| Governor
Joel T. Reyes, who hails from the idyllic town of Coron in
northern Palawan, comes from a family with a strong political
background. His grandfather, Don Paquito, served as mayor
of their hometown and his father, Mario Reyes, Sr. also held
the same position. His lineage on the father side includes
distinguished politicians who served as political leaders
in the province in different capacities.
The
second child of Mario Palanca Reyes, Sr. and the late Lualhati
Tolentino-Reyes, the young Joel was predicted to follow his
father’s footsteps. His siblings are Marilyn, Emma and
Mario, Jr., the current mayor of the Municipality of Coron.
Married
to Clara Cruz Espiritu and blessed with three children Jacqueline,
Mark Joel, Juan Miguel, Gov. Reyes finished Bachelor of Science
in Commerce at the Far Eastern University. He was on his third
year in the College of Law when politics beckoned.
Instead
of eyeing the mayoralty position in Coron, he surprised friends
and townmates when he ran and won as board member of the Province
of Palawan in the 1988 election. Although a new face in the
provincial scene, he came out victorious in that election.
His political triumph would be duplicated in the election
of 1992 when he ran for vice governor, a post he held for
three terms. His past experiences in the legislature, first,
as a Provincial Board member in 1988 and later as vice-governor
for three terms, from 1992 to July 24, 2000, prepared him
for a bigger responsibility in public service.
The
sudden disappearance of former Gov. Salvador P. Socrates in
July, 2000 due to a plane crash in the waters of Cagayancillo
in northern Palawan, propelled the then Vice Gov. Joel T.
Reyes to assume the position of governor based on the rules
of succession. Entrusted with this responsibility, the new
governor provided leadership, continuity and direction in
the provincial government. He implemented and completed the
unfinished projects of the late Gov. Socrates like electrification,
water, infrastructure, telecommunications, agriculture, livelihood
and environmental protection.
He
delivered the job and the Palaweños were impressed
with his performance so much so that in the May 2001 election,
he received a fresh and an overwhelming mandate from his provincemates
as governor of the Province of Palawan. He is now on his 3rd
term.
In the League of Provinces of the Philippines, he was elected
as Executive Vice President and sits in the National Executive
Board as board-member-at-large for Luzon.
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