| Governor
Arnan C. Panaligan, one of the young local chief executives
in the country, has earned a reputation for being “a
man of destiny” who has made history several times in
his relatively brief political career.
In 1995, he made history by being elected as the youngest
mayor of the then Municipality of Calapan, the capital of
Oriental Mindoro. In 1998, he made history once more when
he became the first city mayor of Calapan and its founding
father when the town was converted into a city. In the local
elections in the same year, he again made history by becaming
the first mayor to run unopposed in the said elections. He
was re-elected to a third mayoral term in 2001.
In the 2004 elections, Panaligan did not run for governor
as the incumbent was a partymate and ally. He was considered
a sure winner for congressman but he also gave way to another
partymate. He decided not to run in the 2004 elections but
was prevailed upon , at the last minute, by his partymates
to be their candidate for vice-governor. Still, he was a reluctant
candidate, but nevertheless won via a landslide.
Only five months after assuming office, Panaligan once more
met his appointment with destiny when he became governor with
the demise of incumbent Governor Bartolome L. Marasigan on
December 1, 2004. He was the first governor in the province
to assume office by succession.
Hailed as the architect of the progress of Calapan City, Panaligan
was responsible for transforming the former sleepy town of
Calapan into a booming and progressive city. His administration
built concrete roads and drainage network, opened schools
in the rural areas, provided health insurance to poor families
and scholarships to thousands of young people. Indeed, Governor
Panaligan has implemented poverty alleviating programs that
impact directly on the quality of life of the people. His
tenure also marked the entry of investments that contributed
to the progress of the whole province. Oriental Mindoro now
plays a vital role in nation-building as Governor Panaligan
pursues development efforts to maximize the province’s
potentials as a major agricultural producer and as the emerging
eco-tourism destination of the country.
In
the May 14, 2007 elections, Gov. Panaligan got an overwhelming
mandate from his constituents, reaffirming his solid leadership
in the province. Obtaining 70% of the votes cast for governor,
he set a record for the largest-ever electoral landslide in
the political history of Oriental Mindoro.
Recently,
his peers elected him to represent the MIMAROPA region as
the regional chairman in the National Executive Board of the
League of Provinces of the Philippines. Moreover, he was elected
vice-president for Luzon.
A lawyer by profession, Panaligan finished law at the Ateneo
Law School in 1987 and passed the Bar that same year. His
previous experiences in the government include a stint in
the Supreme Court as a legal researcher after passing the
Bar and in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal
as a technical assistant.
He was born on January 21, 1962 in Calapan City, Oriental
Mindoro.
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