CONGRESSWOMAN ATTY. ARLENE “KAKA” J. BAG-AO

ATTY. ARLENE “KAKA” J. BAG-AO is a lawyer for marginalized sectors and a legislator who works for and with the people to advance human rights, sustainable development, and participatory governance.

She began her formal education at the Loreto Central Elementary School in her hometown in Dinagat Islands, a small province in the Caraga Region in Mindanao. Through scholarships, she gained access to higher education, eventually moving to Manila, where she earned a degree in Political Science from the De La Salle University. She completed her Juris Doctor at the Ateneo de Manila School of Law in 1993. In 2007, she became a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, focusing on International Human Rights and Peace at the University of Minnesota in the US.

During her college years, members of a fishing community where she volunteered gave her the nickname “Kaka,” short for “kasama” in Tagalog or “kauban” in Bisaya — a name that reflects her lifelong commitment to working alongside those often rendered voiceless and invisible in society as partners in the struggle for dignity and rights.

As a lawyer, Atty. Bag-ao served as lead counsel for the Sumilao farmers, whose historic 1,700-kilometer walk from Bukidnon to Metro Manila became a national symbol of grassroots advocacy. She marched with them in their fight for agrarian justice, which ultimately led to the government honoring their rightful claim to their land.

She was also a member and leader of several civil society and alternative law organizations, including SALIGAN, BALAOD Mindanaw, and the Alternative Law Groups. Through these platforms, she championed the rights of marginalized communities by creatively and strategically using the law as a tool for empowerment.

In 2010, she was elected Party-List Representative of Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party. She later served as the Lone District Representative of Dinagat Islands for two terms in 2013 and 2016. Across her three consecutive terms in Congress, she was the principal author of landmark national laws such as the Reproductive Health Act, Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act, Expanded Maternity Leave Law, 4Ps Law, Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act, Mental Health Act, and Safe Spaces Law. She also championed key legislative proposals on national land use, alternative minerals management, SOGIE equality, security of tenure, freedom of information, and more.

In 2019, she was elected Governor of Dinagat Islands. As local chief executive, she led citizen-centered programs that empowered farmers, fisherfolk, women, and other marginalized groups as active partners in governance. This participatory approach proved critical in the province’s effective pandemic response in 2020 and its rehabilitation and recovery efforts following the devastation of Super Typhoon Odette in 2021.

After the 2025 elections, Atty. Kaka Bag-ao was once again chosen to represent Dinagat Islands in the 20th Congress of the House of Representatives. Today, she continues to fight for progressive policies and inclusive programs, driven by her guiding principle that defines her brand of leadership and service: “Walang maliit, walang malayo, lahat mahalaga.”