Rexlon Ting Gatchalian (born January 21, 1979) is a Filipino politician, first district representative of Valenzuela City, and was the 26th
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of the
Valenzuela Valenzuela may refer to:
Places
* Valenzuela, Paraguay
* Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
* Valenzuela, Spain
* Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain
* Valenzuela, Louisiana
Other uses
* Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the n ...
, Philippines.
He already served as the representative of the first district of
Valenzuela Valenzuela may refer to:
Places
* Valenzuela, Paraguay
* Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
* Valenzuela, Spain
* Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain
* Valenzuela, Louisiana
Other uses
* Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the n ...
to the
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish language, Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house ...
prior to his assumption to the mayoralty. Gatchalian is the brother of politicians
Win Gatchalian
Sherwin Ting Gatchalian (born April 6, 1974), known as Win Gatchalian, is a Filipino politician and businessman serving as a Senator since 2016. A member of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), he previously served as the Representative of ...
and Wes Gatchalian.
Early life
Gatchalian was born January 21, 1979, and graduated cum laude in 2001 from the
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
in Washington D.C., United States, with a bachelor's degree political science, with secondary fields of study in marketing and psychology.
In 2005, he was elected president of Waterfront Hotels and Casinos, the country's largest Filipino-owned first class hotel operator. He instead chose to run for public office.
Representative (2007–2013; 2022–present)
![Win Gatchalian together with his brother Rex Gatchalian and FPJ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Win_Gatchalian_together_with_his_brother_Rex_Gatchalian_and_FPJ.JPG)
Gatchalian first ran for representative of the
1st district of
Valenzuela Valenzuela may refer to:
Places
* Valenzuela, Paraguay
* Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
* Valenzuela, Spain
* Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain
* Valenzuela, Louisiana
Other uses
* Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the n ...
, in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
but lost to outgoing Mayor
Bobbit Carlos
Jose Emmanuel "Bobbit" Lozada Carlos (born December 25, 1957), is a Filipino physician and politician who last served as the Representative of the 1st District of Valenzuela to House of Representatives of the Philippines. He also served as the ...
.
In
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, Gatchalian ran for representative of the 1st District of Valenzuela once again and was successful this time. He was one of the youngest legislators during the
14th Congress.
As Vice-chairman for the Congressional Committee for Overseas Workers’ Affairs, he authored Republic Act No. 10022, also known as An Act Amending R.A. 8042, otherwise known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. The law mandates new policies for the further protection and genuine representation of migrant workers. He is also one of the principal authors of Republic Act No. 9576, or the law that doubles the maximum deposit insurance coverage by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) from to . It was also during his first term as Representative that he was elected as National Spokesperson for the political party
Nationalist People's Coalition
The Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) is a conservative political party in the Philippines, founded in 1992 by then-presidential candidate Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.
History
The Party was founded in 1992 after some members of the Nacionalista ...
(NPC).
In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, Gatchalian was re-elected as representative of the 1st District of
Valenzuela Valenzuela may refer to:
Places
* Valenzuela, Paraguay
* Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
* Valenzuela, Spain
* Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain
* Valenzuela, Louisiana
Other uses
* Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the n ...
for the 15th Congress with the largest electoral margin in the district's history. At the age of 31, he became the youngest member of the Commission on Appointments in history, and the only Congressional Representation from the City of Valenzuela to be a member. He also served as the Senior Vice-chairman for the Congressional Committee on Games & Amusements.
REX Gatchalian filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) National Capital Region office in October 2021.
He is a returning congressman after winning the local elections. He was a congressman in the 14th and 15th Congress from 2007 to 2013.
Congressman REX Gatchalian is then elected as the Chairman of the Committee on Local Government of the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress.
Mayor of Valenzuela City (2013–2022)
![Rex Gatchalian](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Rex_Gatchalian.jpg)
Gatchalian was elected
Mayor of Valenzuela
The mayor of Valenzuela ( fil, Punong Lungsod ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela), a highly urbanized city in northern Metro Manila, Philippines, is the official head and chief executive of Valenzuela. He leads on enforcing city ordinances and improving pu ...
in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
. He was re-elected in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
and in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
.
His public service platform, better known as the “Five Pillars of Good Governance,” focused on the essential needs of his constituents: Education, Health and Social Services, Housing, Job Generation, and Trade and Industry.
He oversaw the creation of 48 barangay health stations (BHS) city-wide and the 14 Sentro ng Sama-Samang Serbisyo or 3S Centers as well as the ALERT Center, the Valenzuela City's Peoples Park, and the Valenzuela School of Mathematics and Science.
Programs
Other programs developed under his term as a Mayor include:
* 3S Plus Electronic Terminal - the Philippines’ first electronic building permit application system
* Bantay Estudyante – the first senior citizen-force multiplier group that protects the safety of children who walk their way to public schools
* Bantay Ilog – the first local flood control arm that safeguards the city' rivers and creeks from pollutants
* Barangay-Based Feeding Program (BBFP) – the local government's free supply of nutritious, ready-to-cook food for malnourished children aged six months to five years, provided that their parents regularly bring them to the barangay health station for weighing, check-up and vaccination
* Kitchen-on-Wheels – the mobile kitchen used by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) to immediately transport meals for typhoon victims or disaster-stricken communities
* Women's Wellness Clinic, Mobile Medical and Dental Clinics, and Mobile Botika (pharmacy) – the city government's mobile health facilities for medical missions and rescue operations
* VPOW or Valenzuela Police-on-Wheels - the first mobile police precinct in the country
* www.ValenzuelaTrabaho.gov.ph - the first job-matching website operated by a local government unit (LGU)
* Education 360 Degrees Investment Program- addresses education problems the city is facing. The program is a holistic approach to uplifting the quality of local basic education. The City Government of Valenzuela, through this program, distributed 24,000 tablets to public elementary and high school students making sure that no student is left behind in quality education.
* Disiplina Village Bignay, Ugong, Lingunan, Arkong Bato- Disiplina Village is the biggest in-city medium-rise public rental housing project in the country. It has a 3S Center, barangay health station, Police Community Precinct, Fire Substation, Barangay Hall and Daycare Center (aside from other four day care centers scattered among the clusters of buildings). It is complete with basic education facilities with the inclusion of the Disiplina Village Bignay Elementary and High School. The Activity Center/Covered Court and the mini park can be found at its heart. The construction of the Disiplina Village Transport Terminal, public market, and chapel are underway.
* 3S Plus Valenzuela City Online Services- This is the first integrated permit application system in the country. It provides a single platform for the application of the permits and request for documents. The highlight of the system, is "Paspas Permit". Paspas Permit is a 10-second business permit application system.
* PPP Projects- Marulas Public Market, Valenzuela Town Center, Disiplina Village Bignay Transport Terminal at Public Market, expansion of Valenzuela City Hemodialysis Center at Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital.
* 3S Centers- 3S Centers, stand for "Sentro ng Sama-samang Serbisyo" are "little city halls" designed to bring the government services closer to local residents. As of December 2020, the city now has 24 3S centers.
Liveable Valenzuela City
After completing his projects for the 5 Pillars, Gatchalian's second wave of undertakings focused on transforming Valenzuela City into a more liveable one. His notion of a liveable city essentially implies the presence of a leveled up infrastructure network and integrated sound protocols on logistics and management that will enable the city to respond to disasters and other challenges - hence, the birth of the ALERT Center (Allied Local Emergency and Evacuation Response Teams). The ALERT Center is the brain of the disaster preparedness and response of the city, and the roof of the Valenzuela City Disaster Preparedness Office (DPO), the new Central Fire Station, Red Cross Volunteer Center, the Valenzuela City Command and Coordinating Center (VCC3), and the VC Tent.
In 2014, Gatchalian started inaugurating the 3S Centers or the ''Sentro ng Sama-samang Serbisyo''. The ‘little city halls’ house the fundamental satellite offices of the local government, such as the barangay health stations, fire substations, ''Serbisyo Centers'' (satellite offices for the payment of business permits, real property, and other government taxes), and many more.
On February 14, 2015, the city's 17th Charter Day, Valenzuelanos’ much awaited Valenzuela City People's Park was officially opened to the public.
Another facility in the city that boasts of a nature-centered open space and is free to the public is the Valenzuela City Family Park also in Karuhatan. There is a playground, interactive fountain, aviary, fitness machines, amphitheater, and a food park in the park. The park is also pet-friendly, bike-friendly, and accessible to persons with disability.
One of the many initiatives of the city government to create greener spaces, Polo Mini Park was inaugurated on January 21, 2020, six months after the announcement of the rehabilitation of the historical old town square of Polo. The park is adorned with hundred-years old luscious trees, fountain, memorial marker commemorating war veterans and statues of Pío Valenzuela and José Rizal. The park signifies not only a place for relaxation but also marks the historical identity of the city.
Dubbed as Valenzuela City's "best kept secret", the Tagalag Fishing Village lies beside a boardwalk in Barangay
Tagalag. Various activities are being offered in one of the newest attractions in the city such as recreational fishing, line fishing tutorials, bird watching, boating, photowalk, and sunset watching.
COVID-19 response
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Valenzuela City was the first local government to conduct localized targeted mass testing. The city kicked off its own localized targeted mass testing for the coronavirus disease on April 11, 2020.
On September 12, 2020, the City Government of Valenzuela was able to acquire a COVID-19 testing laboratory license to operate for our Valenzuela Hope Molecular Laboratory, which complements the operation of the 24/7 Valenzuela City Mega Contact Tracing Center. The laboratory can process 800 samples a day, and also accepts other cities' samples to be processed at Valenzuela Hope Molecular Laboratory.
In addressing the crowd and long lines in public markets, mobile palengkes were rolled out.
Valenzuela Tracing Application began to roll out on September 12, 2020. It is an automated contact tracing system through the use of QR codes, which provides safe, timely contact identification. ValTrace is also interconnected with
Pasig
Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people.
It is located along the ...
and
Antipolo
Antipolo, officially known as the City of Antipolo ( fil, Lungsod ng Antipolo), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 887,399 people. It is the mo ...
.
Under the Alagang Valenzuelano program of Valenzuela City, they distributed food vouchers to families in the city. as well as care bags for children with disabilities and NutriPacks for kids enrolled at public daycare centers.
On January 10, 2021, the city government has also signed a deal for advance purchase of 640,000 doses of
COVID-19 vaccine
A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19).
Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...
developed by
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includin ...
to vaccinate 320,000 individuals, 70% of the population of the city.
Awards and recognitions
Valenzuela City earned several citations under the Gatchalian's leadership. The citations profess the city's economic accountability, liveability and disaster preparedness, outstanding employment and micro-entrepreneurship development programs, timely health and social protection policies, and sound implementation of peace and order advocacies.
Valenzuela City, led by Mayor Rex Gatchalian, landed three of the Top 10 Outstanding Local Governance Programs in Galing Pook Awards- Valenzuela Live, Tagalag Fishing Village and Paspas Permit.
[https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/10/20/Valenzuela-City-2021-Galing-Pook-Awards--.html ]
References
External links
Official Website of the City Government of ValenzuelaOfficial Facebook AccountOfficial Twitter Account14th Congress of the Philippines
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gatchalian, Rexlon Rex
1979 births
Living people
21st-century Filipino politicians
George Washington University alumni
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Valenzuela, Metro Manila
Mayors of Valenzuela, Metro Manila
Nationalist People's Coalition politicians
Tagalog people
People named in the Pandora Papers