Benjamin Abalos Jr.

Benjamin "Benhur" de Castro Abalos Jr. (born July 19, 1962) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and broadcaster serving as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government since 2022. Before his appointment as DILG secretary, he last served as the Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) under the Duterte administration from 2021 to 2022. Previously, he served as the five-term city mayor, as congressman and as councilor of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. He is the son of Benjamin Abalos, a former Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and MMDA chairman.

Early life and education
Abalos is the second eldest of the five children of Benjamin Abalos and Corazon de Castro. He attended his elementary and secondary education at Don Bosco Technical College, where he completed the latter in 1979. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science at De La Salle University in 1982. He then attended Ateneo de Manila University, where he completed Bachelor of Laws degree in 1987. As a law student at Ateneo, he was a representative to the Student Council during his first and fourth years. He was admitted to the bar in 1988.

City Councilor of Mandaluyong (1995–1998)
Abalos first served as Councilor from the 1st district of Mandaluyong from 1995 to 1998. In that role, he chaired the Committee on Laws, Peace & Order and Public Safety and served on the Committee on Angara Affairs and Livelihood and Cooperatives.

Mayor of Mandaluyong (1998–2004)
Abalos was first elected mayor in 1998, succeeding his father Benjamin Abalos. His brand of governance was credited with transforming Mandaluyong into the “Tiger City of the Philippines” in just one term of office. He was re-elected in 2001. He served as the local chief executive until 2004.

Congressman, Lone District of Mandaluyong (2004–2007)
In the 2004 elections, he switched positions with a longtime political ally, Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, to become the city's lone representative to the House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress. Abalos served in this capacity until 2007. As a member of the lower house, he authored a total of 25 House bills and co-authored 54 others. He sponsored the biggest budget of the Philippine Sports Commission in its entire history. In addition, Abalos was the principal author of Republic Act No. 9397, otherwise known as the Amended Urban Development Housing Act of 1992.

Mayor of Mandaluyong (2007–2016)
In 2007, Abalos was again elected mayor of Mandaluyong, switching once again with Neptali Gonzales II. He was re-elected in 2010 and in 2013.

In his second term as mayor, Abalos set new records after being elected as president of two national organizations. The first organization was the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), an organization of all 1.2 million elected/appointed local officials in the country and their umbrella organizations (League of Governors, League of Vice Governors, board members, City Mayors, Municipal Mayors, Vice Mayors, Councillors, and Sangguinaang Kabataan, as well as nurses' and midwives' organizations). The second organization was the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), an organization of all 122 city mayors of the country. He was the first mayor to hold the presidency of these two prestigious organizations concurrently. His term in ULAP was also the first time a mayor had headed ULAP, which had traditionally been headed by a governor. He served as the local chief executive until 2016.

Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (2021–2022)
Abalos was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on January 11, 2021, replacing Danilo Lim, who died due to complications from COVID-19. Serving during the COVID-19 pandemic, he vowed to abide by the principle of good governance which he championed in Mandaluyong for more than a decade as its local chief executive. As head of the MMDA, Abalos led the agency in responding to the needs of Metro Manila pursuant to the mandates of the MMDA under Republic Act No. 7924. With this task at hand, Abalos enjoined all of the agency employees to continue working well in delivering efficient public service. Aside from being the MMDA Chairman, he is also the Chairman of the Regional Development Council for the National Capital Region and the presiding officer of the Metro Manila Council (the governing board and policy-making body of the MMDA).

Abalos resigned from the post on February 7, 2022, to serve as the national campaign manager of presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos, one day before the start of the official campaign period for national candidates.

Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (2022–present)
On May 13, 2022, Atty. Victor Rodriguez, the spokesperson of presumptive president Bongbong Marcos, announced that Abalos has accepted Marcos's nomination to become the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government. The announcement came a few days after the 2022 presidential elections while Marcos had a commanding lead in the partial and unofficial tallies.

Abalos said he would bring his extensive political experience when he leads the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under the administration of Marcos. At this time when there is a strong call for our nation's unity, Abalos said the "DILG will play a paramount role in promoting peace and order and in bringing together our local government units."

While a secretary of DILG, Abalos began co-hosting the radio program DILG sa DZRH Breaktime on DZRH and DZRH News Television.

Horse racing career
Abalos is a pioneer of horse racing in the Philippines since 2004. He said he mounted his first horse in Baguio. His first race horse was Dandansoy.

In 2005, he became the leader of Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners (MARHO) and 7th top breeder. In the 2007 Triple Crown, his Ibarra, won its two legs.

As of 2012, Abalos won 5 legs of the Philippine Triple Crown races from his "Fire Down Under," which is just one of 12 Tiger Horse Farm-ranch broodmares in Lipa, Batangas. Hagdang Bato, became the first horse since 1990 to win the highly coveted Crown.

In 2015, Abalos' was named Breeder-Owner of the year, after his horses, including Malaya and Hagdang Bato won 6 trophies and earned almost ₱30 million in prizes. Bienvenido Niles, Jr., President of Philippine Thoroughbred Breeders Association (Philtobo) bestowed the awards.

In 2017, Abalos' Kanlaon and Lakan, won Marho Breeders Championship while his Malaya won the MARHO Invitational Race.

In 2019, Abalos Jr. and Atty. Narciso O. Morales opened the Metro Manila Turf Club, Inc. (MMTCI).

In 2020, his Heneral Kalentong's impressive win earned a Triple Crown victory, with ₱6 milion in prizes.

Abalos Jr. is listed in the top 10 of the 2021 breeders' honor roll, with 46 wins. His top horses include Pinagtipunan, 2016, The Glide, 2017, Parisian Life, 2023, Open Billing-Prime Billing, 2023 and Batang Manda, 2024.

Personal life
Abalos is married to Carmelita "Menchie" Aguilar, the incumbent vice mayor of Mandaluyong, since 1985. He met her when she joined Binibining Pilipinas representing Cavite.

They have six children: identical twins Charisse Marie (Charisse) and Ciara Marie, Benjamin III (Benjie), Charlene Marie, Maria Corazon (Corrine), and Celine Marie. Ciara Marie died in 2005 at age 19 due to an Escherichia coli bacterial infection.

Two of his children also entered politics; Charisse served as councilor from the 1st district of Mandaluyong from 2013 to 2022, while Benjamin III currently serves as councilor from the 2nd district since 2019. Maria Corazon is one of the delegates for Miss Universe Philippines 2021.

Health
In July 2020, Abalos tested positive for COVID-19, after his father Benjamin Sr., his mother Corazon, and his daughter Charisse tested positive for the disease prior to his diagnosis. He was able to recover from the disease.

Occupation

 * Lecturer, University of the Philippines - National College of Public Administration and Governance

Filmography
Abalos made a cameo appearance in an episode of the GMA Network television drama series Black Rider that aired on May 30, 2024, showing him in his duties as DILG secretary.