Portrait of the Teacher as Lawmaker

An academically outstanding and socially aware student, a conscientious teacher, a no-nonsense lawmaker. This, in a nutshell, is how Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Luz A. Quimbo’s traits could be summarized. From molding young minds to helping her constituents solve their concerns through efficient public service to helping craft important pieces of legislation, Quimbo has proven herself as a worthy public servant. Who exactly is this lady legislator, who was recently named as one of the country’s top performing congresswomen?

NO STRANGER TO PUBLIC SERVICE

Despite being elected to Congress only in 2019, Quimbo is no stranger to public service. “I actually started public service in 1992 as an economics professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman,” she recalls joining the UP School of Economics (UPSE) faculty after graduating summa cum laude from the same institution in 1991. She eventually finished her masteral (1993) and doctoral studies (2000) at the UPSE. She also earned another masteral degree, this time in Competition Law, from the Dickson Pool School of Law King’s College London in 2019. After serving as department chair of the UPSE from 2012 to 2015, Quimbo was appointed as one of the original commissioners of the Philippine Competition Commission in 2016. The PCC is a quasi-judicial body created to promote and protect market competition. It protects consumer welfare by providing consumers access to a wider choice of goods and services at lower prices and promoting a competitive business environment by enforcing the rules of fair market competition. During her two-year tenure at the commission, Quimbo actively took part in deciding on cases involving firms in the fields of power generation, transportation services, consumer goods, as well as communications and digital entertainment.

FROM TEACHER TO LAWMAKER

Quimbo points to her experience as a college professor and her good working relationship with former Marikina 2nd District Representative Miro Quimbo as major factors that have helped define her approach to her job as a lawmaker. “As an economist, I don’t deal with people unprepared. I have to look at the data, or the history, or theory behind things. I have my bases, so I am prepared. I was a teacher for six years so I am used to explaining the nitty-gritty of things,” she shares. As for her partnership with Cong. Miro, Quimbo says “it’s a good tandem, because he has many brilliant ideas, and I am the one who brings structure to the conversation. So when we work together, whatever idea or proposal we are discussing, such is polished. So that’s how we work.”

GUIDED BY HER SOLID BACKGROUND AS A PUBLIC SERVANT, TEACHER STELLA QUIMBO OFFERS VALUABLE INSIGHTS ON HOW TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS THAT THE CITY OF MARIKINA CONTINUES TO FACE.

Quimbo reveals that running for a congressional seat in 2019 was not part of her plans. “Actualy, I just got lost in the woods, so to speak. My husband was graduating from Congress and we needed someone who could assure the continuity of his programs, particularly those on scholarships, improvement of schools, and teacher engagement, among others. It was but proper that a teacher should continue such. And I am a health economist; education and health are intricately related so, in the end, I decided to take on the responsibilty,” she shares.

The change in career, however, did not mean that Quimbo also changed her approach to the tasks at hand. “Overnight, I went to this new field. I brought with me my way of life as a teacher, as an economist. So, naturally my approach to legislation and related tasks is structured,” she states.

TEACHER STELLA

Almost a decade after she left the academe, Quimbo is still affectionately called “Teacher Stella.” This is a part of her identity that she has taken to heart for a number of reasons. The lawmaker reveals that those who do not know her often have a hard time understanding her persona. “Many people are initially intimidated when they meet me for the first time,” she starts. “But they seem to understand me better, understand my persona better, when they realize that I am a teacher. That is why when I first ran for congresswoman, I introduced myself as a teacher. And because of that detail, my constituents readily embraced me. That single word actually captures everything that I am.”

Although admitting that she is “not a very patient person,” Quimbo stresses that she is, in fact, “a very patient teacher.” She shares, “I often get teased, asked how I could be such a patient teacher when I am not a very patient person at all. As a teacher, I will not stop until I can see in the eyes of my students that they have understood what I am trying to explain. I do not mind saying things repeatedly, in many different ways, until I see that my students are able to fully understand the concept I am discussing.”

Another trait that Quimbo possesses is making sure that she is prepared for any task at hand. “I put in a lot of time before I actually do something,” she shares. “There’s a lot of hard work that goes into what every teacher does. For every hour of classroom teaching, for instance, I put in 12 hours of preparation. Even if I have taught a course many times, repeatedly, I still have to prepare thoroughly. I have to keep up with the literature.” The above-mentioned traits that have shaped Quimbo as a teacher are the same traits that continue to define her as a lawmaker in particular and public servant in general. “Even here in Congress, sometimes they call me a teacher. I usually end up being approached by my colleagues about technical matters, especially those related to economics. They have seen that in my interactions with officials of different agencies, we are able to thoroughly discuss technical aspects of even complicated topics, so they ask me questions on the side. And my fellow lawmakers say that I am still very much a teacher, so they ended up still calling me Teacher Stella,” she explains.

A CHALLENGING FIRST TERM

Quimbo’s first foray into electoral politics was not without challenges. First, her eligibility to run was questioned. Even as she was able to hurdle the initial challenge and won the elections, a petition was filed at the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) to nullify her victory. With this, the spectre of her being expelled from the Lower House was omnipresent.

The situation, however, did not dampen Quimbo’s resolve to fulfil her duties as a lawmaker. This, she points out, is borne out of her life philosophy of always doing what you can with whatever time you have. “Make the best of every day because you do not know what will happen to you,” she stresses. A clear example of this is when COVID-19 struck the country. Drawing from her solid economics background, the then-neophyte congresswoman rose to the challenge of crafting relevant bills that could directly address the effects of the pandemic. “I was the very first to file an economic stimulus bill,” she reveals. “And this was on the day that PRRD declared the lockdown, so this was symbolic. At the time, we did not have a clear plan on how to face the pandemic and its effects. Everyone was talking about health intervention, but being an economist, I thought about the pandemic’s economic impact. We were to have a lockdown, and some businesses might close down, and many workers will lose their jobs.”

While acknowledging the need for government to address the health issues, Quimbo focused on what the response with regard to the economic aspect should be. “We discussed what forms of assistance to give, how much financial aid to give. So we computed how much to give to various sectors, including small businesses and workers. And then, other congressmen filed similar measures and that’s when we came up with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act,” she recalls. The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act provided for a comprehensive approach to the pandemic, giving the president the power to implement emergency measures in response to the crisis. Among the law’s provisions were facilitating the procurement of COVID-19 testing kits and prompt testing of those suspected of having contracted the virus as well as isolation and treatment of confirmed patients; and the procurement of medical goods, equipment and supplies for use in public health facilities designated as COVID-19 referral hospitals. It also provided emergency subsidy to low-income households, as well as a special COVID-19 risk allowance to public health workers. Furthermore, it ensured the availability of credit especially in the countryside by lowering lending rates, as well as provided a grace period for the payment of loans from private and public financial institutions.

Reflecting on her active involvement in congressional activities during the crisis despite the HRET case against her, Quimbo says she endeavored to make herself relevant, especially during times of dire need. “At the time, an economist was really needed because a big part of the problem, aside of course from the health aspect, had to do with economics. The relevant questions were ‘What could be done to help small business owners whose businesses closed down? How could we help those who lost their jobs? How should we deal with schools that stopped operations? What could be done to help students who could not go to school? How could we ensure that the transition to new modes of learning will not adversely affect their learning in the long run, and that they would still have the necessary skills needed for future employment?’ So all those concerns had to be carefully laid out and analysed,” she stresses.

AN EVEN MORE PRODUCTIVE SECOND TERM

Quimbo’s second term has been marked by even more active involvement in the various activities of the House. She is the vice chairperson of the Committees on Appropriations and on Nuclear Energy, and a member of 12 other committees. Aside from taking an active role in the budget deliberations, Quimbo has filed a significant number of bills dealing with various national issues. Among these are a bill strengthening the PCC, a bill providing for a national unemployment insurance program, and a proposed law strengthening the Philippine footwear, leather goods, and tannery industries. Aware of the need for a comprehensive approach to flooding, she also filed a bill seeking to institutionalize a 10-year masterplan for flood management. With regard to education, she has filed numerous bills seeking to establish schools in Marikina as a response to the shortage of schools in the city. A major bill filed by Quimbo is House Bill 849, or the proposed Social Health Insurance Crisis Act, which seeks a massive overhaul of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in order to address the social insurance health crisis. One of the salient provisions of the bill is the organization of the Joint Executive-Legislative Social Health Insurance Crisis Commission. By taking all the necessary steps to reorganize Philhealth, the commission will be able to ensure the effective provision of social health insurance to all Filipinos.

Quimbo laments the lack of financial risk protection for sick Filipinos and lack of access to quality health care at present. “The main problem is, when Filipinos are afflicted with a grave illness, for example cancer, you can lose everything overnight. You’ll need millions in order to get medical care. But how many middle class Filipinos have enough savings? They cannot rely on Philhealth, because it covers just a small portion of the expenses. Indeed, the financial burden can be tremendous. It can impoverish anyone. So, it’s a social protection issue,“ she stresses.

“Number two, access to healthcare is still a problem,” she continues. “Patients do not have ready access to the medicines or maintenance drugs prescribed to them. Even the medicines which should be provided by health centers are not always available.” Quimbo, who is an acknowledged health economics expert, stresses the need to recognize the dire situation that the national healthcare system is in. “We know that there are problems, but we have not yet reached that point where we recognize that there is a health crisis,” she states. “I personally think that we have one, and the sooner that we accept that, the better. With that, we can all begin to address it in a concerted way.”

RESPONDING THROUGH SERBISYONG Q

Like a teacher grading her students’ exams, Quimbo has identified a number of major concerns that need to be addressed in Marikina. All these, she has been conscientiously addressing through her and Cong. Miro’s own brand of service known as Serbisyong Q—serbisyong mabilis, may puso, at walang pinipili (fast, compassionate and available to everyone). “Number one problem, not just in Marikina but in the whole country, is the high prices of rice and other basic goods,” she says. “That’s a national problem that the government has not fully addressed. What’s the answer? Aside from ensuring supply and competition in the market, we need to do everything we can to make sure that there is employment, so that the people would be in a better position to fulfil their needs.”

Healthcare is another concern that Quimbo has been helping Marikeños deal with through her Kliniq on Wheels project, a mobile clinic which provides quality medical services for free. The project is made possible through personal funds, donations from private entities, and sponsorships from various companies who share in her advocacy of providing healthcare to the people.

“Many Marikeños come to us seeking medical assistance. I would say nine out of ten people who come to our office to ask for assistance need medical or medically related aid. So, we thought that it’s about time we do a better job with prevention,” Quimbo explains. “Through consultations with our medical teams, we are able to avoid wasting time, which is important when it comes to medical needs. Because if we wait for so long, it’s just going to be more costly. So that’s the whole idea. We put together the resources that we can pool, and maximize the help we receive from the government.”

As for education, Quimbo envisions Marikina schools having single shifts. “Right now, we in the 2nd District have only two schools that are single shift. There’s one school that’s still triple shift,” she reveals. Shifting of classes is resorted to by public schools which do not have enough classrooms and other resources to accommodate the number of students. “Our goal is for all public schools in the city to have a single shift. It’s really so that all students go to class at the same time, just like in private schools.”

Having multiple shifts also has economic repercussions, Quimbo says. “Now that there are multiple shifts, that means that for families with two or more children, one parent will have to sacrifice their work, in order to attend to their children who have to go to school at different times of day. In effect, the family’s earning potential is halved.” The lawmaker is also bent on making Marikina’s business sector flourish. “The city has to be more business-friendly,” she stresses. “With more businesses, we will be able to make Marikina a Philippine innovation hub. This is in line with our goal of transforming Marikina into a start-up city.” An integral part of the above plan is to ensure that the local government’s interventions with regard to perennial flooding are sustained, if not intensified. “Investors need to be assured of a flood-free Marikina in order to invest in our city,” Quimbo adds. “This is crucial in bringing about an economic boom in the city.”

More than economic growth, however, Quimbo is bent on fostering genuine development that will trickle down to the people. “Kailangan ng tunay na kaunlaran (There has to be genuine development),” she says, one that will bring about essential improvements in the lives of all Marikenos. As Quimbo prepares to take on the role of Marikina mayor, she calls on her constituents to join her in working toward building a more progressive city. “Sabay-sabay nating tugunan ang mga hamon habang patuloy nating ipinagmamalaki ang ating lungsod (Let us face the challenges together, even as we continue to take pride in our city,” she ends.