Service from the Heart

DEPUTY SPEAKER KRISTINE SINGSON MEEHAN'S APPROACH TO PUBLIC SERVICE HAS RESULTED IN POSITIVE CHANGE THROUGHOUT HER DISTRICT.

Ilocos Sur 2nd District Representative Kristine Singson Meehan walks into a community vegetable garden and the women tending to such erupt in cheers, thanking her for the support that she continues to give them years after she helped the women nurture the seeds of a project that continues to benefit the community. The next day, she attends an important event in a college. The students, teachers, and school personnel thank her, expressing hope that her efforts to turn the college into a full f ledged university will soon come to fruition. Later on, she visits a hospital, where healthcare providers affirm how they are now better able to help their kakailian (provincemates) because of the modern equipment sourced through funds provided by her office. Through all these, the Deputy Speaker shows a genuine desire to connect with her constituents. More importantly, she radiates an unmistakable desire to continue serving her constituents from the heart.

EARLY EXPOSURE TO PUBLIC SERVICE

“Being from a family of public servants meant early exposure to public service,” Congw. Kristine shares. “My father served as mayor of Candon, and I was exposed to adult conversations about politics, about public service at an early age. At that time, it wasn’t in me yet to really enter public service.”

Mayor Eric Singson’s election to Congress led to Congw. Kristine’s exposure to the Congressional Spouses Foundation, an organization composed of the spouses of congressmen that renders various public service activities. She became active in the foundation, taking an active role in deciding on annual objectives, programs, and fundraising events. The relationships that she was able to establish and nurture in the previous years worked well to her advantage. More importantly, the foundation’s success during those years gave a clear indication of her leadership abilities.

Singson’s multi-term stay in Congress gave Congw. Kristine the chance to familiarize herself with the ins and outs of legislative work. “And then, in the latter years, my father realized that the younger generation had started to make a mark in Congress. He felt that it was about time that he should step down and let our generation be leaders. He asked me if I was willing to accept such responsibility,”she shares.

Knowing that she was ready and able, Congw. Kristine decided to accept the challenge of filling her father’s shoes. “At the time, I was already exposed to other local and congressional leaders as well. I was [and still am] friends with them. This encouraged me to work, to decide and say yes to that calling.”

SERVING AT THE FRONTLINE

Congw. Kristine’s transition from working in the background to being in the frontline meant a number of significant changes in her life as well as her view of public service.

 “I realized that I have to really put in time. So time in Congress, because I have to do legislative work. And of course, time to be in my district as well, because I need to know what my constituents want from me, “ she recalls. “‘Are there needs that I have to know and understand? How can I address such through legislation?’ So I had to match those two.”

“I also had to look at national programs and pieces of national legislation that were being discussed in Congress. I had to check how these will affect my district, my constituents, and see how I can negotiate things or contribute to such proposed measures in order to make the resulting law much more beneficial for my kakailians,” she stresses.

Her previous exposure to congressional work made Congw. Kristine’s transition to a lawmaker in 2019 generally smooth sailing. “I was lucky enough that my father was a congressman for so many terms, and was also a Deputy Speaker for so many terms.

He was able to share his vast experience with me,” she shares. “He gave me valuable pieces of advice on how to usher my first bills until the end, how to go about the legislative process. With this, I realized the importance of having open communication with my colleagues—being with them, asking support from them. And of course, respecting the officials of different agencies we had to deal with and of course, the people that will be affected by the bill, to also know their wants and desires for such bill and putting these all together.”

The second-term lawmaker stresses the importance of communication in her ability to respond to the needs of her constituents. “The Second District consists of 23 local government units. So I work with one city mayor and 22 municipal mayors. And in doing so, we always make sure of open communication and constant discussions. They always inform me of their needs, and what I, as their representative in Congress, can do to help them,” she explains. “For my part, I check and see how I can help improve the lives of my constituents.”

She cites as an example one mayor who wished that a national high school be established in their town. “In response, we gathered all the pertinent information, checked on the possibility having a national high school, and worked with the LGU,” she recalls. “So I filed a bill which eventually became a law. So their dream of having their own national high school materialized. And later on, the mayo also requested some funding allocation so I had to seek for this funding allocation in Congress, which approves the national budget.”

PUSO TI SEGUNDO DISTRITO

Congw. Kristine is known as the Puso ti Segundo Distrito ti Ilocos Sur (Heart of the Second District of Ilocos Sur). This stems primarily from her special focus on Progress, Unity, Socialization, and Outreach (PUSO) within her district.

 Living up to her reputation as a champion of women’s empowerment, she led the formation of the Puso ti Kababaihan (Heart of Women), a district-wide organization that provides women with livelihood opportunities, training opportunities, outreach services, and avenues for socialization.

 “The community already had a women’s organization, but most of their officers were city government officials. And I knew that there are certain funding or donations we could source from private companies that only give such to private organizations. So I encouraged our women to form Puso ti Kababaihan,” she recalls.

“The organization was formed during the pandemic, so we had relief operations ongoing, and we decided for Puso ti Kababaihan to do the work. As we empowered the women, they became better able to help their own community,” she stresses.

To help the women cope with the loss of employment, and lessened food production due to restrictions on movement between communities, the lawmaker and the women leaders decided on new projects that women can do for their own communities. They started the Gulayan sa Barangay, which allowed them to have their own source of food within their barangay.

The success of Puso ti Kababaihan later inspired the youth to also put in their time as well to serve their own. So Puso ti Agtutubo was born, with the Deputy Speaker’s son Zachary Singson Meehan playing a leading role. Launched in September 2022, the organization aims to empower the youth to become leading actors in the development of their own communities.

 “Because the youth weren’t really allowed to leave their homes during the pandemic, we held online leadership training seminars for the members,” Congw. Kristine recalls. “We also had mental health seminars and other online activities for their personal development.”

 As Ilocos Sur is an agricultural province, known mainly for its tobacco production, the congresswoman also prioritized the welfare of farmers. An organization for farmers, built in the same mold as Puso ti Kababaihan and Puso ti Mannalon, was thus formed. Puso ti Mannalon (Heart of Farmers) aims to help farmers and nurture communities across the district. With their members having imbibed the Deputy Speaker’s mantra of Tulong, Puso, Serbisyo, the three PUSO organizations have become major actors in improving the lives of women, youth, and farmers in the 2nd District of Ilocos Sur. With funds and other forms of assistance coming from the Meehan’s and other benefactors, these organizations continue to work individually and with each other to ensure stronger communities.

FOCUS ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND AGRICULTURE

A number of Congw. Kristine’s legislative efforts have led to significant transformation in the areas of healthcare, education, and agriculture in the district.

The Deputy Speaker worked for the passage of a bill establishing a regional hospital in Candon, known as the Ilocos Sur Medical Center. This 300-bed capacity hospital boasts of state-of-the-art medical equipment that its more than 400 employees including 60 doctors can use to provide quality health care to their patients. The hospital serves an average of 200 patients per day, many of whom also benefit from the Medical Assistance to Financially Incapacitated Patients program. With Congw. Kristine making sure that the hospital receives the necessary funding, her constituents are assured of even more improvements, such as additional buildings and equipment in the coming years.

With regard to education, the congresswoman filed a bill consolidating seven state colleges in the province to create the University of Ilocos, Philippines. “With my objective to contribute, to efforts to elevate the level of education in our district—and this was in consultation with the Commission on Higher Education—we agreed that it's better to organize the state colleges into a university,” she explains. “And right now, the state colleges are working together to ensure that all requirements and compliances are met in order to get the accreditation of the university. Having accreditation, of course, will mean more specialized teachers, more research, and better quality education in general.”

With respect to farmers, Congw. Kristine is spearheading efforts to support the existing farmers and to encourage the youth to also get into agriculture. “A lot of our infrastructure development was funded by tobacco excise taxes, which we have because of our tobacco farmers,” she says. “So we encourage our leaders in Ilocos Sur to prioritize the needs of the farmers, and make sure that the farmers benefit from the results of their hard work. So most of the funds are going to the farmers now. Part of our objectives is to make sure that the farmers should be freed from the burden of finding funds for their farming needs. Everything should be provided by the government. So I, together with the mayors, the governor, and other local officials, ensure that the farmers are provided with the necessary equipment, seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.”

SERVICE BEYOND HER DISTRICT

Congw. Kristine’s second term as lawmaker is also her second term as one of the Deputy Speakers (DS) of the Lower House. This proves the high regard that the other members of the House of Representatives have in her. As a DS, Congw. Kristine, together with the eight other DS, is one of the top leaders of the Lower House. She assumes the duties of the Speaker in the latter’s absence or temporary incapacity to perform such. This includes presiding over sessions. She also helps monitor, coordinate, and facilitate action on bills, resolutions and lawmakers concerns. Moreover, she is an ex-officio member of all the House committees and thus has the chance to contribute to all discussions about bills, resolutions, and other matters tackled in the various committees. But perhaps the most crucial aspect of her role as Deputy Speaker is providing insightful guidance on effective policies, strategies, programs, and courses of action to enhance the legislative process and improve the quality of resulting legislative measures.

The additional responsibilities that come with being a Deputy Speaker means additional adjustments on the part of Congw. Kristine. “Of course, sacrifices have to be made. I have to spend more time in Congress, especially when we have committee hearings or plenary sessions. And it is part of my task as well to ensure the attendance of majority of the members. So I’m always in communication with House members, encouraging them to be present especially if their physical presence is required for certain bills that have to be approved. Having a good relationship with my colleagues helps ensure that I am able to do all the tasks I have to perform as a Deputy Speaker.”

Of course, Congw. Kristine makes sure that needs of her district are attended to. “Since I also have responsibilities to my constituents, I make sure that my district office, my people on the ground, are doing their job, assisting people, checking on their concerns, and making sure that all activities and programs in the district go on as planned. My priority goal as a congresswoman, as their representative, is really to pass legislation.”

LOOKING FORWARD

With her second term coming to an end, the well-loved congresswoman is looking forward to serving her constituents for another term. Her sterling track record and clear plans serve as assurance that the Congw. Kristine Singson Meehan brand of leadership will likewise continue to bring positive change in her district.

 Knowing the importance of keeping the good working relationship among Ilocos Sur’s top leaders, she calls on her fellow government officials to ensure that they put service to their constituents as a priority. “To be able to serve them, we should be helping one another, being united and supporting each other’s programs and projects,” she stresses. “For my part, as a legislator, I will continue pushing for pieces of legislation and programs from which our people can benefit.” “To my constituents in the 2nd District of Ilocso Sur, I’m very motivated to keep going, keep helping, to really work hard as your representative in Congress and ensuring that the national government agencies are really helping our district, and that the government is doing its job for you,” she adds.

“I am happy to serve you, my kakailian, and your support, trust and confidence, as shown by my high survey rating among representatives, makes me more motivated to help you. I know that this is your way of telling me that I’m doing a good job, and I am all the more encouraged to do whatever I can do help you,” she ends.