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You can’t put a good man down; nor can you stop him from running for a legislative post to serve the interest of his fellow men. That’s how one would characterize Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Bunoan Biazon who’s eyeing a legislator’s seat, for the fourth time, in the 17th Congress.

Ruffy was a member of the 13th,  14th and 15th Congress from 2001 to 2010,  as representative of the lone congressional district of Muntinlupa City. He served as chair of the committee on Metro Manila Development, vice-chair of the committees on National Defense and Security, Information and Communications Technology and Appropriations, and a member of the Congressional Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement.

He was the principal author of eight Republic Acts and co-author of 36 others. In his last term in Congress, he filed a total of 81 bills and resolutions, most of which were national in scope. He was an active participant in committee hearings and plenary sessions, and delivering speeches on significant national issues. He frequently engaged other members of the House  in debates and interpellation. For his performance, he was cited by respected national publications as one of the top 100 Young Leaders of the Country and Outstanding Congressman.

For his district, he embarked on the modernization of Muntinlupa’s public school system by introducing the Computer Training for Educators and Resources for Students Program. This involved computer literacy training for teachers, provision of computer hardware, introduction of Technology Intensified Instruction, setting up of computer laboratories in schools, and connecting schools to the World Wide Web. For these accomplishments, he was recognized by the Department of Education as an outstanding congressman “in the use of congressional funds for education projects.”

Muntinlupa has a population of 459,941. Divided in the middle by the South Expressway, on the right side are located topnotch corporations housed in gleaming high rises and the aristocratic Alabang Village. On the left side is the congested  portion  of oldish structures. The congressman had helped de-congest it some by making possible the smooth relocation of thousands of informal settler-families who lived along the Philippine National Railway tracks which traverses eight out of nine barangays in the city. The “in-city relocation” plan is opposed to the traditional practice of the government to relocate Metro Manila’s informal settlers to nearby provinces. Ruffy’s program relocated them to 50 hectares of the 415 hectares of the Bilibid Prison reservation.

One of his proposals when elected in the 17th Congress is to have the Bilibid Prison relocated to far-flung areas in Mindanao.

Ruffy took up the medical technology course at the University of Santo Tomas with the intention of proceeding to medical school. However, after graduation, President Corazon Aquino appointed him youth representative in the Videogram Regulatory Board. He was then 22 years old.

He gave up his dream of becoming a doctor when he became engrossed in his work as chief of staff of his father, Rodolfo Biazon, a newly retired Armed Forces Chief of Staff, who was elected senator in 1992.

When his father lost in the 1995 election, Ruffy was taken in by newly elected Sen. Sergio Osmena III as chief legislative officer.

When his father once again ran and won in 1998, Ruffy returned as his chief of staff. Altogether, Ruffy directed and managed his father’s campaign three times and served in the Senate for a total of seven years.

His exposure and experience in the Senate gave him the confidence to go into legislative work for the betterment of his constituents. He easily won in his first bid, but encountered difficulty, although he won, in his second and third bids on account of his opponents being a well-entrenched politician and a popular broadcaster.

On Sept. 16, 2011, he entered a different challenging assignment when President Benigno Aquino III appointed him as Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs.

“I actually told the President I preferred the post of tourism secretary on account of my interest in eco-tourism, but the President gave me the BOC,” he said. He accepted the offer (“How can you say no to the President?” he said), hesitantly, knowing fully well the BOC’s reputation as the most corrupt government agency.

He set about reforming the BOC, implementing the “Enhanced Cargo Transit System,” and enabling the bureau to track in real-time the movement of container vans. This would keep track of “missing vans” that had left the ports.

With the help of the World Bank, he updated the BOC Strategic Plan to align with the P-Noy administration’s reform agenda, at the same time upgrading the bureau’s computerized cargo clearance system.

He lobbied for the passage of the customs modernization bill to make the Philippines compliant with world customs administration standards and allow the BOC to update policies and procedures to streamline the bureau’s operations and lessen “human intervention” in carrying out its policies.

When the President said in his SONA that things were not going well in BOC, Ruffy was surprised. Indeed, the BOC is a snake pit. He learned who wanted him out and whispered negative things about him in the President’s ears. Saying he was hurt is an understatement, but he nurtured no bitterness in his heart. Although initially the President did not accept his resignation, he felt it was time to go.

Ruffy is a deeply spiritual person. He joined the Victory Christian Fellowship in 1993, and served as a children’s church worker. His work and accomplishments, he says, are on account of God’s grace. He and his wife Trina and four boys, aged 18, 10, 7 and 3, “enjoy doing things together.”

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Ruperto V. Talan, the father-in-law of my lawyer and good friend, Atty. Paul Edwin Bautista and father of his charming wife, Ma. Chona Bautista, will be celebrating his 78th birthday on March 27.  He was a former section chief of the Claims Department of SSS, and to this day a staunch advocate for reforms for better service to its members.  Warmest greetings to him.  At his age, I advise him not to count the years, but the wishes and all the cheers.

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Lent for many Filipinos consists of prayer, penance, alms-giving, sacrifice, fasting and abstinence. Abstinence means giving up meat on Fridays, if not during the 40-day duration of Lent.

Those who practice meatless Lent need not have tasteless dishes.  Bangus Specialty Restaurant recommends its Lenten Soul Food dishes. It has prepared  three new tasty dishes – Bangus Menudo, Bangus Sisig with Fried Tofu, and special Chopsuey.

The Bangus Menudo is a delightful, bangus fillet stew. The Bangus Sisig with Fried Tofu consists of a blend of its fish sisig and some spices and cubes of fried tofu. The special Chopsuey is the restaurant’s new addition to its list of flavorful vegetable dishes

Lent or not, Bangus Specialty Restaurant offers dishes made of  bangus, and seafood. These are Kare-kareng Bangus, Paksiw na Bangus, Bistek na Bangus Prime Cut, Rellenong Bangus, Lumpiang Bangus, Pinalutong na Bangus at Ensaladang Bangus, and the Binusog na Tinapang Bangus, which is a meal in itself.  Appetizing seafood dishes are the Ginataang Hipon, Adobong Hipon sa Aligi, and Sizzling Pusit.

Those who love beef and pork dishes find them at the restaurant, too, like Chicken Relleno, Kare-kare, Crispy Pata, Binagoongan, and others.

You must try its special desserts, like my favorite Tibok-Tibok or Maja Blanca, and Halo-Halo.

Bangus Specialty Restaurant is located on the Ground Floor Connecticut Carpark Building, Greenhills Shopping Center and at the Ground Floor North Parking Building, SM Mall of Asia.

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