Kalinga Lone District Representative Allen Jesse Capuyan Mangaoang, fondly known as Sonny, is a dedicated and humble public servant. His leadership has left an indelible mark among the people he served, instilling a sense of trust and confidence.
As a servant leader, he stands tall above the rest, demonstrating exceptional leadership qualities, an unwavering commitment to public welfare, and an unrelenting drive to create positive change.
He set aside a promising and lucrative career as a geologist and followed a calling that his heart so desires—to those who have the fewest opportunities in life, less in life and always at the last of the line.
Rep. Mangaoang’s journey as a Public Servant commenced with an overwhelming victory as the Municipal vice Mayor of the Municipality of Balbalan in May 1995. As a Vice Mayor, he steered the local legislative council in crafting ordinances that were genuinely responsive to the needs of the people and the development thrust that the Municipality deemed appropriate to adopt. Unknowingly, the legislative measures passed during his tenure as Vice Mayor were the same pieces of legislation that would guide his administration when he became the Municipal Mayor of Balbalan in May of 2021.
Living up to his development motto of “Serbisyun Mankapiyaan “SM,” a vernacular term that encompasses his Development Thrusts, a broader scope in public service was laid on his shoulders after he was elected Vice Governor of the Province of Kalinga in 2010. He served as Vice Governor for two terms until 2016, and his zeal and dedication as a Legislator have earned him a rare feat, being awarded together with three other vice governors in the Philippines as Outstanding Local Legislators by Super Brand Philippines.
Rep. Mangaoang entered the congressional race in 2016 with yet another elevated calling in public service. His exemplary performance as a former Mayor and Vice-governor would play a significant role in his election as the Representative of the Lone District of Kalinga.
As a Congressman, he broke tradition by being the first neophyte representative appointed to a Major Committee chairmanship.
From his first term until today, he has sat on the House Committee on Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Cultural Communities chairman. As chairman of the committee, he represents not only the IPs of the Cordilleras but also all the other 17 million IPs in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. As a legislator, he is Vice-Chairman on the Committees on Natural Resources, Ecology, and Rural Development and a member of Various Committees like Science and Technology, Defence, Youth and Sports Development, North Luzon Area Quadrangle, Agrarian Reform, Globalization and World Trade Organization, Climate Change and the powerful Committee on Appropriations.
He is the principal author of 88 bills and has co-authored 30 more since he assumed office in the House of Representatives.
In his debut as a lawmaker, he principally authored the passage of Republic Act (RA) 10993 that mandated the creation of the Malagnat National High School, RA 109994 that created the Santal National High School, RA 11016 that created the Biga National High School, RA 11104 which increased the bed capacity of the Luis Hora Memorial Regional Hospital from 100 to 200 beds, upgrading the service facilities and professional health care therein and appropriating funds therefor, among other laws of local application beneficial to the interest of the people of Kalinga, Mountain Province and the Cordillera.
On the other hand, Rep. Mangaoang also co-authored the enactment into law of RA 10928, which extended the validity of the Philippine passport from 5 to 10 years, and RA 108,69, which strengthened assistance to all farmers by providing free irrigation services see, also known as the ‘Free Irrigation Service Act,” RA 11035 that institutionalized the Balik Scientist Program and appropriating funds for the purpose among other laws that are of national concern and beneficial to other municipalities, cities, provinces and regions in the different parts of the country.
Aside from being actively involved in the law-making process in the House, Rep. Mangaoang also keeps himself busy by working closely with government agency officials who are pivotal in providing the funds for his priority projects. This has resulted in the sourcing of billions of funds into his third term as Kalinga’s representative.
From his first term up until this budget year, Kalinga earmarked billions of pesos for roads, bridges, flood control, and other major infrastructure projects. He was also able to source funds for social services like medical assistance, scholarship grants, and many other forms of financial assistance. Thousands of recipients benefitted from this program.
Rep. Mangaoang is also deeply concerned over the plight of Persons with Disabilities. It motivated him to source funds to provide prosthetic legs and other assistive devices for the PWDS.
Despite all his impressive achievements, the district representative remains a humble and simple man who envisions only the best for his constituents, which he matches with great effort, making him the man Kalinga’s lone district looks up to.
