Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid
BIOGRAPHY
Born on October 25, 1955 to a poor family in Porac, Pampanga, Senator Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid was immediately immersed in the rigors of life and hard work. As a former stuntman and movie actor whose parents never ventured into the world of politics, the call to serve the people never occurred to him until he was elected Vice Governor of the Province of Pampanga in 1992. It was during this time that Lito Lapid was entrusted a difficult task of rallying his Cabalens to fight the seemingly insurmountable adversity brought about by the devastating effects of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
The overwhelming mandate given to him when he won as governor in 1995 further inspired Lito Lapid to brave the challenge and rebuild what is left of lahar-torn Pampanga. Slowly, and with the help of his fellow Kapampangans, Lito Lapid set in motion a comprehensive rehabilitation program which made businesses in the province boom. With Lito Lapid at the helm, real estate broke new record highs, export volumes increased to unprecedented levels, the province regained its glory as the country’s premiere agricultural territory and Pampanga once again was placed among the top ten (10) most progressive provinces in the country.
His proven track record as a champion of the masses and an effective local chief executive for three full terms paved the way for his winning bid for the Senate, receiving top honors in the 2004 Senatorial elections. As a Senator, he continued his advocacies to further the welfare of the masses by introducing social legislations aimed at improving education, health services, housing and local government empowerment especially in disaster mitigation. He chaired the Senate Committee on Games, Amusement and Sports where he became instrumental in organizing institutional support to the country’s sports development programs. He authored and filed several celebrated and meaningful bills and resolutions that will provide comprehensive benefit packages to our overseas workers, athletes, educational and scholarship support programs especially for the poor but deserving students and expanding the protection and benefits of our elderly women and children. Since his assumption to the Senate, he staunchly campaigned for measures that would advance national pride and expand the use of the native language particularly in the education system to instill in the youth a sense of national pride as they develop to become a globally competitive work force.
Despite the limitations in education and against the shroud of cynicisms on his capabilities, Senator Lapid proved himself to be deserving of the trust reposed by the millions of voters who believed that he can serve to become not only a good legislator but an inspiring picture of hope for those whose lives he has touched.
