Who was Atty. Sacrament Gumilab before he became Mayor of Tinglayan, Kalinga?

Tabuk City, Kalinga - Entering politics, according to Mayor Sacrament S. Gumilab of Tinglayan, Kalinga was not in his mind back before 2016, so what and who pushed him to becoming a mayor of the town?

During the “Know Your Candidates” Forum at the Tabuk City Hall on Thursday, December 5, 2024, Mayor Gumilab, who is now vying as the representative of the Lone District of Kalinga in the 2025 elections, revealed the reasons why he entered politics in 2016.

Gumilab's solid educational foundation and promising legal career before politics

Mayor Gumilab, before becoming a politician, had a solid educational background and a promising legal career. He finished his primary education at Tinglayan Elementary School, his secondary education at Saint Teresita’s High School, and his tertiary education at Saint Louis University in Baguio City with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science degree.

During his high school and college days, Gumilab said he was already a public servant holding positions of students' body organizations. Nevertheless, he didn’t think of leading a town or a province.

Driven by his desire to serve legal services to the people, Gumilab instead pursued law at the University of the Cordilleras and passed his bar examination in 2012.

After that, he embarked as a successful lawyer. As he recounted during the forum, Gumilab became a law teacher at the UC College of Criminal Justice Education for a short period of time and an associate lawyer to various law firms in the city then in Makati City and Pasig City in Metro Manila.

“Idi agsusuro nak diay Baguio, naragsak nak diay panagsurok ta abogado dagijay nasurwak, mga lima dagijay studyantek,” he happily shared.

Entering politics was out of his plans, not until he was encouraged by his fellow professionals.

A call to serve his hometown 

During his time in Manila, Gumilab said his fellow professionals, whom he described as his fellow iTinglayans, urged him to return home and serve his "Kailyans" instead.

"Dagijay kakadwak idi diay Manila nga professionals nga taga Tinglayan metlang isuda ti nang kua kanyak nga agbalin nga politician. Kunada nga agawid nak kanu ketdi ditoy Kalinga ta agserve ti kakailyak," the mayor revealed.

This call to public service led him to return to his hometown to serve his kailayans. He then ran as mayor of Tinglayan in 2016, and despite being only 29 years old at the time, he was chosen by the people.

Gumilab’s next goal for the people of Kalinga

Gumilab made the decision to go for the higher office, not only because he was again urged to run, but also to extend his dedicated public services at a wider scale. His filing of candidacy, he said, is his commitment to respond to the clamor of the people of Kalinga for a change. With him being the youngest and revolutionary ideas, he believes that the time has come for a new beginning.

Gumilab emphasized that one of his goals is to bring his "Serbisyong  Sigurado at Garantisado”  to all residents of Kalinga so that they too can see and feel a difference, adding the progress and development shall be shared by all through guaranteed and assured service.