THE loss of Batangas is the gain of Davao City.
REP. Isidro T. Ungab (Davao City-Third District) was elected during a plenary session last Wednesday as new chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives.
He replaced Rep. Hermilando Mandanas of Batangas who was ousted by the majority, following his refusal to sign the impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Ungab was vice chairman immediately before his election to the top post of the committee. He has been involved in the debates in the committee and plenary levels of the newly-approved P1.8 trillion 2012 budget of the country, specifically the budget proposals of the Department of Finance, the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, National Economic and Development Authority, Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of the Treasury and related agencies.
The ways and means committee is primarily in charge of legislative matters pertaining to the fiscal, monetary and financial management of the national government.
Born in Calinan, Davao City, Ungab is a graduate of the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna.
He was a high officer of Mindanao-based bank for years, before he entered politics. He cut his legislative teeth as three-term member of Davao City’s Sangguniang Panlungsod where he was topnotcher councilor representing the Third District.
He was about to file his certificate of candidacy for another term in the Sanggunian in 2007 when he was tapped by then Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte to run for congressman. Ungab is now on his second term in the House.
Political and socio-economic leaders of Mindanao attached significance to Ungab’s election to the committee since he comes from island region which for a long time has been clamoring for increased share of the country’s allocations for development projects.
