The apple does not fall far from the tree

If the apple indeed does not fall far from the tree, then Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon might just find himself in the Senate after the May 2010 elections.

On his third and final term as Representative of the lone district of Muntinlupa City, Ruffy is running for a seat in the Senate under the Liberal Party banner, following the footsteps of his father, Senator Rodolfo G. Biazon.

Ruffy is the only one among the three children of Senator and Mrs. Rodolfo Biazon who has entered public service. He is actually a medical technology graduate of the University of Santo Tomas and once dreamed of becoming a doctor.

In the present Congress, he is the Senior Vice Chairman of the Committee on National Defense and Security, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, and Vice Chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Ruffy is also known to be an Internet believer and user who relies on “good old-fashioned networking.” He has his own web site www.ruffybiazon.ph, maintains blog sites and has accounts in Friendster, Facebook and Multiply.

According to his website, Ruffy has principally authored a total of 78 bills and resolutions. Twenty-three of his authored and co-authored measures were enacted into law. Among these are: RA 9211 (Tobacco Regulation Act), RA 9262 (The Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act), RA 9208 (The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act), RA 9502 (The Cheaper Medicines Act), RA 9504 (Tax Relief for Minimum Wage Earners Act) and RA 9507 (Socialized & Low-Cost Housing Loan Restructuring and Condonation Program) and RA 9520, also known as the new Cooperative Code of the Philippines.

Among the citations/titles he has received are Outstanding Congressman of the Philippines (Free Press Magazine), one of the Top 100 Young Leaders of the country (Philippine Graphic Magazine), and Honorary Woman (SM Women’s Committee and the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network (CECAP) for his strong advocacy against the spread of Cervical Cancer in the Philippines).

In Muntinlupa, he implemented his 6K program which focused on Kalusugan, Kaunlaran, Karunungan, Kabuhayan, Kapayapaan and Kalikasan.

When he first ran for Congress in the 2001 elections, Ruffy was not armed with a military background or armed forces experience that his father had. According to him, his exposure to the legislature fueled his desire to run for public office. This initially generated minimal enthusiasm from his father, who suggested that he run for a councilor seat instead.

Sharing this journey in his blog site, he told his father that with his experience working in the Senate as the latter’s Chief of Staff for six years and as Senator Serge Osmeña’s Chief Legislative Officer for two years, “I felt that I would be more effective in the House of Representatives rather than the city council since my orientation had already been directed towards national legislation.”

Ruffy acknowledged that it was his father’s name that has helped him successfully entered the political arena, and it might as well be his ticket to the Senate.

Aside from Senators Bong Revilla and Pia Cayetano who are running for re-election, Ruffy is among political scions joining this year’s Senatorial race, the others being Nacionalista Party senatorial bet Ramon “Monmon” Mitra and current Bukidnon Rep. TG Guingona, who was drafted by the Liberal Party-led People's Coalition as the official Kaya Natin Movement-backed Senatorial candidate in the coalition.

Monmon Mitra is the son of the late Ramon “Monching” Mitra, Jr. who became a senator in 1971 and Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1987. TG is the son of former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Jr.

According to Monmon Mitra, the “younger generation” does not know Mitra and hopes to address them by following the legacy of his father.

Mitra is reported to have an extensive experience in administration and operations management acquired from over 18 years experience in the military, private business and family-owned corporations, particularly in the fields of information technology, transportation, and agri-business.

Meanwhile, TG Guingona is the third generation of public servants and is now on his second term as congressman of Bukidnon. Guingona's main advocacy is the promotion of greater transparency in governance and accountability of government officials.

His plans and programs include building a healthy and educated citizenry with improved access to food, technology and energy.

Said political scions may have similar experiences and ways, growing up in a political environment. In Ruffy’s case, it is apparent that he has carried his father’s name well, as he is known with for his clean track record, good values and honesty. And more than carrying the Biazon name, he has carved his own niche with a fruitful nine-year experience in Congress where he has focused his efforts on security and health-related matters.

His platform for his Senate bid includes strengthening and upholding the welfare of the Filipino family and the youth, imposing stricter penalties for drug traffickers and giving focus on security sector reform, which he said would “entail a close audit of intelligence funds, a demand for more accountability from the sector and more democratic control of the armed forces by civilian authorities.”

He is also opposing the proposal of a party list group participating in the 2010 elections to establish expiration for marriage contracts. He wrote, “To give marriage an expiration is also to give families an expiration. It will be dangerous to open Philippine Society to the mindset that marriages and families have a predetermined end. While proponents may argue that the contract is renewable, the fact that when you enter into marriage you already know it will expire at a certain date, it already affects the way society will look at marital unions.”

He is not called the Big Bro ng Pamilyang Pilipino for nothing. Ruffy is happily married to Trina Guinto Reyes-Biazon and is blessed with four children, all boys. He attends Victory Christian Fellowship in Alabang.

Modern mom to four kids, Megan takes pride and finds joy in being a stay-at-home mom. She is a graduate of Communication Arts with a post-grad degree in Bachelor of Laws, but has put her career in government service temporarily on hold to personally take care of her growing children Megan blogs at Over A Cup of Coffee.