Atty. Gilbert for independence!

This full-blooded Kapampangan who serves Bataeños with all his heart, time and effort, is even willing to take the extra mile for the benefit of all.

He was born on June 5, 1970 and resides at Purok I, San Miguel, San Simon, Pampanga together with his wife Remedios and their children Guila and Gian.

A product of San Miguel Elementary School and Assumpta Technical High School, he earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science at the Holy Angel University. After that, he took up Law at the San Sebastian College.

Fast forward to becoming a lawyer, he immediately got hired at the Banico Law Office as a legal researcher. In the year 2000, he started the progressive years of his career in the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as a casual employee in Pampanga. Four years later, he was promoted as election officer of COMELEC in Mexico, Pampanga. In 2009, he was transferred to Aurora Province to serve as the provincial election supervisor, and finally in January 2013, he was transferred to Bataan to serve as provincial supervisor III.

When asked why he ended up working in COMELEC, he said “nasa dugo na e.” He said that his uncle who helped him study in law school also helped him get a job in COMELEC because he is a retired election officer, as well as his sister.

Talking about the duties of a provincial supervisor, he said that he supervises the eleven municipalities and one city of Bataan, he monitors the activities of the election officers, he acts as a representative of COMELEC in the province, he supervises the conduct of elections, and he is an implementer of resolutions.

He also shared with us his ongoing and future plans some of which are: satellite registrations that election officers conduct in barangays, office registrations, distribution of IDs, reporting, symposiums, voter’s education, and the most important project for him that he passionately hopes to be achieved – to have a COMELEC office independent from the LGU.

“National agency ang COMELEC, independent body, but still naka-depend kami sa LGU kasi sila ‘yung nagbibigay ng office space sa amin.” Atty. Gilbert explained that their long term plan is to recommend that COMELEC should be independent in a sense that it is the national government that should provide them their own office space or building, not the provincial or municipal government. If the provincial government or LGU is the one who will provide them their office, they would rent it, so that the sense of independence is still there.

When asked about the reason for his thirst for this independence, he said “’pag nakikita ng mga tao na ‘yung opisina ng COMELEC, nasa munisipyo o kapitolyo, akala ng mga tao hawak na kami ng munisipyo o kapitolyo.”

That sense of independence would result to lesser negative issues about COMELEC being under the influence of politicians because he said people often regard them as biased, but in fact they are not. “Para ‘yung impression ng mga tao, mawala. Kahit kasi wala kaming ginagawa, kung andito kami sa compound ng LGU, as if may ginagawa kami e,” he added.

Atty. Gilbert said that this issue is being taken care of by Congressman Joet Garcia, he already proposed to the congress that national offices should be separated from the LGU so that the budget of the field offices would be integrated to the national budget of the department/commission.

Aside from dealing with all these office work, he doesn’t forget to have time for himself that’s why during his spare time, he is into pigeon racing. He said that since elementary days, he had been taking care of pigeons and has been into racing pigeons through the influence of his cousins. “Hindi ako ‘yung tao na outgoing, ‘yan okay na sakin ‘yan, parang narereminisce ko ‘yung pagkabata ko,” he added.

He also shared that in ten years, he sees himself practicing his profession as a private practitioner, because it is every lawyer’s dream.

Well, it seems that nothing can stop this dedicated man on achieving his desires. Like a pigeon with its wings spread out, in a sky full of vast possibilities, he will certainly achieve that independence he is looking for, and even more.