17 Congress of the

th

Philippines
Cong. Edcel Castelar
 Edcel Castelar Lagman Sr.
• Edcel Castelar Lagman Sr. (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈedsɛl], born May 1, 1942) is a
Filipino human rights lawyer and politician from the province of Albay. He was
elected as a member of the House in 1987 to 1998 and 2004 to 2013 and 2016 up to
the present. He served as Minority Floor Leader of the
House of Representatives of the Philippines until 2012, when he resigned the office.
Lagman is one of the key Liberal Party figures in the House of Representatives,
having supported the Reproductive Health Bill (who he principally authored), the
SOGIE Equality Bill, the Free Tertiary Education Act, the Anti-Dynasty Bill, and the
Freedom of Information Bill. He is also the principal author of the Divorce Bill, the
Human Rights Defenders Bill, the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy Bill, and the
Anti-Child Marriage Bill.
• Lagman was instrumental to the abolition of the death penalty in the
Philippines in 2006 and continues to oppose proposals to reinstate
capital punishment in the country. Lagman is also the principal
author of a triumvirate of human rights laws, namely the Anti-
Torture Act of 2009 (R.A. 9745), the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearance Act of 2012 (R.A. 10353), and the Human Rights
Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 (R.A. 10368).
 Education

• Lagman has degrees in political science (cum laude) from the

University of the Philippines Diliman where he became a member
of the Alpha Phi Beta fraternity. He eventually finished his
Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Philippines College of Law
.
 Political life

• Lagman has been elected to a total of eight terms as a Member of

the House of Representatives, representing the 1st district of Albay.
He first served from 1987 to 1998, and then from 2004 to 2013, and
from 2016 to the present. His daughter Krisel represented the
district from 1998 to 2004 and his son Edcel Jr. from 2013 to 2016.
Lagman also ran for senator in 1998 under the Laban ng
Makabayang Masang Pilipino coalition and for representative of
the 4th district of Quezon City in 2001 but lost in both occasions.
• Lagman was a member of Lakas-CMD and is the main proponent
of the Reproductive Health Bill. He is now a member of the
Liberal Party, of which he is the party president since 2022,[2] and is
one of the leading opposition members of the House of
Representatives.
 Personal life

• Lagman is the elder brother of Filemon "Popoy" Lagman, the

founder of the Partido ng Manggagawa, Alex Boncayao Brigade,
and who was assassinated in 2001. Another brother, Hermon, was
a political activist who disappeared during the martial law
government of President Ferdinand Marcos. Lagman is married to
Maria Cielo Lagman (née Burce) and has seven children: Krisel,
Edcel Greco, Larah, Mahar, Mark, Karina and Andre. His son Edcel
Greco "Grex" Lagman. is the incumbent Governor of Albay.
 References

1. Sison, Bebot Jr. (May 26, 2001). "Belmonte proclaimed QC mayor"

. The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
2.^ Reyes, Dempsey (October 1, 2022). "Edcel Lagman
elected new LP president". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
3.^ Dematera, Cet. "New Albay governor, vice governor assume post"
. Philstar.com. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
• "Member Information: Edcel C. Lagman".
House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved 2022-12-14.