Mel Senen Sarmiento


Mel Senen S. Sarmiento was a member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the 1st Legislative District of Samar from 2010 to 2016. He also served as Secretary General of the Liberal Party. He served as the Vice Mayor of Calbayog City from 1992 to 1995 and Mayor from 2001 to 2010. He was also the Secretary General of the League of Cities of the Philippines from 2004 to 2010. He also served as the final Secretary of the Interior and Local Government under President Benigno Aquino III after Jesse Robredo and Mar Roxas.

Early career (1992–2010)

Sarmiento was born in Manila to Engr. Oscar Sarmiento of Calbayog City and Teresita Sevilla of Roxas City. He began in public service when he was vice mayor of Calbayog City City from 1992 to 1995. Unsuccessful in his bid for the mayoralty the following term, he took a break from politics for 6 years, during which time he ran his own construction firm.
In 2001–2010, he ran and won as Mayor of Calbayog City. He also represented League of Cities of the Philippines as Secretary General.

House of Representatives (2010–2016)

Sarmiento was elected as representative of the first district of Western Samar during the 15th Congress. While on his first term, he was Vice Chairman of the Committee on National Defense and Committee on Public Order and Safety. On his second term, he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Committee on Millennium Development Goals and Transportation.
While in Congress, he authored and co-authored several house bills and republic acts, namely:
During his time as a member of Congress, Sarmiento was the Vice Chairman of the Commission on Appointments and headed the House Contingent. The commission on appointments is a body that reviews, confirms or disapproves appointments made by the President to ensure only those who are qualified are appointed.

Other appointments

In December 2007, Sarmiento received the Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence and was conferred by the Ambassador of Germany, H. E. Axel Weishaupt at Manila Hotel.

United Nations

Sarmiento is a member of the Advisory Group of Parliamentarians of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. He represented the Philippine delegation for The Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The WCDRR serves as a venue to gather policymakers and parliamentarians to share knowledge and best practices on disaster risk reduction and resilience.