RAMIL HERNANDEZ

Born third among the 13 children of former barangay captain Norberto Hernandez and Rosalinda Laurel, Governor Ramil Laurel Hernandez of Laguna was raised to a life of simplicity, grounded in faith and the importance of family, in the small barangay of Mabato in Calamba City.  

Driven by his quest for excellence, he was a consistent member of the Honors Society at the Laguna College of Business and Arts during his high school days. It was during those years that his leadership skills became imminent, having been elected as president of the student body, and Corps Commander of the Citizen Advancement Training I. He was also awarded for this leadership, service to others, and talent.  

His stellar performance continued through college at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Major in Accounting while being a working student. He persevered despite hardships, believing in the importance of education, which, up to this day, serves as an inspiration in his programs for the youth and scholars of the province.  

He started his career as a public servant in 1993 when he was elected Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman of Mabato. He became one of the most prominent three-termer Councilors of Calamba from 1995 to 2004 and served as president of the National Movement of Young Legislators-Laguna Chapter.  

It was during this time that he met and married Ruth Mariano Hernandez, who was also serving as a City Councilor. Through their collaborations first emerged the programs for senior citizens in Calamba.  His wife is presently the Representative of the Second District of Laguna, continuously working with him for the marginalized sectors of the community, pioneering livelihood projects for the women sector of the province.  They are blessed with two daughters – Natasha and Natalie Hernandez.  

It was in 2004 when he made history by becoming the No. 1 Provincial Board Member, gaining the highest number of votes in the history of Laguna. In 2007, he was elected as the youngest Vice Governor with an overwhelming turnout of votes–a landslide victory.  

He continued making a mark in the history of Laguna politics when he became the province’s Governor in 2014. As one of the youngest Governors ever to lead the province, he vowed to make himself worthy of the trust bestowed upon him by the Lagunenses, armed by his life’s experiences, accomplishments and utmost dedication in promoting the welfare of the people.  

His “8-Point Serbisyong Tama Program” has been a consistent and effective framework in promoting and implementing developmental plans and programs that focus on health; social welfare services; education; employment; agriculture and food security; infrastructure; peace and order; and a transformative and professionalized bureaucracy as his priorities in governance. The platform aims to provide basic services from the most industrialized cities to the most remote barangays and sitios of the province.  

Under his leadership, Laguna was bestowed the coveted Red Orchid Award for health, and numerous citations for disaster risk reduction and management, peace and order, public employment, digital governance for customer empowerment implemented in hospital and scholarship services, among others.  

Most significant of his recognitions are the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Hall of Famer awarded by the Department of Interior and Local Government in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He also received the prestigious FAMAS Award for or Excellence in Public Service in 2019, and the Gawad Parangal Award as an Outstanding Provincial Governor of the Philippines for Social Services consistently from year 2018 up to the present.   

These are testaments to the exemplary and effective service of the Lagunenses by Governor Hernandez.