In his 13 years as a politician, nine years of which were spent in Congress, this prolific actor-legislator has either supported or authored and passed 93 laws and 1,200 measures that have made an impact beyond his beloved Quezon City. In order to craft relevant laws, he keeps his ear to the ground and delves deep into his own personal experiences.
By ALEX Y. VERGARA
Photography by RXANDY CAPINPIN
If you scratch the surface, almost every law or measure that Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas has supported, authored and passed over the last 13 years resonates with him personally and, by extension, is inspired by his family’s experiences. And listening to his heart and letting it guide his actions began long before this true-blue Atenean tossed his hat into the political ring in 2010, after almost a decade of romancing the ladies on-screen as an actor.
When he was still in elementary school, there was a time when he was relentlessly collecting the now-obsolete pull tabs, the small built-in aluminum device drinkers used to drag to open a can of beer or soda. He was so into it that it reached a point when he was asking his friends and sometimes even strangers for their pull tabs. By the time he concluded his efforts, he was able to amass several fishbowls full of them, which he ended up donating to a foundation whose advocacy was to melt and turn them into wheelchairs.
“I felt good just thinking that my efforts weren’t in vain,” the 43-year-old Alfred recalls, in a mix of Filipino and English. “That someone out there would benefit by being able to move around more freely in a wheelchair made of pull tabs I collected.”
But the boy’s earnest desire to help persons with disability (PWDs) didn’t happen on a whim. It came about after Alfred saw how his maternal grandmother from Surigao, during the last year of her life, had quickly degenerated from a once lively, outgoing lola to a quiet, almost withdrawn woman who had a hard time moving about after one of her legs was amputated due to bone cancer.
Etched in his heart
“Everything that happened to her is still etched in my heart. But what could I do? I was just a child then,” he says.
His affinity for PWDs and cancer patients continued even when the Management Economics graduate became an artista — “A profession my lawyer-mother was initially so against that she didn’t speak to me for weeks. She wanted me to follow in her footsteps,” he says with a chuckle. Alfred, especially during his birthdays, would quietly go to cancer wards to provide cheer to patients and their caregivers.
When he finally dove into politics in 2010, first becoming a councilor of QC before later running for and winning a congressional seat, where he stayed and finished three consecutive terms, one of the first ordinances he authored was the establishment of the QC Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office.
Thanks to such an ordinance, the PWD sector, at least in QC, gained the attention and voice it deserved. Before that, the country’s most populous city only had offices for such sectors as the youth, women and senior citizens, among others.
“The PWD sector was lumped under the umbrella of social services. But, with an office, it now has its own budget and can make, implement and set its own plans and direction,” he explains.
And it became an inspiration, a template of sorts, he adds, that moved several fellow councilors from other parts of the country to work on a similar ordinance. During his tenure in Congress from 2013 to 2022, Alfred, having authored and passed 93 laws and 1,200 measures, proved to be a prolific lawmaker. One of his proudest achievements, the establishment of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act, was inspired this time by his mother Ching, who, at 66, also succumbed to cancer in 2014.
As its principal author, Alfred helped institutionalize government’s responsibility in helping Filipinos afflicted with cancer “before, during and after” treatment, including palliative care for the terminally ill.
“The before part involves funding research and the establishment of more hospitals,” he explains. “During, of course, involves providing patients with almost everything they may need to hopefully help them get well. The assistance extends to palliative care and even to those who have won their battle against cancer.”
He’s happy to note that the current administration is establishing a publicly funded oncology center at the Philippine General Hospital. Funds, as dictated by the law, have also been earmarked for costly cancer medication and treatments. But is it open to everyone?
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re indigent or not,” he says. “As long as you’re a Filipino citizen with cancer, you’re qualified. In fact, to make it more accessible, the Department of Health (DOH) has already accredited, so far, 31 hospitals all over the country where people can access funding, medicines and treatment.”
These access points, Alfred continues, can be found on the DOH website. From this point on, he can only hope that the program grows bigger with the participation of more accredited cancer centers, even in the most remote parts of the country. Before such an act was passed, those afflicted with cancer, especially the needy, would have to go to various public and private offices and foundations to seek help. Its passage has helped tremendously to streamline the process.
Back to where he started
In 2022, Alfred had reached the mandatory three-term limit in Congress. He bowed out and endorsed his younger brother, Patrick Michael Vargas, who later won and is now occupying Alfred’s seat.
“He’s doing very well,” he tells us proudly. As for cynics who claim that his brother is a mere placeholder as Alfred prepares for another congressional run two years from now, the veteran politician merely shrugs it off: “I want him to finish his three terms, but it’s contingent on the electorate. They can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, it’s still the clamor and will of the people that would prevail.”
Retirement from politics to allow him to fully focus on other endeavors, including his showbiz career, would have been an attractive option for the father of three growing kids. But Alfred, after mulling it over, felt he still had so much more to give. The faithful and hardworking ally of QC Mayor Joy Belmonte gave politics another try, finding himself back where he started 12 years ago.
“She’s a very progressive and hardworking mayor who can strike a balance between pragmatism and idealism,” says Alfred of QC’s chief executive. “And that’s quite a difficult sweet spot to achieve. She’s also a trailblazer on her way to becoming one of the country’s best leaders, male or female.”
As councilor of the fifth district of QC, Alfred’s jurisdiction encompasses nearly all of Novaliches, starting from Barangay Bagbag, all the way to Novaliches “bayan,” Fairview and Lagro — a huge area with a population of 600,000 people, 265,000 of whom are of voting age.
“It’s a big district,” he says. But instead of being deterred by its size, Alfred, who, despite his success in showbiz and politics, has remained rooted in his middle-class beginnings, immediately buckled down to work, focusing this time on social services for the commuting public.
“I didn’t come from a rich family. My parents were just hardworking and ambitious, which allowed us to go to good schools. Did we have a car back then? No! I remember riding the tricycle to get to Ateneo,” he says, looking back with fondness while acknowledging how challenging the public transport situation in Metro Manila often is.
The QC bus program, one of Mayor Belmonte’s flagship programs, which Alfred helped pass, allows residents free bus rides daily to get around the city. Privately owned buses contracted by the city government have been given designated schedules, routes and stops.
“I’ve ridden the bus myself,” he says. “It really works. As for our PWDs, we’re now pushing for regular accessibility audits for all government buildings, making sure that they’re compliant with the accessibility law.”
Never in his wildest dreams
He may seem so at home in what he does, but never in young Alfred’s wildest dreams did he imagine himself becoming an actor and later a politician. In hindsight, though, the genesis of both professions was planted in him way back during his Ateneo days.
“I first ran and won as sergeant-at-arms in Grade Four,” he says. “Since then, I had been running for various positions in school until I became class president in fourth year high school. Even then, making a difference, no matter how insignificant it seemed, already felt good. Then, in college, the acting bug bit me, and I started performing in school plays.”
He never knew he had it in him until, during group work in college, he was forced to deliver a monologue in class because none of his groupmates wanted to. “Right after I took my bow, I saw two of my classmates crying. Wow, that was the singular moment when I realized the power of communication. Of bringing life to a script and touching emotions.”
When he was spotted by Johnny Manahan and invited to be part of Star Circle Batch 11 several months before graduation, Alfred defied his mother’s wishes by becoming a full-time actor soon after leaving school. But as soon as she saw her son doing well on TV and, later, the movies, all was forgotten, he shares with a laugh.
“As a form of concession, I took up MBA later at UP. We had a virtual graduation in 2020 with me proudly wearing my sablay. I was so overcome by emotions that I couldn’t help but cry. By then, my mother had already passed,” he shares.
With daytime and primetime soaps, plus several other TV shows, movies and endorsements, providing food on the table and a few of life’s little luxuries, life was good to Alfred and his beautiful wife, Yasmine, back in 2010. But for some reason, he felt something was still missing in his life, a yearning to reach out and serve others. That was when he found himself slowly being redirected by fate to politics.
“I remember my manager then, Lolit Solis, asking me, ‘anak (son), are you sure,’” he says. “She told me, win or lose, my showbiz career would never be the same again should I come back. For sure, there were offers for me to run, but even without them, I would have still run. I told Nanay Lolit, yes!” Looking back now, it was one of the best decisions that he has made in his life. “No regrets. Politics is 10 times more stressful than showbiz, but 10 times more fulfilling. Showbiz will always be my first love, but public service is my true love,” he concludes.
Art direction by DEXTER FRANCIS DE VERA
Styling by EDRICK PAZ
Grooming by KLENG TOTANES
Shot on location at Conrad Manila
