It was a long, hard climb before Jomari Yllana proved himself as a public servant in his native Paranaque.

The odds were against him from the very start. Running as an independent candidate for council post in 2016, he was named minority floor leader in a surprising turn of events.

The veteran actor says he may have come from the other side of the fence, but he turned to the people, those in the grassroots level, for consultation.

‘’Sila ang naging sandigan ko,’’ the 45-year-old former actor says.

Jomari is currently seeking reelection for the same council post (third term) in the May 2022 national election. He is head of the council committees on information technology, tourism and social services.

Asked about the challenges that faced an actor on his first term as councilor in 2016, Jomari considers it a blessing that actor-politicians who had served Paranaque ahead of him (some continue to serve to this day) had set very high standards in local governance.

‘’I thank them who paved the way for us in public service, especially the three-termer former Mayor Joey Marquez,’’ he says.

The city of Paranaque, he says, is used to having actors and entertainers holding local positions.

‘’Because of them, it wasn’t so difficult for the rest of us to be accepted as local officials, too. They proved themselves and had set high standards in office.’’

‘’Because of what they have done, di pwede easy-easy lang kaming mga sumunod sa kanila.’’

‘’’Sanay sa artista ang Paranaque. We have two districts. At one time or another, we had in the council singers, basketball players, actors. Nandyan sina Roselle Nava, Jason Webb, Vandolph Quizon, my brother Anjo Yllana, Alma Moreno. Kumpleto kami dito sa artists, and they all did so well, setting the stage for us,’’ the former Gwapings star-turned-drama actor of the 90s says.