Win Gatchalian
Sherwin Ting Gatchalian (Chinese: 張僑偉; born April 6, 1974) is a Filipino politician and businessman serving as a Senator since 2016. A member of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), he previously served as the Representative of Valenzuela's 1st district from 2001 to 2004 and from 2013 to 2016. He was the Mayor of Valenzuela from 2004 to 2013. In 2001, Gatchalian was elected to the House of Representatives. After one term in Congress, he was elected mayor of Valenzuela. During his term as mayor, Gatchalian ended the city's garbage woes and oversaw the clearing operations  in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy. He also implemented a number of education programs, the establishment of the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science, and the accessibility to tertiary public educational institutions in the city, among others. After serving as mayor of Valenzuela for three terms, Gatchalian ran again and was elected as 1st district Representative of Valenzuela in 2013. His return to the lower house saw Gatchalian try to implement some of Valenzuela's education reform initiatives with the filing of House Bill No. 5905, or the Free Higher Education Act. Gatchalian then ran for and won a  position in the Senate during the 2016 elections with his campaign around the promise of passing the Free Higher Education Act. In early 2017, the Senate passed the Free Higher Education Act, which Gatchalian co-authored and co-sponsored. President Rodrigo Duterte signed the measure into law as the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Republic Act No. 10931) in August 2017. In addition to being chairman of the Senate Committees on Energy and Economic Affairs, Gatchalian also authored a number of key measures that have been passed into law, including the Murang Kuryente Act, Electric Cooperatives Emergency and  Resiliency Fund Act, the Energy Virtual One Stop Shop Act the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, and the Mobile Number Portability Act. Early life and education. Gatchalian was born to industrialist William Gatchalian and Dee Hua Ting. He is the eldest of four siblings, namely Kenneth, Rexlon "Rex", and Weslie "Wes" Gatchalian. The Gatchalian family identifies as Christian with Dee Hua being a pastor and chairman at their own church Jesus our Life Ministries in Barangay Maysan, Valenzuela. Gatchalian finished his elementary and secondary education at Grace Christian School in Quezon City, Philippines. He graduated with a degree in Finance  and Operations Management from Boston University in 1995. Political career. Gatchalian has been a member of the political party Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) since joining politics in 2001. He is the first generation of politicians from his family, alongside his sibling Rex Gatchalian, who is currently serving as city mayor of Valenzuela and Wes Gatchalian who is the first district representative of Valenzuela. Mayor, Valenzuela (2004–2013). During his nine-year tenure as local chief executive, Gatchalian revolutionized good governance in the City Government of Valenzuela through reforms which eradicated corruption, fostered growth in the local business sector, and improved  the provision of social services in education, health, in-city housing, and other key areas. Gatchalian developed city infrastructure operations for both citizens and enterprises. In 2008, he opened the government-funded P90-million Lingunan-Lawang Bato. He formulated the "WIN ang Edukasyon Program" (Education Wins Program). Gatchalian initiated various education programs, such as public schools including the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science, accessibility to college education particularly in the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela and Valenzuela City Polytechnic College, school-based "K to 6 In-School Feeding Program" that mobilized communities; empowerment of parents through the Nanay -Teacher Program, and continuous mastery of skills to strengthen competencies of teachers. Representative of the 1st District of Valenzuela (2013–2016). When Gatchalian returned to the Lower House in 2013, he filed education reforms to increase the number of math and science high schools across the country and to establish a nationwide school-based feeding program for kinder and elementary students across the country. On July 6, 2015, he filed the original version of the bill that revolutionized access to college education for millions of Filipino—the House Bill No. 5905, An Act Providing for Full Tuition Subsidy in State Universities  and Colleges (SUCs), more commonly known as the Free Higher Education Act, that translated into the current law Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. He also supports the implementation of K–12 education in the Philippines as an investment for the future of younger generations. Some of his other proposed bills during this term include acts regulating parking fees in malls and commercial areas, including ROTC among the prerequisites for tertiary level graduation, increasing the budget for NAIA to transform its global image, abolishing the Road Board (a government agency that handled motor vehicle  users' tax and road users' tax), protecting passengers against abusive and itinerant taxi drivers, for the declaration of candidates seeking to profit from election polls as nuisance candidates, as well as a proposed bill requiring proofs of parking space to car purchasers as a means to lessen traffic congestion. Priority bills authored: Senator (as of 2016). In June 2015, in an event in Quezon province, Gatchalian announced his bid for a Senate seat in the 2016 general election. In October 2015, senator and presidential candidate Grace Poe announced her senatorial slate under the coalition Partido Galing at Puso—which included  Gatchalian. During the May 9, 2016 national elections, Gatchalian garnered 14,953,768 catapulting him to the winning circle of senatorial candidates, placing 10th in the senatorial post. He challenged then incoming President Rodrigo Duterte to make education reform a top priority of his administration. Before RA 10931 was approved and signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on August 3, 2017, the initial version of the law— House Bill 5905 or the Free Higher Education Act filed by then Congressman Gatchalian was rejected during the 15th and 16th Congress despite efforts of Senator Ralph Recto to hurdle it in the Senate back in  2016. It was then re-filed during the 17th Congress by Senator Ralph Recto. 17th Congress Committee Chairmanships (2016–2019): 18th Congress Committee Chairmanships (as of July 2019): Some of the significant laws that Gatchalian passed include RA 10931 Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, RA 10963 Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), Free Irrigation Service Act, RA 11037 Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, RA 11039 Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund Act, RA 11053 Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, RA 11055 Philippine Identification System Act, RA 11202 Mobile Number Portability Act, RA 11234 Energy Virtual One-Stop  Shop Act, RA 11285 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, RA 11203 Rice Trade Liberalization Act, RA 11293 Philippine Innovation Act, RA 11314 Student Fare Discount Act, and RA 11371 Murang Kuryente Act. In October 2021, he filed a certificate to continue his term as a Senator. Awards and recognition. Personal awards