By Robbie Pangilinan
Actress and endorser turned public servant Angelica Jones Alarva is a guardian angel. She guards everything she does, says and thinks in her personal, professional and public life. She guards her constituents in Laguna, looking after their welfare, ensuring their development and assuring their future.
The 28-year-old Board Member of the Third District of Laguna keeps her full guard on the families residing in her area of responsibility. She does not want them to just exist in her district, but to live quality lives as she pushes forward her “Matatag na Pamilya Movement” with the slogan “Bawat Pamilya Mahalaga.”
The young politician also advocates good governance with full sincerity and honesty. BM Alarva is busy with her obligations as elected president of the National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL) Region 4-A Calabarzon, Regional PRO of the Board Members’ League as well as its Ambassadress of Goodwill and Ambassadress of Health and Nutrition. She chairs the committees on Women, Family, Social Welfare and Community Development, Livelihood and Cooperatives of San Pablo, Laguna.
The selfless leader’s life revolves around her fellow Laguna residents. Her calendar is full with invitations to become guest speaker, guest of honor, and judge at various occasions, fiestas and celebrations around Laguna. She spends her day either at the office planning her programs, around the province checking her constituents’ condition and needs, or elsewhere attending meetings, conducting medical missions and outreach programs, and receiving awards for her dedication and service.
Recently, Angelica received the “Outstanding Woman of the Month” award from the Police Regional Office-4-A at Camp Vicente in Calamba City in acknowledgement of her support to women. She put up several job fairs billed as “Trabahong Pangkababaihan Sagot sa Kahirapan” for Women’s Month, and continued her support for the Pro-Life movement by saying no to the RH Bill. A devout Catholic, Angelica echoes the church’s belief, “Women Deserve Better Than Abortion.”
Angelica even celebrates her birthday with Laguna’s less fortunate. She says, “I promised to God that I will share my blessings with others.” In fact, her favorite part of being a politician are the moments she spends with the poorest of the poor, eating with them, talking to them and trying to provide their needs.
Serving comes naturally to this Angel who dreamt of helping the disabled, the rape victims, the Senior Citizens, and the street children even as a child. Though she has faced many intrigues and issues in her stint as Board Member, including an oral defamation suit against Illac Diaz for anomalies concerning her Bottled School project and complaints filed against her by her former personal assistant and driver, Angelica still thinks positively.
“Showbiz and politics are similar in the sense that I am always subject to intrigues and criticism. I cannot please everybody, but I am very happy to just serve my constituents,” Angelica shares. She continues to accept projects in the entertainment industry because she needs the income. She says that when she has extra money, she shares it with her constituents as she is not the kind of public servant who uses government funds for personal benefit.
Angelica was a TV commercial model and print ad model when she was young. At 13 years old, watching the famed That’s Entertainment in Broadway Centrum, a talent coordinator approached her and said, “You can be an actress because you are beautiful and you got charms.” Flattered, the teenager looked in the mirror and decided she will join showbusiness. With the help of industry’s veteran Kuya Germs Moreno, Angelica became a member of That’s Entertainment Monday Group in 1995.
Trials and tests came her way. Fire ravaged her home and she lost almost everything she had. Showbiz intrigues caused her and her family a lot of pain. She almost left the industry.
“But when I thought of all the experiences I had and how far I have come, I realized I should not give in because nothing is unbearable and there will always be helping hands,” Angelica says. Through it all, Angelica does not have regrets.
“Naniniwala ako na lahat ng nangyayayri sa buhay ko is instrumental in making me a stronger woman,” she shares. Her faith in the Lord keeps her going.
Despite her busy schedule, Angelica finds time to keep fit, healthy and beautiful. At least once a week, she hits the gym and does boxing and Muay Thai. She eats lots of fruits and vegetables. She visits trusted beauty doctor to the stars Dr. Manny Calayan twice a month for hydroxy facial with gold mask. She tries to sleep eight hours and drinks eight glasses of water every day.
After studying in the University of the Philippines, Angelica is now taking courses at the Asian Institute of Management. She is also finishing her Public Administration master’s degree at the University of Makati and likes to pursue further studies abroad.
In the future, Angelica would like to travel to Europe, and pray inside the Vatican. The beautiful leader has many admirers and suitors, and she admits she has a special someone right now. A fellow politician is courting her but they are still at the getting to know you stage.
“If ever I have a boyfriend this year or next year, I want him to be my last boyfriend and I will love him forever. Lahat binigay na sa akin ni Lord, isa na lang ang kulang – partner in life. Yes, I want to get married and have a family someday,”
For this endeavor, Angelica is wise in choosing the right man – one who will understand her work, one who fears God, one who will love not only her but also her family and constituents, a man who is responsible and who will take care of her forever.
In the meantime, Angelica focuses her energy and resources on being a public servant and guarding the welfare of her constituents – making sure they are living in good condition. After all, that what Guardian Angels are for. #
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