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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider House neophytes Legarda Leviste, Gonzales, Villafuerte out to make their mark in 20th Congress

House neophytes Legarda Leviste, Gonzales, Villafuerte out to make their mark in 20th Congress

Published Jul 11, 2025 10:17 am

At A Glance

  • What do Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Mica Gonzales, and Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. Luigi Villafuerte have in common? They're entering the nascent 20th Congress as rookie legislators from Luzon who are eager to make their mark. A lot of eyes are on them too, given their high-profile lineage.
From left to right: Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Mica Gonzales, and Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. Luigi Villafuerte (Facebook)
From left to right: Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Mica Gonzales, and Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. Luigi Villafuerte (Facebook)


What do Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Mica Gonzales, and Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. Luigi Villafuerte have in common?
They're entering the nascent 20th Congress as rookie legislators from Luzon who are eager to make their mark. A lot of eyes are on them too, given their high-profile lineage.
Rep. Legarda Leviste, 32, is the son of Senator Loren Legarda, a familiar name in national politics and a fixture in Philippine Congress. His father is former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste.
Rep. Legarda Leviste is popularly known as the country’s youngest self-made billionaire, earning his fortune thanks to Solar Philippines. He founded it in 2013 at the tender age of 20.
He has since divested his shares from his beloved company, which arguably accelerated the development of the local solar power industry. But the Batangueño is accelerating pieces of legislation now.
In particular, Rep. Legarda Leviste has shown a singular focus to pass his pet measure, House Bill (HB) No.27, or the proposed National Student Allowance Program (NSAP). The bill grants a P1,000 monthly allowance to all students in the country.
Rep. Gonzales' father is her own predecessor in her district, former Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. The latter finished his third and final term in the House of Representatives during the previous 19th Congress.
The lady solon is stepping into Batasan Complex in the afterglow of her father's banner term. It was during this time that the elder Gonzales became one of the few solons in the House's history to become senior deputy speaker. He also played a key part in the formation of the quad-committee (quad-comm)--one of the many bright points of the 19th Congress.
The 30-year-old Rep. Gonzales graduated high school from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in the United States (US). She then earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management at the University of Asia and the Pacific, Pasig, Philippines
Before winning her House seat in the May 2025 elections, she served as senior board member in Pampanga's 3rd district for three years. She also worked a her father's chief-of-staff for six years.
Rep. Gonzales has so far shown to be sensitive to her district's needs: She has filed HB No. 993, which seeks to add 1,500 beds to Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital. Recently, she attended the inauguration of the Advance Comprehensive Center for Orthopedic Care and Basic Comprehensive Center for Trauma and Burn Building at the hospital.
Rep. Villafuerte's father and predecessor, now Camarines Sur Governor LRay Villafuerte, is also a three-term congressman. A former deputy speaker, the elder Villafuerte is the president of the National Unity Party (NUP)--one of the key factions of the pro-Marcos supermajority coalition.
At just 28 years old, Rep. Villafuerte has already reached the top positions in the provincial capitol, beating the likes of Imelda Papin for vice governor anf former congressman Rolando Andaya Jr. for governor.
The first slew of bills he filed showed a learning toward modernization and digitalization.
These include HB No.162, or an Act establishing a national electronic health record system to ensure continuity of care, improve medical efficiency and promote universal health care access for all Filipinos; and HB No.166, or an Act institutionalizing digital literacy, coding, and AI readiness in basic and higher education, establishing regional future skills centers and promoting lifelong digital upskilling for all Filipinos.
Rep. Villafuerte graduated from New York University with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Computer Science.
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