Gold Len

Gratitude in Biñan City Rep. Len Alonte-Naguiat’s heart was so big it took center stage when she recently celebrated her 50th birthday at the Shangri-La The Fort.

When her parents, former Biñan Mayor Arthur Alonte and Fe Belizario Alonte, entered the ballroom, Len’s eyes grew misty. “I have much love for them. They inspire me to be better every day. My moral compass,” she said as she clasped the hand of her husband, businessman Steve Naguiat, another guiding light in her life. “Because of Steve’s love, pure and secure, I have gained my own flight,” she said.

“Steve is heaven-sent because many times he took the role of being there 24/7 for our children Nico and Bel. And how beautifully he explained it to our kids when they were growing up about the nature of my work, that I had to divide my time between family and public service. Thankfully, Nico and Bel are loving, understanding and intelligent kids that despite the many times I was with other children in the community, they still showered me with unconditional love,” Len said at the sidelines of her party.

She’s so dedicated to her work that there was one time, when she was still mayor — the first female mayor Biñan has ever had — that Len woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of heavy rain and rode a garbage truck to navigate the already flooded barangay of Dela Paz. Amidst darkness and blinding rain, she was there to personally help the residents, never mind if a week before the monsoon she had just given birth to Bel.

Len’s best friends are her siblings — Mar, Cherry, Arlene and Gel, who is now the Vice Mayor of Biñan City. Her brothers and sisters, with their respective family, surprised her with touching song numbers. (Boy Abunda, Len’s friend, was there, too, to interview her in the hot seat for a “fast talk.”)  She knew if her brother Archie was alive, he would lead the band and make sure the party was indeed a bang!

On the night Len turned golden, her gratitude for her family and friends, for her colleagues and staff was felt. She felt the love as everybody who matters to her life was present at her golden party.

As a public servant, she is an action woman, always ready to help. Minutes before the celebration of her 50th birthday, Len grew nostalgic looking back at the 27 years she’s been in public service — from being a town councilor to becoming a congresswoman. The program was about to start yet Len was still inseparable from her phone because she was answering birthday messages from her scholars. She has thousands of them.

A TOYM awardee, Len worked tirelessly for the passage of laws related to education and mental health as well as women and children’s rights. She was instrumental in the passage of a number of bills, including the Bayanihan to Heal as One and Bayanihan to Recover As One Acts that aimed to provide support to Filipinos amidst a global pandemic. She also filed measures that reflected her desire to address social issues and alleviate prevalent conditions in Philippine society. Among these are bills that sought to upgrade the minimum salary grade of public school teachers; regulate the packaging, use, sale and advertisements of tobacco products; strengthen the law against trafficking in persons, especially women and children; protect the status of deserted and abandoned children as natural-born citizens; grant additional benefits to solo parents; and provide for the protection of freelance workers.

When she ends her term as congresswoman next year, she intends to become Citizen Len.

Happy birthday, Len. *