THINKING BIG

Congressman Deogracias Victor Barbers Savellano of the First District of Ilocos Sur is no stranger to politics and public service. His dream of a better town and province started to take root in 1981 when he was elected vice mayor of his hometown of Cabugao at the young age of 22. He served as vice mayor until 1987 and was dubbed the “rising star” of Ilocos Sur politics. And this he proved as he slowly rose to become provincial board member, vice governor, governor, and now a member of the House of Representatives.

The Ilocos Sur solon shares that it was his late father, Atty. Victorino Ancheta Savellano, who inspired him to enter politics and serve the people. The elder Sevillano served as mayor of Cabugao, Ilocos Sur
from 1959 to 1968. “I grew up seeing people with smiles on their faces as they leave our house with satisfied hearts because they got the service they wanted,” he recalls.

When he won as vice mayor, Savellano’s father had not yet warmed his seat as a commissioner of the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC). The latter was appointed to the post in 1980, only a few months before the 1981 elections. Three years later, he was promoted by President Ferdinand Marcos to head the COMELEC. The young Savellano, however, made it clear that his father never influenced his election to various posts, winning them on his own merits and qualifications.

Even today at 59, and married to actress and businesswoman Dina Bonnevie, Congressman Savellano is seeking reelection banking on his own achievements and projects as a lawmaker and nothing else. But he does not fail to acknowledge his political mentor, former Ilocos Sur congressman and governor Luis “Chavit” Singson.

“By increasing trade, tourism and investments, encouraging private enterprise, generating jobs, developing infrastructure, and advancing efforts toward peace and expansion, the region will
bloom faster,” he explains.

Savellano points out that the House Special Committee on North Luzon Growth Quadrangle has been discussing the economic integration of the three regions—CAR, Region I, and Region II. “If developed together under the framework of integrated and sustainable development, North Luzon could avail of economies of scale and a viable network that will enhance synergistic and complementary development,”
he adds.