MRA

Maria Rachel Arenas

House of Representatives of the Philippines

Member of Parliament

Philippines

Biography

Maria Rachel Jimenez Arena is a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives where she sits as a four-term Representative of the Third District of Pangasinan. She was first elected during the 14th and 15th Congress, and after her stint as Chairperson of the Motion and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) under the Office of the President from 2017 to 2021, returned as Member of the 19th Congress, and now the 20th Congress. In the 19th Congress, she was Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (CFA) and the House of Representatives Panel on the Legislative Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement. She was also a Member of the Congressional Oversight on the Official Development Assistance concurrently as the Vice Chairperson of the Committees on Appropriation, Transportation and Health. She continues to be the Chairperson of the CFA and Senior Vice Chairperson of the Special Committee on ASEAN Affairs. Rachel has also been appointed Commodore of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary. Deputy Speaker Arenas is also the Country Ambassador for the Philippines of the Women Political Leaders Summit in Brussels, a regular member of the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) with headquarters in Geneva, and recently reelected for a third term as Governor for the Philippine Red Cross. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Japan Studies from the De La Salle University and completed her Master’s Degree at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Tufts University. She also finished the course on “Negotiation and Dispute Resolution” at the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University. For her exemplary performance as a neophyte legislator, she was recognized as the Most Outstanding Congresswoman in 2007 and nominated to the Ten Outstanding Young men and Women (TOYM) of 2011.

Political party

Lakas CMD

This biography was provided by the member for his/her last participation in a meeting of the OECD Global Parliamentary Network. The OECD is not liable for its content.
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