1. 17th Congress of the
Philippines
Cong. Karlo Nograles

2. Karlo Nograles
• Karlo Alexei Bendigo Nograles (born September 3, 1976) is a Filipino
lawyer and politician serving as the Chairperson of the Civil Service
Commission since March 4, 2022. He was previously the Cabinet
Secretary (2018–2022) and acting Presidential Spokesperson (2021–
2022) in the Duterte administration. He was also the co-chair and
spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of
Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) in the Philippine government's
response to the COVID-19 pandemic and chairman of the government's
Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger. He was
the representative of Davao City's 1st district from 2010 to 2018.

3. • He is an advocate of Education for All, a global movement that
supports farmers and agriculture-related programs and gives more
opportunities to provinces. In the 2016 Philippine presidential
elections, Nograles was among those who encouraged then-Davao
City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to run for president. He was a member
of the National Unity Party (NUP) before joining PDP–Laban in
2017.

4. Early life and education
• Karlo Alexei Bendigo Nograles was born on September 3, 1976,
in Davao City to Prospero Nograles, a lawyer who would later
become a Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Rhodora
Burgos Bendigo Nograles.[1] He has three siblings.

5. • Nograles attended grade school in Ateneo de Davao
University from 1983 to 1989, where he graduated valedictorian of
his class. In high school, he was admitted to the Philippine Science
High School Main Campus, graduating in 1993 and receiving a
C.A.T. Leadership Award. He proceeded to the Ateneo de Manila
University for college, graduating in 1997 with a Bachelor of
Science in Management Engineering degree. He finished his Juris
Doctor degree in 2003 at the Ateneo de Manila Law School.

6. Political career
• Nograles' career in politics began when he served as the Chief-of-
Staff of his father who was then serving as the member of
the House of Representatives. In 2010, he was elected as the
representative of the 1st district of Davao City. He ran again in
the 2013 elections and successfully won another term. In his
second term as representative, he served as the Chairman of
the House Committee on Labor and Employment.

7. • He served his third and final term in the 17th Congress, having run
unopposed during the 2016 elections. During this time, he served as the
Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations. As chairman,
Nograles was notable for allocating the budget for free higher education
in accordance with the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
In 2017, he allotted a total of ₱40 billion to fund free education for
students enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs) for school
year 2018–2019.[4] Before 2017 ended, he appropriated ₱3.767 trillion for
the 2018 national budget. Initially ridden with conflicting proposals with
the Senate's version of the bill and budget cuts, the 'impasse' plaguing
the proposed budget was resolved after a Bicameral Conference
Committee meeting.

8. • In 2018, also as appropriations chair, he allocated a ₱25-billion
budget for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
modernization program. This initiative covered the acquisition of
brand new attack helicopters, tanks, and other military
hardware.[6] He also allotted funds amounting to ₱64.2 billion for
the salary increase of military and uniformed personnel.

9. • In accordance with his Free Irrigation Law which was signed in February 2018,
he allocated ₱2.6 billion for irrigation fee subsidies for 2018, which was higher
than the ₱2 billion irrigation budget for 2017.[8]
• Nograles was also the author of the Green Jobs Act, which granted special tax
deductions and duty-free importation of capital equipment for companies that will
help create employment that contributes to preserving or restoring the quality of
the environment; the JobStart Philippines Act which enhanced opportunities and
employment facilitation for Filipino youth through enhanced knowledge and skills
acquisition through formal and technical education and a shortened school-to-
work transition to increase chances of productive employment; and Republic Act
No. 10741 that strengthened the National Labor Relations Commission.

10. Committee membership
• While Nograles is known as the Chairman of the House Committee
on Appropriations, he was also part of the following committees:

11. Personal life
• Nograles is married to Marga Maceda Montemayor, a social entrepreneur and an
advocate for women and Mindanao. They have three children.
• He is a member of the Aquila Legis fraternity and of the Global Organization of
Parliamentarians Against Corruption. He also has links to Junior Chamber
International.
• He is the recipient of the Golden Globe Annual Award for Excellence in Public
Service in 2015 and 2016.[9] He was also awarded the Outstanding
Congressman Award in 2012[10][11][12] and again in 2015[13] by Superbrands
Marketing International.[14] Nograles also took part as chairman of the Board
of Jurors tasked to judge the awardees of the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival.

12. References
1. "Who is Prospero Nograles?". GMA News. Retrieved February
13, 2017.
2.^ "About". Karlo Nograles. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
3.^ "Attendance Record of Housemembers" (PDF). congress. July
17, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2018.

13. 1. "House panel realigns P40 billion to fund free education by
2018". CNN Philippines.
2.^ "Bicam breaks 'impasse' on 2018 national budget —
Nograles". GMA News.
3.^ "Solon says P25-B AFP upgrades a message to terrorists: 'We're
capable of defeating you'". GMA News. GMA Network.
Retrieved February 14, 2018.