Since his assumption to the Senate, he staunchly campaigned for measures that would advance national pride and expand the use of the native language particularly in the education system to instill in the youth a sense of national pride as they develop to become a globally competitive work force.Despite the limitations in education and against the shroud of cynicisms on his capabilities, he proved himself to be deserving of the trust reposed by the millions of voters who believed that he can serve to become not only a good legislator but an inspiring picture of hope for those whose lives he has touched.

Friends, it is both an honor and privilege to be able to introduce you to a role model of note, a man of distinction. The only man in the life of Marissa Tadeo Lapid and the superman in the eyes of his two sons; Maynard and Mark whos presently with us today and the first love of his daughters; Maan Krista and Mitzi Karen.

Ladies and gentlemen, a dependable leader, a scholar of worthwhile ideals, a gentleman for the masses and a warrior for social responsibility , may we all rise and welcome with a resounding applause, Honorable Senator/ Manuel Lito Mercado Lapid! Good evening and welcome to San Manuel, Isabela, sir!An Introduction to Senator Manuel "Lito" Mercado Lapid by DIVINE GRACE B. SAMORTINTo our esteemed guest of honor for tonights event, sir/to the Chief Operating Officer Tourism Infrastracture & Enterprise Zone Authority of the Department of Tourism, the youngest ever elected governor in the country at the tender age of 27 in 2004 & the son of our distinguished guest, Hon. Mark Tadeo Lapid, sir/to our dearly loved governor and the driving force of Isabelas success for many years Hon. Faustino Bodgie De Guzman Dy III, sir/ to the brilliant Regional Director of the Department of Labor & Employment Atty. Sixto T. Rodriguez Jr., sir/ to the magnanimous municipal chief executive of San Manuel / Hon. Faustino Michael Carlos T. Dy, III, sir / with his dazzling and lovely wife Madam Tin-tin/ to our beloved and equally approachable Sangguniang Bayan Members / headed by our benevolent Vice Mayor,/ Hon. Mario E. Napicog, sir /to the energetic municipal Administrator Hon. Guillermo P. Ignacio Sr., sir/ to the generous Municipal Consultant for Public Affairs/ Former Vice Mayor Renato P. Ignacio Sr., sir/to the active LMB President Hon. Loreto M. Velasco, sir/ together with the equally approachable barangay captains/ to the dynamic schools district supervisor of DepEd San Manuel, Mr. Ireneo V. Mingming, sir together with the equally talented school principals/ heads and employees of the different local and government offices here present, /parents,/visitorsandfriends,/ladiesandgentlemen,/good evening!//Our guest speaker for tonight wasborn/ on October 25, 1955 to a common family in Porac, Pampanga. He was the fifth of nine children by Jose Lapid and Eleuteria Mercado. He completed his elementary education at Porac Central School in 1968, and secondary education at St. Catherine Academy of Porac, Pampanga in 1972. He never finished a college course as he pursued his acting career. He started as a stuntman in action movies. His break came in 1978 when he starred in the film "The Jess Lapid Story," where he played the role of his uncle Jess Lapid. Since then, he had been making films, majority in the action genre. He had starred in 87 movies, 9 of which he directed himself.Among his memorable movies are "Kalibre .45" with FPJ, "Kastilyong Buhangin," with Nora Aunor, "Yakapin Mo ko Lalaking Matapang," with Vilma Santos, Pedro Tunasan, the true-to life story of Jess Lapid and Ben Tumbling and the legendary Zigomar and Leon Guerrero.Most of his movies were blockbuster hits and he was cited as one of the top rated action movie stars of his time which included Fernando Poe Jr., Joseph Estrada, Rudy Fernandez and Ramon Revilla Sr.As a former stuntman and movie actor whose parents never ventured into the world of politics, the call to serve the people never occurred to him until he was elected Vice Governor of the Province of Pampanga in 1992. It was during this time that he was entrusted a difficult task of rallying his Cabalens to fight the seemingly insurmountable adversity brought about by the devastating effects of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The overwhelming mandate given to him when he won as governor in 1995 further inspired him to brave the challenge and rebuild what is left of lahar-torn Pampanga. Slowly, and with the help of his fellow Kapampangans, he set in motion a comprehensive rehabilitation program which made businesses in the province boom. With him at the helm, real estate broke new record highs, export volumes increased to unprecedented levels, the province regained its glory as the countrys premiere agricultural territory and Pampanga once again was placed among the top ten (10) most progressive provinces in the country. His proven track record as a champion of the masses and an effective local chief executive for three full terms paved the way for his winning bid for the Senate, receiving top honors in the 2004 Senatorial elections. The six years of his first term as a senator were marked with achievements which left the cynics perplexed and his critics baffled, but nevertheless proved his worth as a working legislator. He was one of the top performing senators having placed 4th among his peers in the number of bills and resolutions filed in the 14th Congress alone. He fathered one of the meaningful social legislations of the 14th Congress, the Free Legal Assistance Act of 2010 which seeks to ensure that the poor may be afforded free quality legal service. This measure heralded other policy initiatives that look to bridge the great divide between the rich and the poor. Since then, he never wavered on making proposals that would uplift the living standards of the little people of the society whose caused he has been championing, being the Bida ng Masa.At the close of the 15th Congress he has filed 239 measures earning him the distinction as the fifth most prolific members of the Upper Chamber. He authored the Meat Labeling Act of 2011, Comprehensive Unilateral Hearing Loss Research and Development and Rehabilitation Act, Urban Agriculture and Vertical Farming Act, Corporate Social Responsibility Act, Kindergarten Education Act, and the Adopt-A-Wildlife Species Act, among others. As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Games, Amusement and Sports, he saw to it that measures are in motion to sufficiently ensure the development of sports in the grassroots, seeing to it that the youth develop a keen interest on participation to sports competition. He looks forward to further coordination between concerned government agencies so that appropriate support is afforded to the national sports development program. In his first year at the helm of the Senate Committee on Tourism, he has initiated initiatives to oversee the development of the tourism potential of the country and gather the tools to ensure the countrys success as it joins the tourism race with our Asian neighbors.