative of Mandaluyong’s lone district. On his first term, he already served as Deputy Majority Leader and was one of the neophyte lawmakers that time to have the most number of bills enacted into law. He eventually became Majority Leader in the 11th and 12th Congresses. The people of Mandaluyong elected him City Mayor after his term in the House ended in 2004.

Among the measures he authored were: RA 8191, prescribing measures for the prevention and control of diabetes mellitus in the Philippines; RA 8249, defining the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan; RA 8424, amending the National Internal Revenue Code; RA 8365, converting the Rizal Technological Colleges into a state university; RA 8497, establishing the Mandaluyong Science High School; and RA 9184 or the E-Procurement Law.

In the 14th Congress, he has proudly sponsored measures that created integrated schools in his district to serve its growing secondary education population. He also filed a Resolution that helped local governments curb the high cost of water utilities for non-revenue offices or agencies like hospitals, city/municipal jails, police stations, and public schools. This objective was made possible by encouraging the MWSS to reclassify rates for the said agencies, resulting to a 30 percent discount on their water bills.

From page 3, Deputy Speaker Maria Isabelle Climaco Profession : Lawyer

School/sAttended :FarEasternUniversity;Ate-

neo de Manila UniversityAffiliation/s :IntegratedBarofthePhilip-

pines;RotaryClubofMan-daluyong

Spouse :AlexandriaP.Gonzales

Minority Leader Edcel Lagman’s exceptional performance in Congress is best attested by his being chosen Outstanding Congressman every year from 1987 to 1998 and 2004 to 2008 by the Philippine Free Press and Consumers Welfare Foundation of the Philippines.

He and his law firm, Lagman, Lagman and Mones, are labor rights advocates.His principal authorship and steering of the passage of the extension of the Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD) component of the Agrarian Reform Program (RA 9700) stands as his remarkable feat as a legislator. This law sustains the empowerment of the farmers in the continuation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (RA 6657) and the first extension of LAD (RA 8532), both of which he principally authored.

In his five terms as Representative of the 1st District of Albay, he initiated projects that immensely helped improve the lives of his constituents. During the 14th Congress, he supported the improvement of technical-vocational and tertiary education and prioritized countryside farm-to-market roads and irrigation projects to help farmers increase food production and their income.

District : 1st District, AlbayMember :8th,9th,10th,13th,14thand

15th CongressesBirthday/Age:1May1942/68yearsoldProfession : LawyerSchool/sAttended : University of the Philippines-

DilimanAffiliation/s :IntegratedBarofthe

Philippines;PhilippineTrialLawyersAssociation;Philippine Collegian Alumni EditorsFoundation;RotaryClubofSouthTriangle;AlphaPhi Beta Chancery

Citations : Outstanding Congressman (1987-1998&2004-2008)

Spouse : Ma. Cielo Burce-Lagman

Edcel C. LAGMANMinority Leader

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