Win Gatchalian


Sherwin "Win" Ting Gatchalian is a Filipino politician and businessman who is currently serving as Senator of the Philippines.
A member of the Nationalist People's Coalition, he formerly served as Congressman for the 1st District of Valenzuela from 2001 to 2004 and from 2013 to 2016. He also served as Mayor of Valenzuela City from 2004 to 2013.
In 2001, Gatchalian was elected as Representative of the 1st District of Valenzuela. After one term in Congress, he ran and was elected for the position of Mayor of Valenzuela City. 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 City for three terms, Gatchalian once again ran 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 City'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 Philippine Senate election 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 in August 2017.
In addition to chairing the Senate Committees on Energy and Economic Affairs, Gatchalian has also authored a number of key measures that have been signed into law, including the Murang Kuryente Act, Elective 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.
He finished his elementary and secondary education at Grace Christian School in Quezon City, Philippines and graduated from Boston University, in 1995 with a Finance and Operations Management degree.

Private sector experience

Before entering politics, Gatchalian held several executive positions in various private firms including Waterfront Philippines., an investment holding company that focuses on hospitality, tourism and recreational businesses catering to local, regional and international guests, wherein he served as Vice Chairman ; Vice Chairman at Air Philippines Corporation—an airline company operating daily domestic and international flights from Manila, Cebu, Davao City and Zamboanga, served as Vice Chairman ; and leading The Wellex Group., a diversified investment firm in the Philippines with industries including hotel, real estate development, aviation, trading, banking, as Executive Vice President.

Political career

Gatchalian has been a member of the political party Nationalist People's Coalition 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 mayor of Valenzuela City and Wes Gatchalian who is the first district representative of Valenzuela City.

First Term, Representative of the 1st District of Valenzuela (2001–2004)

Gatchalian was first elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 2001 at the time when Valenzuela's congressional representation was divided into two separate districts.

Mayor, Valenzuela City (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.
He formulated the "WIN ang Edukasyon Program" for public schools to address immediate needs of Valenzuela City's schoolchildren.
Gatchalian also 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 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.

Governance

Gatchalian ended the city's garbage woes and helped Valenzuela into an urban model of cleanliness. In the aftermath of the devastation of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, he helped make Valenzuela City as the first city in Metro Manila to clear its 4,459.4-hectare land area of flood debris and rubbish. He also streamlined and simplified government transactions to combat corruption and improve public service through the 3S Program.

Education

The "WIN ang Edukasyon" Program prioritized the building of more than 2,000 classroom and distributing one million notebooks, lesson planners, and other teaching and learning materials every year since 2004. At the same time, public school teachers were given regular city government-sponsored trainings and seminars on the latest teaching methods and strategies. In support of the national government's Information and Communications Technology program, Gatchalian spearheaded the distribution of state-of-the-art computer laboratories to public high schools.

Health

Gatchalian prioritized projects aiming to improve the health care of the city's underprivileged constituents. He initiated medical missions not only in Valenzuela City but in nearby towns as well, treating patients with various health conditions such cleft palate, goiter, cataract, and clubfoot. On October 4, 2015, 986 patients were accommodated during the medical mission at the Valenzuela City Astrodome, 2,226 patients were treated at the Valenzuela City Astrodome on November 22, 2014, and 3,560 patients were assisted at Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan on July 30, 2016.

Infrastructure

Gatchalian developed city infrastructure operations for both citizens and enterprises. In 2008, he opened the government-funded P90-million Lingunan-Lawang Bato overpass to vehicular and pedestrian traffic—linking the eastern and western portions of the city that had earlier been separated by the Northern Luzon Expressway. The construction of the 80-meter-long and 10-meter-wide bridge significantly eased traffic congestion along the narrow Canumay East Service Road and the NLEX's busy Malinta Exit, and facilitated trade flow across the city.
He also spearheaded the building of school buildings and classrooms in Valenzuela City that included the opening of 50 rooms that accommodate more than 4, 500 students at Dalandanan National High School in Barangay Dalandanan, expansion of Coloong Elementary School, 3-storey building of A. Deato Elementary School in Barangay Balangkas, and another at A. Fernando Elementary School in Barangay Malanday. Also included in his project to expand classrooms are Rincon Elementary School, Bignay Elementary School, Canumay East National High School, Pio Valenzuela Elementary School, Polo National High School, Punturin National High School and Malanday Elementary School.

Second Term, 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, 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 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, 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

Campaign

On June 2015, in an event in Quezon province, Gatchalian announced his bid for a Senate seat in the 2016 general election. On October 2015, senator and presidential candidate Grace Poe announced her senatorial slate under the coalition Partido Galing at Puso—which included Gatchalian.

Election and Victory

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.

Start of Term and Passage of Republic Act No. 10931

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 Senators Ralph Recto, Joel Villanueva, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, Gatchalian, Francis Pangilinan, Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara and Loren Legarda. With the support of almost all members of Congress, it then became what is now known as RA 10931 or ‘Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act’—institutionalizing full tuition subsidy for state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges and state-run technical vocational schools.
The enacted law also covers school fees, which include "library fees, computer fees, laboratory fees, school ID fees, athletic fees, admission fees, development fees, guidance fees, handbook fees, entrance fees, registration fees, medical and dental fees, cultural and other similar or related fees."

17th Congress (July 2016 - June 2019)

Authored bills

Proof-Of-Parking Space Act
Gatchalian filed the Proof-Of-Parking Space Act at the start of the 17th Congress last June 2016. Currently pending in the Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Committee in the Senate, the proposed law aims to ease traffic congestion by requiring aspiring vehicle owners to present an affidavit confirming they have acquired a parking space either through purchase, or a lease for the vehicle sought to be purchased.
Under the bill, The Metro Manila Development Authority will spearhead the removal of illegally parked cars and penalization of uncompliant vehicle owners— lessening hazardous obstruction to pave a better way for emergency vehicles during crises.
Power Line Integrity and Reliability Act of 2018
Gatchalian filed The Power Line Integrity and Reliability Act in 2018 to address the alarming number of power outages experienced in the country. The bill primarily seeks to ensure responsive maintenance and rehabilitation of transmission, sub-transmission and distribution lines. It will ensure that the conveyance of electricity from the power generating plants all the way to the end users – the consumers, business, and the aforementioned vital installations in the country – will be uninterrupted.
The National Economic and Development Act of 2018
Gatchalian saw the need to institutionalize NEDA as the country's independent economic and planning agency to solve the most pressing socio-economic concerns of the country through SBN 1938, the National Economic and Development Act of 2019.
The bill seeks to ensure the integration of major regional and local development priorities into the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan and Medium-Term Regional Development Plans, respectively which can address uncoordinated and often interrupted planning, policy-making, programming and budgeting process of the government.
SBN 1938 will also entail NEDA, in consultation with the Board of Investments, the Department of Trade and Industry, Securities Exchange Commission and other concerned government agencies to conduct an annual review of the country's Foreign Investment Negative List to warrant inclusive growth, advancements in technology and dynamic relationships among global and regional economies.

18th Congress (July 2019 - present)

First 10 priority bills filed

Affiliations