Win Gatchalian

House of Representatives (2001-2004)

Gatchalian was first elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 2001, at the time when Valenzuela's congressional representation was divided into two separate districts. He defeated the second district representative-elect Magtanggol Gunigundo's father in the race.^[6]

Mayor of Valenzuela (2004-2013)

Gatchalian, during the awarding ceremony of TOYM 2011 in the Malacañang Palace.

After then incumbent Valenzuela mayor Bobbit Carlos' term expiration in 2004, Gatchalian ran and won the mayoralty position for the first time, defeating Carlos' wife, Margarita.^[7]

Gatchalian formulated the "WIN ang Edukasyon Program" (Education Wins Program) for public schools to address immediate needs of Valenzuela's schoolchildren. This included feeding programs, the purchase of additional textbooks, and construction of more classrooms.^[8] The program also aimed to improve the level of reading proficiency of all public school children in the city.^[9]

In 2009, Gatchalian started the "Disiplina Village" (Discipline Village) in barangay Ugong, a housing project for the relocation of families displaced by the Northrail Project of the Philippine National Railways and those victimized by Typhoon Ondoy.^[10] The project initially benefited some 1,800 from the city.^[11] Gatchalian opened the second phase of the housing project in 2012.^[12]

House of Representatives (2013-2016)

Gatchalian initially considered running for the Senate in the 2013 midterm election as part of then incumbent vice-president Jejomar Binay's United Nationalist Alliance senatorial slate. He later dropped his bid after the release of Pulse Asia's September 2012 survey placing him in the 26th-35th mark among people's choice for the Senate.^[13] He instead ran for a House of Representative post for Valenzuela's first district, the post he first held in 2001.

Gatchalian returned to the Lower House in 2013, as allowed by the 1987 Constitution's prescription on term limitations for local posts. He replaced his younger brother, Rex, who was the incumbent representative at the time.

Some of his proposed bills during this 2013 term include acts regulating parking fees in malls and commercial areas,^[14] including ROTC among the prerequisites for tertiary level graduation,^[15] increasing the budget for NAIA to transform its global image,^[16] abolishing the Road Board (a government agency that handled motor vehicle users' tax and road users' tax),^[17] protecting passengers against abusive and itinerant taxi drivers,^[18] for the declaration of candidates seeking to profit from election polls as nuisance candidates,^[19] as well as a proposed bill requiring proofs of parking space to car purchasers as a means to lessen traffic congestion.^[20]

Gatchalian is one of the main advocates of free higher education in the Philippines, advocating for the fully subsidized tuition and other scholastic needs of qualified students with good academic and moral standing.^[21] He also supports the implementation K–12 education in the Philippines as an investment for the future of younger generations.^[22]

In 2015, Gatchalian, including some members in his family, were indicted by the Ombudsman for graft and malversation charges for an anomalous purchase of a rural thrift bank in 2009 using government fund from the Local Water Utilities Administration.^[23][24] He later posted bail for himself.^[25] In 2016, the Sandiganbayan has dismissed the criminal charges against him over the allegedly anomalous buy-out of a bank his family co-owns. ^[26]

Senate (2016-present)

On June 2015, in an event in Quezon province, Gatchalian announced his bid for a Senate seat in the 2016 general election. On October 2015, in a political assembly at Club Filipino, senator and presidential candidate Grace Poe announced her senatorial slate under the coalition Partido Galing at Puso; the slate included Gatchalian.^[27]

Gatchalian is the chair of the Senate committees on Economic Affairs and Energy during the 17th Congress.^[28]

As Chairman of the Senate Committees on Energy, and Economic Affairs, respectively, his approach to running both committees has been united by a common theme— empowering consumers. The good senator has steered both committees in a pro-consumer direction, focusing on measures which will foster greater competition within critical industries, boost efficiency of services, and lower the costs shouldered by the general public.

To bring this legislative agenda to life, he has authored or sponsored several key measures, including the Recoverable System Loss Act^[29], the Energy Virtual One Stop Shop (EVOSS) Act^[30], the Philippine Innovation Act^[31], and the Benham Rise Development Authority Act.

And then, of course, there’s education, the platform that propelled his rise in the polls during the 2016 election campaign. He has made good on his promise to pass legislation establishing a tuition-free scheme in state universities and colleges. The Senate has approved Senate Bill No. 1304, Affordable Higher Education For All Act, a consolidated version of Senator Win’s Free Higher Education Act, a landmark legislation that would make education within reach of deserving but under-privileged students. In August 2016, the legislation has been enacted into law entitled Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Law or Republic Act No. 10931^[32].