Libanan installed as House minority leader
4Ps Party-list Representative Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan has been elected minority leader of the House of Representatives.
Libanan’s designation as minority leader was formalized by the House Tuesday afternoon.
In a caucus, a total of 24 House members belonging to the minority earlier voted for Libanan to be their leader.
Under existing House rules, the House members who did not vote for the winning candidate for Speaker shall constitute the minority, who shall then elect their leader.
Besides Libanan, the following now constitute the House minority bloc: Johnathan Clement Abalos II (4Ps Party-list); Bonifacio Bosita (1-Rider Party-list); Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Party-list); France Castro (ACT-Teachers Partylist); Lex Anthony Cris Colada (AAMBIS-OWA Party-list); Sergio Dagooc (APEC Party-list); and Paul Daza (Northern Samar).
Also from the minority bloc were Presley De Jesus (PHILRECA Party-list); Nicolas Enciso VIII (Bicol Saro Party-list); Felimon Espares (COOP-NATCCO Party-list); Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez (1-Rider Party-list); Mujiv Hataman (Basilan); Bernadette Herrera (BH Party-list); Wilbert Lee (AGRI Party-list); Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino (OFW Party-list); Raoul Danniel Manuel (Kabataan Party-list); Florencio Noel (An Waray Party-list); Harris Christopher Ongchuan (Northern Samar); Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod Party-list); Jeffrey Soriano (ACT-CIS Party-list); Reynolds Michael Tan (Samar); Stephen James Tan (Samar); and Rosanna Vergara (Nueva Ecija).
A lawyer by profession, Libanan previously served as the representative of the lone congressional district of Eastern Samar for nine years and was chairperson of the House Justice Committee for three years.
He authored the Dual Citizenship Law that allowed overseas Filipinos to retain and reacquire Filipino citizenship; the Alternative Dispute Resolution law that provided new ways to settle disputes without a court trial; and the Overseas Absentee Voting Law for qualified Filipino citizens abroad.
He also authored three separate laws giving additional compensation by special allowances to judges and justices, National Prosecution Service (NPS) members, and Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) lawyers, among other legislation.
Libanan also served as Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for three years during the Arroyo administration.
He introduced reforms during his short stint at the BI and became the subject of an Asian Institute of Management (AIM) graduate program case study entitled “Transforming the Bureau of Immigration”.
The AIM study recognized Libanan’s innovations at the BI that “resulted in unprecedented revenue collection, enhancement of the country’s climate for investment and employment generation, improved service due to procedures simplification and systems computerization and capability enhancement and moral transformation of BI personnel.”
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