Francis Gerald "Boy Blue" Aguinaldo Abaya (born September 15, 1975) is a Filipino politician and architect who served as the

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

's 1st district from 2013 to 2022.

Early life and education

Abaya was born on September 15, 1975, to Plaridel Abaya, a former congressman, and Consuelo Aguinaldo-Abaya, granddaughter of the first

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Emilio Aguinaldo. He is also the brother of former congressman and Secretary of Transportation and Communications

Joseph Emilio Abaya Joseph Emilio "Jun" Aguinaldo Abaya (born May 28, 1966) is a Filipino politician, lawyer, and military officer. He was the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) of the Philippines under the administration of P ...

. In 2002, Abaya graduated from

Wentworth Institute of Technology Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) is a private institute of technology in Boston, Massachusetts. Wentworth was founded in 1904 and offers career-focused education through 21 bachelor's degree programs as well as 13 master's degrees. Histo ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

with a bachelor's degree in architecture. He passed the Architectural Board Examination administered by the

Professional Regulation Commission The Professional Regulation Commission, ( fil, Komisyon sa Regulasyon ng mga Propesyon) otherwise known as the PRC, is a three-man commission attached to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Its mandate is to regulate and supervise the pr ...

that same year.

Early career

Before his political career, Abaya worked in the field of architecture serving as the Resident Architect of various construction and real estate companies. He also taught architecture at the

De La Salle University – Dasmariñas De La Salle University–Dasmariñas ( fil, Pamantasang De La Salle–Dasmariñas) also referred to by its acronym DLSU-D or La Salle–Dasma; is a private Roman Catholic, Lasallian co-educational secondary and higher education institution ru ...

for several years.

Political career

Abaya entered politics in 2013 when he ran as congressman for Cavite's 1st District under the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. The seat was vacant since October 2012 due to the resignation of his brother, Joseph Emilio Abaya, to serve as Transportation Secretary. Abaya won the seat gaining 94,283 votes or 67.96% of the total valid votes cast. In the 16th Congress, he was the vice-chairman of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology; and assistant majority leader of the Committee on Rules. He also authored and filed a bill that would reinstate the mandatory

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in al ...

in all colleges and universities. In the 2016 general elections, Abaya ran again for a second term as congressman and won. He also helped in the

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

of Liberal Party candidate Mar Roxas. In the 17th Congress, he served as the vice-chairman of the House Committees on Climate Change,

Information and Communications Technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications ( telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...

, and Science and Technology. Abaya ran again in the 2019 House of Representatives elections and won with 78.56% of his district's votes. In the current 18th Congress, Abaya is serving as the chairman of the House Special Committee on Bases Conversion; vice-chairman of the Committees on Climate Change, Information and Communications Technology, and Science and Technology; and member of the Committees on Government Enterprises and Privatization,

Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Ur ...

, and Social Services. He is among the 12 members of the opposition Liberal Party that joined the “Super Majority Coalition” of the House of Representatives which is dominated by allies of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Personal life

Abaya is married to a physician and they have 3 children. He is a member of the

United Architects of the Philippines The United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) or the Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architects (IAPOA), is the professional organization for architects in the Philippines. UAP offers education, government advocacy, comm ...

and a fellow at the Philippine Institute for Architects.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abaya, Joseph Emilio A. 1975 births Living people Aguinaldo family Wentworth Institute of Technology alumni Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Cavite De La Salle University faculty 21st-century Filipino architects