Atty. Walfredo R. Dimaguila Jr. better known as “Arman,” comes from humble beginnings. Born to Walfredo Dimaguila Sr., the former municipal electrician of Biñan, and Feliciana Reyes, a full-time homemaker and a laundrywoman, Arman is the sixth of 10 children.
To help his parents earn a living, Arman grew up selling pan de sal before going to school. Yet his perseverance paid off: he graduated as class valedictorian from Malaban Elementary School in 1985. In high school, despite being disqualified from the honor roll because he was a transferee, Arman still brought home multiple medals and awards.
Poverty did not hinder Arman from going to college. To finance his studies, he worked as a utility man and a security guard. But soon, politics beckoned: he was elected as the first Sangguniang Kabataan chairman in his area, and was named San Luis Most Outstanding Youth in the Province of Laguna in 1993.
Continuing to juggle work and studies, Arman graduated cum laude in Political Science from Lyceum of the Philippines University. He then worked as a tax specialist at the National Tax Research Center during the day, and went to Lyceum’s College of law at night.
Becoming a full-fledged lawyer in 1998, Arman championed the cause of laborers and women in his private practice. He also became a professor at different colleges and universities, sharing his expertise in economics, business law and taxation.
With the urging of then-Mayor Arthur Alonte, Arman joined mainstream politics by winning a seat on Biñan’s municipal council in 2001, placing eighth in the elections. As councilor, he authored an ordinance for a scholarship program that benefited the town’s poor but deserving students. The present Polytechnic University of the Philippines Biñan Campus proved to be a fulfilment of his vision.
Arman’s star kept rising, and in 2010 he was elected Vice Mayor. His office focused on strengthening the legislative procedures of the City Council and attending to Biñan’s drug dependents and prisoners.
His free notarial services have become well-known in and outside of Biñan, even as he spearheaded the creation of the Health Assistance Program for Indigents (HAPI) Family Card, the Magna Carta for Senior Citizens and for Persons with Disabilities among his flagship projects.
Though not a populist, his signature program called “Serbisyong Arman” made him a familiar and popular figure in Biñan. By creating Serbisyong Arman Rescue Group, the city’s residents received assistance for accidents, fires, flooding, evacuations and other calamities, with Arman personally involved in the operations.
Sharing his active public service with his wife Lourdes, Arman incorporated Go Forward Foundation in 2011. Together with its volunteers, the foundation regularly performs cleft palate and cataract operations, bloodletting, mobile dental and medical missions, and nutrition programs. His free bus service has travelled thousands of miles, bringing students, senior citizens and patients from Biñan to everywhere.
The May 9 elections added another milestone to Arman’s life: he became the 16th mayor of Biñan as a municipality and its second as a city with a lone congressional district. With the lawyer and public servant in charge, this young city has a bright future ahead of it.
