Mayor Elegio Asi Malaluan is the 10th child among 11 children of a local farmer and a sari-sari store keeper in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro and was born on July 1960. He had his early education over at Brgy. Luna and continued his primary school at Magdalena Suyon Umali Memorial School. He finished his High School at the St. Joseph Academy and went on to earn his degree in Optometry at the Centro Escolar University in Manila. He practiced his profession as an eye doctor for 2 years, before opting for greener pastures abroad when he decided to work as liaison officer in the Middle East. This is where he got acquainted and learned a lot working for a construction company. The new found knowledge and experience pave the way for him to start his own construction business when he went back to the country after 7 years working in the foreign land. His natural savvy for business led to the success of his construction firm, which is now one of the largest and most recognizable in the local construction industry.
As fate would have it, Mayor Elgin would later on tie the knot with Mrs. Minerva King Malaluan who happens to be his neighbor. They were blessed with three children: (1). Ms. Ma Rachel Malaluan who is a product of the University of the Philippines after earning a degree in Economics – Cum Laude; (2) Mr John Michael Malaluan who took up BS Civil Engineering; (3) and Ms Ma Roselyn Malaluan who also happens to be an Economics Graduate from UST and is now taking the reins over handling the family business.
Mayor Elgin Malaluan would later on foray into politics where he is now serving on his 2nd term after besting two of the more popular household names in local politics in Bongabong.
On his 1st term as Mayor, he conceptualized his brainchild program called HEARTSPO which is an acronym that stands for
Health: Accomplishments include Facilities and manpower expansion of RUR Hospital, medicine procurement for Municiapl Health Office (MHO), there are now 4 new ambulance and 4 doctors from the previous two, 50 person Isolation unit facilities, Access to free flowing water in all brgys, Established MRF and decimated 3k dump truck of waste (20yrs worth, solved in 1 term)
Housing: 10ha NHA project for govt employees and displaced families of disaster vulnerable communities
Education: 3 DepEd registered schools for IP, 2 elementary schools, 1 TechVoc school
Agriculture: free seedlings and fertilizer to all farmers, Farm Equipment provision, Multiple farmers equipped with organic farming training
Roads and Infrastructure: 70% concreting of 36 brgy roads, Legislative and executive bldg, Procured 2 Dump trucks, backhoe, loader and 1 fire truck
Tourism and Transparency: Tax revenue increased by 200% to 50m from 30m in 2016, Launched a public info page, Launched 3 nature sites
Social Services: cash incentive to senior citizens, 5k burial assistance, financial assistance to PWD, medical assistance to IPs, livelihood program to 4Ps beneficiaries
Peace and Order: 23 surrenderees within 2 terms, SAF and K9‐EOD training, Drug user surrenderees arugain (DUSA)- rehab program for 300 surenderees and inspired by the war on drugs of PRRD is also a convergence program among the LGU, DOH and DEPED providing training, rehab, and moral recovery for surrenderees.
Malaluan has long been an advocate of organic farming, and thru his efforts together with Mr. Nelson Gabutero, Bongabong is now hailed as the Center of Organic Farming in Oriental Mindoro. The local government distributed seeds to at least 10,000 households, part of the Gulayan sa Bakuran program which encourages Bongabong residents to plant fast-growing vegetables and crops such as pechay, okra, squash, eggplant and string beans in their backyards.
One of his biggest accomplishments on his first term is on the local economy where thru his leadership the LGU was able to double the local income from 15 to 30Million Pesos.
The LGU’s COVID19 response has been lauded by a lot of people inside and outside of Bongabong. Malaluan distributed P900,000 among 36 barangays as personal donation. The municipality gave away one cavan of rice per family apart from the other food relief package and a total of P2.6 million cash to augment the lack in SAP budget. The local government was also one of the few in the country to acquire an "Intelligent Thermometry Disinfection" system that checks body temperature, dispenses alcohol, and misting in a cubicle.
Mayor Malaluan also led the inauguration of the town’s modern two-storey Php33M executive and legislative building, the first municipal building in the island to feature an elevator.
Placing 45th in Department of Trade and Industry’s 2019 Most Improved Ranking under the agency’s annual Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, the town of Bongabong in Oriental Mindoro was the only locality from the entire island of Mindoro and only 1 of 3 in MIMAROPA Region to have made the cut in DTI’s 50 most improved LGUs in its annual ranking of competitive municipalities based on 4 pillars: ECONOMIC DYNAMISM, GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND RESILIENCY.
Things are indeed looking up for Bongabong with Mayor Malaluan at the helm.
The SuperMayor as the Sangguniang Bayan members would fondly call him, is a member of the Knight of Columbus 4th degree Alpha Phi Omega and Free Masonry St. John Lodge #3.
He is now the Chairman of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines in the province, and the Secretary General for the ruling party in the country, PDP-LABAN Or. Mindoro.
Bongabong
