FORMER House Deputy Secretary General Brian Raymund S. Yamsuan was sworn into office on Wednesday as the new representative of the Bicol Saro Party-list in Congress.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez administered the oath of office to Yamsuan during the Wednesday afternoon plenary session, completing the process of the latter’s assumption as a member of the House in the 19th Congress.

Yamsuan will serve the unexpired term of Nicolas Enciso VIII.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), convening as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), officially proclaimed Yamsuan on February 17 as the new “number one” nominee of Bicol Saro.

Yamsuan’s proclamation entitles him “to sit as a representative to the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Philippines, and to serve for a term of three (3) years, ending June 30, 2025, in accordance with Section 7, Article VI of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines,” the NBOC said.

In Comelec Minute Resolution 23-0112, the poll body recognized Yamsuan as the new number one nominee of Bicol Saro.

It also gave due course to the statement of Lara Maria Villafuerte, Jocelyn Faustino Fortuno, Arron James Pagaduan, and Mac Arthur Cuison Samson Jr. as the other nominees of the said party-list.

The Comelec, in deciding to approve Yamsuan’s proclamation, cited Section 16 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7941 and its own rules, which state: “In case of vacancy in the seats reserved for party-list representatives, the vacancy shall be automatically filled by the next representative from the list of nominees in the order submitted to the Comelec by the same party, organization, or coalition, who shall serve for the unexpired term. If the list is exhausted, the party, organization coalition shall submit additional nominees.”

Yamsuan previously served as Deputy Secretary General of the House under then-Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano in the 18th Congress.

Yamsuan is also the Secretary General of the National Unity Party (NUP), one of the country’s major political organizations.

He had served under three presidents and two senators in various capacities.

In 1996, Yamsuan started his career in the office of the late Senator Edgardo Angara as the legislator’s media and political affairs officer.

Yamsuan further honed his skills as the chief of staff and head of the Media Relations and Accreditation Division in the Office of the Press Secretary under the late Rod Reyes and the late Ricardo “Dong” Puno during the administration of President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, and later as chief of staff in the office of the late Sen. Tessie Aquino Oreta.

Yamsuan oversaw the day-to-day media operations of the FPJ Media Bureau as its deputy media director in 2004.

He was appointed in 2006 under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs in the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which was then headed by the veteran political strategist, Secretary Ronaldo “Ronnie” Puno.

Yamsuan also served as a consultant in the Office of the Executive Secretary during the administration of the late President Benigno Aquino III.