At 21, this mayor-elect of Bataan town vows to beat poverty by educating youth

THE YOUNGEST mayor to be elected in Bagac, Bataan is 21-year-old economics student “Gabs.”
ALLAN MACATUNO /INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON

AT 21, Louise Gabriel del Rosario became the youngest mayor of Bagac town in Bataan province, and the second youngest elected in postwar Philippines.

Del Rosario beat a former Bagac mayor, Armando Ramos, and was proclaimed on Tuesday by the Commission on Elections together with other winning candidates in Bagac. He replaced his father, outgoing Mayor Ramil del Rosario.

Del Rosario, however, is not the youngest mayor elected in the country. That distinction belonged to Jose Jono Jumamoy, who at 21 became mayor of Inabanga, Bohol province, in 2007.

Del Rosario will turn 22 on July 29, two months and 11 days after his election. Jumamoy turned 22 on Nov. 5, 2007, six months after he became mayor.

Other politicians were also elected when they were in their 20s, among them the late Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was the youngest mayor of Concepcion, Tarlac province, at 22. He became Tarlac vice governor at 27, governor at 29, and senator at 34.

The late Jesse Robredo was elected mayor of Naga City at 29. He served as the interior secretary in the administration of President Aquino from 2010 until his death in 2012.

Proving them wrong

Del Rosario had years of experience in public service as national president of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK). He had served as the SK representative in the Bataan provincial board before he threw his hat in the mayoral race.

During an interview on May 15, Del Rosario said he was determined to disprove skeptics by fulfilling his responsibilities as the mayor-elect of this town.

“Some people said I was too young to be the father of Bagac but I’m prepared to prove them wrong,” he said. “I reached out to people during the campaign period. I made sure that I left a personal bond with every person I met. That made all the difference.”

Known in Bagac as “Gabs,” the young Del Rosario, who ran under the National Unity Party (NUP), beat three opponents in the mayoral contest. His running mate and cousin, Ron del Rosario, 29, also won.

The mayor-elect graduated at the St. Agnes Catholic School in Bagac for his elementary education and at the Bataan Christian School in Pilar town, also in Bataan, for his secondary education.

He is completing a Bachelor of Science degree in economics at the San Beda College.

No joke

“Running for mayor is no joke because of the responsibilities I have to fulfill,” he said in a message on his Facebook account.

“Serving is not about age. I believe that the Lord has put me in this position and I will never forget that… I am prepared to serve my dearest constituents in Bagac,” he added.

At 15, he became the youngest SK barangay chair in Barangay Ibis in Bagac. He also became the youngest federated SK president in Bagac at 19.

“When I served in the SK, I pushed for reforms in the SK instead of [joining the clamor to] abolish it,” Del Rosario said.

He vowed to finish his studies even while he serves as mayor. He said he also intends to raise the scholarship fund for students of Bagac as he banks on defeating poverty by educating the youth.

Uniting people

He said one of the first things he would do when he assumes his post is to unite the people of Bagac. “The recent elections caused division among supporters of rival candidates. I have to gain the trust of the public to ensure unity among my constituents,” he said. Del Rosario said he would continue his father’s program to draw more investors to Bagac (population: 25,568, based on 2010 census), which hosted a workshop of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in 2015.