Raneo Abu

The Honorable Raneo Abu
Portrait during the 18th Congress
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Batangas's 2nd District
In office June 30, 2013 – June 30, 2022
Preceded by	Hermilando Mandanas
Succeeded by	Gerville Luistro
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
In office July 22, 2019 – November 18, 2020
House Speaker	Alan Peter Cayetano Lord Allan Velasco
In office July 25, 2016 – June 30, 2019
House Speaker	Pantaleon Alvarez Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Municipal Councilor of Bauan
In office June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1995
Personal details
Born	(1967-05-12) May 12, 1967 (age 57) Bauan, Batangas, Philippines
Political party	Nacionalista (2012-present)
Other political affiliations	Independent (1992-2012)
Spouse	Maria Paz Dolor
Children	3
Residence(s)	Bauan, Batangas
Education	Bauan High School Batangas State University University of Batangas
Occupation	Politician
Net worth	₱15.7 million (2018)[1]

Raneo "Ranie" Enriquez Abu (born May 12, 1967) is a Filipino politician serving as the Representative of Batangas's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2022.^[2] He served as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2016 until his removal on 2020.^[3]

Early life

Raneo Abu was born on May 12, 1967. He completed elementary and high school education in public schools in Bauan. In college, he took up general engineering at Batangas State University (formerly Pablo Borbon Memorial Institute of Technology) in 1984 to 1985 before transferring to University of Batangas (formerly Western Philippine Colleges) to take up political science from 1986 to 1989. He was a working student, notably at an ice plant every summer. However, he dropped off from the university to help his parents by working.^[4]

Political career

Committee Support Services Division of the Philippine Senate (1990–1992)

Abu's stint in government service started in 1988 when he became a youth development assistant in the office of then-Governor Vicente Mayo. He also worked as a photocopying attendant at the Committee Support Services Division of the Senate from 1990 to 1992.

Municipal Councilor of Bauan (1992–1995)

In 1992, he ran as municipal councilor of Bauan and won. However, he served for only one term as he did not seek re-election in 1995 because his father was dying of liver cancer.

Post-municipal councilorship (1995–2013)

Instead, his father asked him to help Hermilando Mandanas, who was then running for governor in 1995. Abu served as executive assistant for Mandanas, a position that he kept until 2004 when he was appointed supervising political affairs officer in the House of Representatives under the office of Mandanas, who was then elected representative of the 2nd district of Batangas.^[4]

House of Representatives (2013–2022)

In 2013, Abu ran for representative of the 2nd district of Batangas under Nacionalista Party and won. He defeated board member and actor Christopher de Leon of the Liberal Party and Godofredo Berberabe of the United Nationalist Alliance. He was re-elected in 2016 and in 2019.

On July 10, 2020, Abu is one of the 70 representatives who voted to "yes" to deny the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN.^[5] In January 2021, Abu is announced to be part of the new bloc "BTS sa Kongreso" (named after the K-pop boy band group BTS of South Korea), a coalition group formed by Taguig–Pateros Representative and former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano during the 18th Congress.^[6]

Personal life

Abu is married to Maria Paz Dolor, who has worked as a domestic helper in Italy,^[4] with whom he has three children.^[7] Their eldest daughter, Maria Reina, is a physician by profession who unsuccessfully ran for representative at the 2nd district of Batangas in 2022.^[8]

On March 25, 2021, Abu tested positive for COVID-19.^[9]

References