Trailblazer

In her long career as a seasoned politician in Biñan City, Congresswoman Marlyn “Len” Alonte-Naguiat has made the name Alonte synonymous with public service, dedication, and integrity.

Coming from a family of politicos – her father, Arthur Alonte, once served as Biñan’s mayor – “Cong. Len,” as her constituents now call her, is now making waves in the national political scene as she championed measures to safeguard the welfare of women and children.

In the blood

Politics is in Mayor Len’s blood, although she tacitly admitted that none of her siblings (including her brother, current Vice Mayor Gel Alonte) had actually wanted to be involved in politics.

“Lagi kong sinasabi na hindi ko ‘to pinangarap. I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be a homemaker. Wala kaming pinangarap. Lahat kaming magkakapatid ayaw naman sa politics,” she related in an interview with OpinYon Laguna.

Still, as most children who belonged to political families have discovered, she found the call to service too strong to deny – although she noted that it was not her father, former Mayor Arthur Alonte, who convinced her to run for councilor in 1998. “Leaders talaga ‘yung nagkuyo-kuyo talaga.”


She first entered the political scene in 1998, when she was elected as the first female and youngest (at age 23) councilor of Biñan City, after which she served as vice-mayor in 2004.


Three years later, in 2007, Alonte once again made history as the first female mayor of Biñan.

“Pati mga kababaihan, nagbunyi sila," Alonte reminisced. "[Kasi] yung thought lang na kinikilala natin… siguro nga totoo na nakikilala na nga ang mga babae dito sa Binan."

Mayor Len did not disappoint her supporters, as she shepherded Biñan from a sleepy market town to a fast-rising urban and industrial hub. Under her leadership, Biñan became a city on February 2, 2010 by virtue of Republic Act No. 9740.


Three years later, when Biñan City was granted its own seat in Congress in 2015, Alonte was elected as the city’s first congresswoman in 2016.

Legislative programs

Now into her second term as Biñan City’s lone representative to Congress, Cong. Len has already made a name in legislative work mainly because of her advocacy to empower women and children.


She was the co-author of Republic Act No. 11510, which institutionalized the Alternative Learning System (ALS) for out-of-school youth.


Alonte is also one of the solons behind House Bill No. 8097, which will grant additional benefits to solo parents.


The bill was recently passed on third and final reading, and it seeks to grant benefits to "qualified

" solo parents or those earning less than P250,000 annually, as well as other benefits.

“Natuwa naman ako, kasi ako naman noong kinonceptualize namin ‘yan doon sa Congress parang ako hindi ko naman naisip na parang nani-neglect yung solo parents,” Cong. Len told OpinYon Laguna.

“Of course parang feeling ko kulang pero hindi nini-neglect pero hindi ko naisip yung magiging impact sa mga solo parents kasi nga kami ang inisip nga namin of course is to help you, para doon sa anak, kung baga parang yung pinalagaan ko doon ay yung mga anak hindi naman namin naiisip na malaki din pala yun impact sa mga mom.

“Pero at the end of the day, ‘yung parang tipping point doon is yung anak yan yung gusto kong pangalagaan na gusto ko na makatulungan kami sa inyo na mapaganda ang buhay at kabuhayan ng anak niyo.”

Standing up on her own

Despite charting her own political path, however, there were still times that Cong. Len found herself lumped with her father.

“Nung first term ko [as councilor], lagi nilang sinasabi na ‘Naku, kaya lang naman nanalo iyan, [dahil sa kanyang tatay],” she confided.

But although she regularly asked her father’s advice in political affairs especially during her first term, she soon gained enough confidence to strike her own chord.


It was Mayor Arthur, in fact, who advised her to follow her convictions.


Once, she recalled, during the passage of a municipal ordinance, she confided to him that she felt ashamed of voting no for the ordinance as she was the only oppositor to the measure.

“[Pero] sinabi ni Papa, ‘Kahit matalo ka, pero nag-stand ka sa alam mo kung ano ang tama at gusto mo, panalo ka pa rin,’” she recalled.

There was another incident when she decided to displace and relocate the vendors in front of the old municipal hall, which did not sit well with some of her constituents.

“So sinasabi nila, ‘noong time po ng papa niyo, nakapagtitinda kami sa harap ng munisipiyo,’” she said. “Minsan, sasabihin ko, ‘Ay, sorry po, hindi na po siya ang Mayor ninyo.’”

Inspiration

For Cong. Len, it was her unrelenting service for women, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, that endeared her all the more to her constituents.

Mayor Arman Dimaguila, in particular, cited Cong. Len’s efforts to include Biñanenses who were affected by the pandemic into the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) TUPAD program, as well as her program to provide for cervical cancer patients.

“Nakita naman ninyo ang mga serbisyong inihatid ni Cong. Len kahit na may pandemya, lalo na ang mga serbisyo para sa mga kababaihan. Kaya nga si Cong. Len ay mahal na mahal ng mga Biñanense,” Dimaguila said.

On the other hand, her brother, Vice Mayor Gel, sees her as an “idol” and an inspiration as he charts his own career in public service.

“Isa [siyang] ina na hindi matutumbasan ang kanyang pagmamahal sa kanyang pamilya. Na sa kabila ng kanyang daming ginagawa para sa Lungsod ng Biñan ay hindi nya nakakalimutan o napapabayaan ang kanyang pamilya,” the vice-mayor told OpinYon Laguna in a message. “[Siya] ang inspirasyon ko sa aking pagiging public servant. Ang kanyang mga nagawa at kontribusyon sa Lungsod ng Biñan ay hindi matatawaran.”