Edcel Greco Lagman

Edcel Greco Alexandre Burce Lagman (born July 24, 1972), also known as Grex, is a Filipino lawyer and politician from the province of Albay.

On December 1, 2022, he became Governor of Albay following the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) disqualification of former Governor Noel Rosal. Lagman was previously elected as Vice-Governor of Albay twice in 2019 and in 2022. On both elections, as per COMELEC-Albay records, he garnered an unprecedented number of votes for said position totalling 360,013 in 2019 and 463,879 votes in 2022, respectively.

He was also elected in the House of Representatives of the Philippines as Congressman of the First District of Albay in 2013 and was elected as the Assistant Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines' 16th Congress (2013-2016).

Prior to being a member of Congress, Lagman also made history in Quezon City politics in 2004 when he became the very first neophyte candidate to top the councilorship race in said city, representing its Fourth District. This effectively made him the third highest ranked elected official in the city after Mayor Feliciano Belmonte and Vice-Mayor Herbert Bautista. He was again elected in 2007 and in 2010 he was once again elected as topnotcher councilor.

Personal life
Lagman is the third child of human rights lawyer and politician Edcel Lagman  and Maria Cielo Burce-Lagman. He has six siblings including the incumbent Tabaco Mayor and former Congresswoman Cielo Krisel Lagman-Luistro.

Lagman is married. He has four sons and a daughter with his first wife Ivy Xenia P. Lim and two daughters with his present wife, Ana Lea B. Celestino-Lagman.

Education
Lagman completed his primary and secondary education at San Beda College Alabang. He was a consistent honor student in grade school and high school.

In 1993, Lagman graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Behavioral Science from the University of the Philippines Manila. From 1990 to 1992, he was a college scholar.

He took his Bachelor of Laws at San Beda College of Law from 1993 to 1996 and from 1997 to 1999 at Arellano University School of Law (AUSL) where he was a Dean's Lister and a member of the maiden batch of the Order of the Flaming Arrows Honor Society. He graduated tenth (10th) in a class of 114 graduates. Lagman became a member of the Philippine Bar when he passed the 2000 Philippine Bar Examinations. He also took up Master in Public Administration at the National College of Public Administration and Governance of the University of the Philippines Diliman where he was a consistent university scholar.

Legal and teaching career
In 1994, Lagman worked as Assistant Press Officer at the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. In 2000, he worked as an associate at Lagman and Associates Law Offices founded by his father Congressman Edcel Lagman and uncle Filemon Lagman and devoted to providing pro bono legal services for workers and labor unions. In 2002, he was appointed as Court Attorney IV at the Supreme Court of the Philippines. In 2003 and up to the present, Lagman is a partner of Lagman Lagman and Mones Law Offices. From August 1, 2017 to September 15, 2018, Lagman served as Legal Consultant at the Office of the Governor of Albay.

Lagman was a professorial lecturer at the University of the Philippines Manila's National Graduate Office for the Health Sciences. He also taught national and local public administration as well as political science subjects at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of the Philippines Manila's College of Arts and Sciences from 2009 to 2011.

City Councilor for the 4th district of Quezon City (2004-2012)
Before joining the national legislature, Lagman served as City Councilor of Quezon City from the 4th district from 2004 to 2012. As councilor, he was instrumental in the passage of the Socialized Housing Tax Ordinance of Quezon City in 2011 which, at present, funded the construction of all Bistekville housing projects in Quezon City. He was also the principal sponsor of Reproductive Health Ordinance of Quezon City in 2008 which reduced maternal and infant mortality in the city between 2009 up to present.

Representative of the 1st district of Albay (2013-2016)
In 2013, he was elected as Albay first district representative. As member of the House of Representatives, Lagman principally authored Republic Act No. 10868, or the Centenarians Act of 2016. Lagman is also a principal sponsor of several important legislations such as R.A. No. 10643, or the Graphic Health Warnings Law, R.A. No. 10645, or the Mandatory PhilHealth Coverage for Senior Citizens.,  R.A. No. 10679, or the Youth Entrepreneurship Act, and R.A. No. 10648, or the Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014.

Vice-Governor of Albay (2019-2022)
Lagman ran for Vice-Governor of Albay in 2019 and won. As Vice-Governor, he acted as Presiding Officer of the 13th Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Albay which formulated policies and programs for the realization of the vision, mission, and goals of the Province of Albay. He authored/co-authored and passed several local legislations during his time as Vice-Governor, among which are the following:
 * Ordinance Establishing Active Transport and Network of Cycling Lanes and Improved Pedestrian Walkways to Support People's Mobility in the New Normal and for the Provision of Funds for the Purpose
 * Ordinance Enacting the Albay Energy Efficiency and Conservation of 2021 through the Adoption of Reliable Technology and Providing Funds therefor
 * Albay SOGIE Anti-Discrimination Ordinance-Prohibiting Discrimination in the Province of Albay on the Basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Expression, and Provided Penalties therefor.

During his term as a Vice-Governor, Lagman offered free legal services to Albayanos through his "Tabang Legal, True Love ni VG Grex" online and the "Legal Missions with Free Consultations and Barangay Enhancement Seminars". He also advocated for youth programs such as, among others, the Search for OVG Youth Ambassadors, which served as a platform for the involvement of Albayano youth in socio-civic activities and offered them experiences with civic education, community service, youth leadership, and social inclusion.

Lagman was re-elected as Albay Vice-Governor in the May 10, 2022 polls.

Governor of Albay (2022-present)
Five months into his second term as Vice-Governor, Lagman assumed the governorship by operation of law on December 1, 2022. This was due to a permanent vacancy in the position of Governor when his immediate predecessor Noel E. Rosal was disqualified with finality by the COMELEC en banc for violating the election law imposing a 45-day campaign spending ban.

In a statement right after he took his Oath of Office as Governor, Lagman said, "It is indeed providential that I have succeeded by operation of law to the governorship after the COMELEC en banc disqualified with finality former Governor Noel Rosal in a case of which I was not a party. However, it should be underscored that when I won as vice governor, with an overwhelming 463,879 votes, the voters were aware that under the law, I could succeed as governor. Verily, my mandate included that possibility, which is now a reality."

In March 2023, Lagman presented his 5-point development agenda for Albay which includes strengthening of health, agriculture, social protection, tourism, as well as digitalization.


 * Boost public health delivery through the modernization of all provincial and district hospitals, the hiring of additional doctors, nurses and allied medical professionals and the enhancement of provision of medical services;
 * Ensure food security and proper nutrition by increasing the productivity of the agriculture and forestry sectors and implementing appropriate measures for the creation of food hubs consistent with physical infrastructures as well as the new Philippine National Railways-Bicol route backbone;
 * Strengthen social protection through the localization of national laws that protect vulnerable groups and to mitigate individual and life cycles risks including the rationalization of unemployment insurance schemes, livelihood and food for work programs that manage economic and political risks.
 * Develop a globally competitive, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible tourism industry and support the development of Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in all tourism avenues as well as the promotion of gender and women empowerment initiatives that secures inclusive growth in the province
 * Reinvigorate services through digitization through the creation of an Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Office.

Awards and recognitions
Lagman was recognized as Most Outstanding Councilor of Quezon City for three consecutive terms (2004, 2007 and 2010) by the Judge Feliciano Belmonte Sr. Awards Committee and also by the Quezon City Press Club.

In March 2006, he was also awarded as The Outstanding Councilor of the Philippines (TOCP) by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Philippines in its maiden search. Senator Edgardo J. Angara downloaded to the Quezon City Government P500,000 to be used by Lagman for his medical, social and legal outreach programs.

Lagman was also recognized as the Most Outstanding Alumnus in Public Service by the San Beda University College of Law Alumni Association (SBCLAA) on October 17, 2013 as well as Most Outstanding Alumnus in Governance by Arellano University School of Law (AUSL) on June 14, 2016.

Controversies
In 2024, Alwin Nimo, a former chairman of Barangay Anislag, Daraga, alleged that Lagman had received bribes from illegal gambling (jueteng) bosses in the province when he was vice governor and filed a complaint against the latter for graft and corruption at the Office of the Ombudsman. Lagman denied the accusations, calling it "driven by political motives."