CARL NICOLAS CARI

Carl Nicolas Cellona Cari, popularly known as Carl Cari, is the incumbent Representative of the Fifth Congressional District of Leyte in the House of Representatives. He assumed office in June 2019 after winning the midterm election with 123,572 votes or 66.86 percent of total votes in the district, becoming one of the youngest lawmakers by the time of his election. 

Rep. Cari is among the most proactive representatives in Congress, having filed multiple bills that include establishment of new junior high schools across Leyte’s Fifth district, a multi-species marine breeding farm and hatchery, a national academy for sports, and an additional Regional Trial Court in Baybay, Leyte. Attesting his commitment to education, he also proposed a scholarship program that aims to support the education of qualified immediate dependents of firefighter, police officers, and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).  

He is also one of the principal authors of the Malasakit Centers Act, establishing a one-stop shop for medical and financial assistance provided by various government agencies. Apart from education and health, he is an advocate for cultural preservation, being among the principal authors of the Philippine Indigenous Games Preservation Act and a legislation declaring the “balangay” as the national boat of the Philippines.  

Rep. Cari’s father is Jose Carlos “Boying” Cari, who was Leyte Fifth District Representative up to 2019. He graduated with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Mapúa University.