Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Bantug Benitez (born December 20, 1966) is a Filipino-American businessman and politician serving as the City

Mayor of Bacolod The City Mayor of Bacolod (( fil, Punong Lungsod ng Bakulod); hil, Alkalde sang Dakbanwa sang Bacolod) is the local chief executive and head of the City Government of Bacolod. Along with the Governor of Negros Occidental and the Governor of Negr ...

since 2022. He served three consecutive terms as the

representative Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

of Negros Occidental's 3rd district from 2010 to 2019. He was one of the richest congressmen in the Philippines. Born and raised at

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was ...

, Benitez started his career on 2010 as a congressman. He was behind the concept of the weekend television show named ''Game Changer'' that was aired at the ANC. On May 10, 2022, the

COMELEC COMELEC or Comelec may refer to any of the following: * Commission on Elections (Philippines) (Comelec) * North African Power Pool: Comité Maghrébin de l'Electricité (COMELEC) {{disambig ...

proclaimed him as the new mayor of

Bacolod Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippines, region of Western ...

Biography

Benitez was born on December 20, 1966, in

to Jose Conrado Benitez and Betty Bantug, both from Negros Occidental. He went to

La Salle Green Hills La Salle Green Hills ("LSGH") is a private Catholic school run by the Philippine District of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. It was established in 1959 by the D ...

for primary and secondary education. He then enrolled at the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William II ...

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is b ...

and completed a mathematics degree. Benitez is a former national athlete. He is a 1984 silver medalist in

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffici ...

at the

Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...

. He is the founder of Betty Bantug Benitez Foundation, Inc., and Kaayong Lawas Foundation Hospital. He resides in Victorias City, Negros Occidental together with his wife, Dominique Lopez, and their two children. He has also maintained residence in

Politics

Benitez joined Philippine politics in 2010; he was elected congressman of the 3rd district of Negros Occidental and a representative at the House of Congress. He held a satellite congressional office at the City of Talisay. As a congressman, he helped draft and oversee the passing of the Sugarcane Industry Development Act, a piece of landmark legislation that supports sugarcane farmers. He also implemented a scholarship program. He was also involved in the implementation of various projects in Negros Occidental, such as the Tourism Highway and Loop of Silay, upgrade and beautification of Bacolod-Silay International Airport roads, and the construction of other bridges and barangay hall buildings. He was also notable for his implemented of some house bills at the congress including House Resolution No. 5237, House Resolution No. 875, proposed admin capital city planning act, House Bill no. 85, House Bill no. 84, House Bill no. 82. Benitez completed his three-term limit in 2019. His younger brother, Jose Francisco "Kiko" Benitez, was elected as his successor. In June 2019, Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose Lacson appointed Benitez as the provincial government's consultant for economics and investments. He was serving '' pro bono''. On October 5, 2021, Benitez changed his voter address from

Victorias Victorias, officially the City of Victorias ( hil, Dakbanwa sang Victorias; fil, Lungsod ng Victorias), is a 4th class component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 90,10 ...

and officially announced to run for

against incumbent Mayor and rival Evelio Leonardia on May 9, 2022 elections. On March 26, 2022, Benitez formally launched his campaign, together with his slate known as Team Asenso or Grupo Asenso, a PDP-Laban led-coalition. On May 10, 2022, the Commission on Elections declared Benitez as elected Mayor of Bacolod.

Business career

Benitez is the majority owner and chairman of the gaming firm Leisure & Resorts World Corporation (LRWC). He also previously served as president of the said corporation.

Filmography

Benitez made a guest appearances in shows and events at some films and television. His well-known television show was the ''Game Changer'' which is aired at ANC every Sunday. Benitez also guested in many interviews. He also founded and owns

Brightlight Productions Brightlight Productions is a Philippine television production company founded and owned by Albee Benitez who previously served as Negros Occidental's 3rd district representative from 2010 to 2019 and the current Mayor of Bacolod. Airing m ...

, one of the blocktime partners of

Cignal Entertainment Cignal TV, Inc. (formerly known as GV Broadcasting System), also known by its legal trading name Mediascape Inc., is a Filipino media and telecommunications firm in the Philippines. A wholly owned subsidiary of the media conglomerate MediaQue ...

for TV5, which temporarily houses stars and talents of

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under L ...

and

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network ( ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benitez, Albee 1966 births Living people People from Negros Occidental 21st-century Filipino politicians College of William & Mary alumni Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Negros Occidental Television series by Brightlight Productions