The Voice of Every Probinsyano

Ang Probinsyano Partylist Representative Alfred Delos Santos can be described as a frequent traveler. But he travels not for pleasure. He visits different provinces to make sure he is one with his constituents in their quest for a better life. A true leader who listens to his constituents, the lawmaker makes sure to broaden his perspective by hearing out what people have to say.

The lawmaker shares how what was once an inspiration is now a full-time job, and how his heart for public service and his bottom-up approach to legislation has made him craft bills that are truly for the people and by the people.

AN EMERGING PUBLIC SERVANT

Inspired by his mother at an early age, Delos Santos saw the impact of how a little help goes a long way. His mother helped people in need during calamities and gave scholarships to selected youth so that they could pursue their education.

Being a private citizen did not impede his mom from providing acts of service to the people of Legazpi, Albay and this strongly influenced the young Delos Santos.

"Bata pa lang po ako, nakita ko na yung mga ginagawa ng nanay ko para sa aming bayan, mula sa pagbibigay ng scholarships hangang pagtulong sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo." (At a young age, I already saw what my mother was doing for the community, from giving scholarships to helping in times of calamity)," Delos Santos

“Bata pa lang po ako, nakita ko na yung mga ginagawa ng nanay ko para sa aming bayan, mula sa pagbibigay ng scholarships hanggang pagtulong sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo.” (At a young age, I already saw what my mother was doing for the community, from giving scholarshipsto helping in times of calamity),” Delos

Santos recalls. "I saw firsthand how she connected with the people and how she made an impact in their lives through the simple act of helping," he continues.

At a young age, Delos Santos was already aware of the needs of the people around him. Truly a leader in the making, he was elected as president of the student government during his high school days and served as coordinator for the Philippine Society of Youth Science Clubs and head of the youth sector of the Dominican Network.

After earning his degree in Business Administration in 2013, Delos Santos started to be involved in the family business but this didn't stop him from exploring ways to be of service to the people. He joined Kiwanis Club Philippines whose mission is to improve the lives of children one community at a time. Indeed, children won the heart of Delos Santos as he kept them their priority-just like his mom did.

Built with empathy and armed with compassion, Delos Santos felt ready to emulate the service his mom had provided. He thought that by joining politics, he would have a wider reach and make a bigger impact so in 2017, he joined Ang Probinsyano Partylist.

In 2019, the partylist group gained two congressional seats, with him as one of the nominees. This made the first-generation politician a formal representative of probinsyanos, or the marginalized Filipinos based in provinces.

FROM ENTREPRENEUR TO PUBLIC SERVANT

Being originally an entrepreneur, Delos Santos admits that his transition to public service was challenging. "I had to unlearn things and of course, learn new ones. Business is always about profit.

Public service is about serving others, the public, " he shares.

The congressman attributes the success of his transition to his faith, his family, and his team. He is known to be devout to his faith, starting his day with a prayer and moments with God. This keeps Delos Santos grounded. His team prepares his briefing notes for the day, while his family continues to inspire him with acts of service despite their private lives.

Being a young and relatively new member of Congress does not hinder him from making significant contributions to Congress. After all, he says that the House is open to young blood and fresh ideas brought by its young members. "As a young congressman, I have ideas that are different from those of the seasoned members of the chamber. I am also very eager and excited to file bills that will serve the needs of my constituents." Delos Santos mentions. To complement this, he also asks tips from seasoned lawmakers who know the ins and outs of congressional work and applies the knowledge he gains from such in his work.

"It really is a fulfilling job, considering that I contribute to crafting pieces of legislation for our countrymen," Delos Santos sums up his experience as lawmaker so far.

BOSES NG PROBINSYA KO

Boses ng Probinsya Ko (The Voice of My Province) serves as the foundation of Ang Probinsyano Partylist. Delos Santos believes that work extends beyond the four walls of Congress and to actualize being the voice of provinces, he puts in the work and conducts frequent visits to different provinces delivering various programs and conducting consultations with his constituents.

“Kinakausap po natin ang mga tao. Inaalam natin ang kanilang mga pangangailangan at hinaing (We talk to the people and ask about their needs and concerns),” Delos Santos shares. “Their inputs are part and parcel of every piece of legislation that my team and I craft.”

Delos Santos also believes that the partylist group is the way for promdis (Filipinos based in or coming from the provinces) to voice out their aspirations in Congress. Through consultations, he gets to know more about their societal concerns and perspective; thereby serving as guide in coming up with bills that are most responsive to their concerns.

VOICES HEARD ONE BILL AT A TIME

An active member of the House and eager to make a difference, Delos Santos has authored 293 bills and co-authored 89 others to date. He focuses on education and youth; rural development; micro, small and medium enterprises; agriculture; health; and tourism.

A bill Delos Santos worked on that was recently signed into law is the Expanded Centenarians Act, with him being an author of the bill’s House version. This bill is part of his efforts to recognize the contributions of the elderly by giving monetary benefits to senior citizens aged 80, 85, 90, and 95, saying that such is already an achievement.

Another bill the lawmaker has filed is the proposed Agricultural Modernization Act which aims to promote and improve the social and economic well-being of workers in the agricultural sector by protecting their rights and institutionalizing benefits for them.

Still concerning the agricultural sector, Delos Santos also filed the proposed Agricultural Information Systems Act. This aims to have a system that would link the farmers to different communities in the Philippines. This bill aims to cut off abusive traders, safeguarding the livelihood of farmers and fisherfolks better. “It provides for an integrated, computerized, web- based agricultural commodities supply inventory and registry system that will link farmers and organized communities all over the Philippines. This would provide easy-to-access local and global real-time information for agricultural commodities and hopefully create a wider range of market linkages among farmers and agricultural buyers. The system can also be used to gather data for the national government to rationalize the objectives and policy directives in the agricultural sector,” Delos Santos explains.

Delos Santos also filed the proposed Magna Carta for Barangay Tanods, which aims to provide incentives and benefits for barangay watchmen to recognize their services. “This bill considers the fact that our barangay tanods are frontliners in the preparation for and response to any type of atrocities, public disorders, emergencies, and even disasters or man-made calamities that threaten the peace and order and public safety in our barangays,” he explains.

Living up to his role as a voice of the marginalizedsectors in the provinces, Delos Santos has also proposed the Homemakers Compensation Act where homemakers are given just compensation for the work they perform by staying home to take care of their families.

Eager to serve, Delos Santos mentions that there are more bills and resolutions that he and his team are still studyingso that they could come up with the proper proposals. Oneof these concerns underutilized crops, as they have seen unfortunate incidents of unsold farm produce being dumped by farmers. Another concerns the promotion of voter’s education among the youth, proposing that this be made part of the curriculum for junior high school and senior high school students.

ONWARD AND UPWARD

The lawmaker dreams that one day, all Filipinos, especially those in the provinces, will have better lives. He dreams that one day, being called probinsyano will not be a source of shame but of pride. “Isa lang naman po ang pangarap natin, ang makamit naming mga probinsyano ang kaginhawaan sa buhay. Alam nating lahat na masarap tumira sa probinsya pero realidad din po ang kahirapan. Nais ko po sana na sa pamamagitan ng aking paglilingkod sa Kongreso, maging daan ako upang kaming mga taga-probinsya ay umunlad din tulad ng sa siyudad (We only have one dream, that we who are from the province can achieve comfort in life. We all know the beauty of living in the province, but poverty is also a reality. I wish that through my work in Congress, I could help uplift the lives of those in the provinces, just like the lives of those in the city),” Delos Santos shares his vision.

The lawmaker recalls that when visiting communities, the biggest smiles and the warmest welcome come from those living in the provinces. They are the ones that inspire Delos Santos in his everyday work. “I tell myself, ‘Inaasahan ka ng mga tao, Apid. Huwag mo silang kalimutan. Magpatuloy ka para sa kanila (People expect you to help them, Apid. Don’t forget them. Carry on for them),’” he shares.

Hailing from Legazpi, Albay, Delos Santos brands himself as a probinsyano himself and he saw the standard of living of farmers, fisherfolk, and those living the provincial life. “Now that I get to represent them in Congress, I want to do so by

that have supported you, then your work would go in the right direction,” Delos Santos adds.

THE VOICE OF EVERY PROBINSYANO

Considering himself a promdi laid the foundation for Delos Santos’ eagerness and enthusiasm in crafting bills that widely represent his constituents. He is one with all probinsyanos, whatever sector they belong to. The congressman wants all people from the provinces to see him as the bridge to bring their needs to Congress and the lawmaker who will craft policies that would enable them to have better lives. “To our fellow farmers, pushing for meaningful pieces of legislation that will actually uplift their standard of living,” he stresses.

To fulfill his vision, Delos Santos does not lose sight of what’s important, putting the country above all. Humility, compassion, and gratitude are the values that guide him in fulfilling his duties. “When you are guided by these values, when you remain humble and compassionate, when you consider the interests of the Filipino people above everything else, when you remain grateful to the Lord and to all the people fishermen, provincials, and those belonging to various other sectors in our country, Ang Probinsyano Partylist is always open to providing help and service to you. You can count on us to help promote and ensure your welfare in every law we propose. Thank you very much for your continued support. Kasama niyo po kami, sa Ang Probinsyano Partylist, at hindi po namin kayo iiwan mga ka-promdi (We are with you, in Ang Probinsyano Partylist, and we will not leave you, our fellow promdi),” he assures.

“ISA LANG NAMAN PO ANG PANGARAP NATIN, ANG MAKAMIT NAMING MGA PROBINSYANO ANG KAGINHAWAAN SA BUHAY. ALAM NATING LAHAT NA MASARAP TUMIRA SA PROBINSYA PERO REALIDAD DIN PO ANG KAHIRAPAN. NAIS KO PO SANA NA SA PAMAMAGITAN NG AKING PAGLILINGKOD SA KONGRESO, MAGING DAAN AKO UPANG KAMING MGA TAGA-PROBINSYA AY UMUNLAD DIN TULAD NG SA SIYUDAD.”