Education

1. 18th Congress of the
Philippines
LAWRENCE FORTUN

2. Lawrence Fortun
•Lawrence Lemuel Hernandez
Fortun,[1] also known as Law Fortun, (born
August 7, 1971) is a Filipino lawyer and
politician who is serving as the vice mayor
of Butuan since June 30, 2022. He
previously served as a member of
the House of Representatives of the
Philippines representing Agusan del Norte's
1st congressional district from 2013 to 2022.

3. Early life and education
• Fortun was born on August 7, 1971, in Butuan, the
son of Camilo Fortun[2] and Geraldine Hernandez-
Fortun.[3] His father was a former member of the
Butuan City Council and an opposition leader
during the Marcos regime.[4]
• He graduated from Father Saturnino Urios
University with a degree in political science. He
finished his law degree at San Sebastian College
– Recoletos and was admitted to the bar in 2001.

4. Career
• Early career[edit]
• Before joining politics, he was an active law
practitioner in Manila. He also served as
Executive Director of the National Institute for
Policy Studies and was Legal Consultant to the
Department of Education, the Committee on
Rules of the House of Representatives, and the
Commission on Appointments.

5. Political career
• Fortun's political career began when he was elected to the Butuan City
Council in 2007.[2][5] Thereafter he was elected Vice Mayor in 2010 and
shepherded the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Butuan into passing historic and
landmark legislations such as the Butuan City Watershed Code, the Butuan
City Public-Private Partnership Code, the Butuan City Gender and
Development Code, the Organic Farming Code, the Butuan City Shelter Code
and the Ordinance Creating the Persons with Disabilities Office. He
introduced the codification, tracking and archiving system that significantly
contributed to the transparency and efficiency of the Sanggunian. Under his
watch, the Butuan City Council was chosen National Finalist in a Search for
Most Outstanding Sangguniang Panlungsod by the Philippine Councilors
League (PCL) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government
(DILG).

6. • He sought for higher office in the 2013 Philippine general
election where he ran and won for a seat in the House of
Representatives to represent the 1st District of Agusan
del Norte.
• Representative Fortun, or Cong. Law as he is fondly
called by colleagues, has consistently championed
legislations on environment preservation and protection,
accessible education, health, social welfare, human
rights, rule of law, good governance, transparency, and
accountability.
• In the current Congress, he was principal author of the
newly enacted R.A. No. 11510 or the Alternative Learning
System Act[6] and R.A. No. 11643 granting survivorship
benefits to families of deceased retirees of the National
Prosecution Service.

7. • He also sponsored landmark legislations that were
passed on Third and Final Reading including HB 7836,
providing stronger protection against rape and sexual
abuse and exploitation;[8] HB 8097 reforming the Solo
Parents Welfare Act;[9] HB 5869 expanding the Anti-
Violence Against Women and their Children Act;[10] HB
8179 or the Sustainable Forest Management Act;[11] HB
5869, or the Expanded Anti-Violence Against Women
and their Children (E-VAWC) Act;[12] HB 5989 for the
creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience;[13] HB
7036, or the Security of Tenure Act;[14] and HB 9147, or
the Single-Use Plastic Products Regulation Act.

8. • Consistent with his advocacies, he has authored and co-authored over 200 bills
and resolutions in the 18th Congress including the following:
• • On environment and natural resources, he is the principal author of bills for the
establishment of marine protected areas in all coastal towns and cities;
prevention of marine pollution from ships; the National Land Use Act; the
Alternative Minerals Management Bill; and the National Mangrove Forest
Protection and Preservation Act.
• • On education, he filed bills pushing for the Sustainability and Resiliency
Studies Act; the Philippine STEAM Act; and the Student Journalists' Rights Act.
• • On health and social welfare, he introduced bills pushing for a comprehensive
civil registration reform; benefits and privileges to pregnant women and their
families; additional benefits to barangay workers; the magna carta of day care
workers; the magna carta of workers in the informal economy; the promotion of
social enterprises; the prevention of teenage pregnancy; and stricter regulations
on tobacco use and advertisements.

9. • • On the area of human rights, rule of law, good governance, transparency, and
accountability, he principally authored the bill strengthening the Commission on
Human Rights; the bill for the equality of men and women under marriage laws; the
bill strengthening patients’ rights against hospital detention; the National
Government Rightsizing Bill; the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill; the Freedom of
Information Bill; and the Whistleblower Protection Bill.
• Representative Fortun bravely took positions consistent with rule of law and human
rights on several controversial issues in the House. He was among the few
Members who voted against the Death Penalty Bill[16] and was the lone dissenter in
the Committee on Justice against the bill lowering the minimum age of criminal
liability from 15 years old to 9 years of age.[17] In the impeachment proceedings
against former Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno, he was one of only four Justice
Committee members to oppose the committee’s policy not to allow counsels for the
respondent to cross-examine witnesses and resource persons.[18] He also was
among the few House members who stood up against the infamous P1,000.00
budget for the Commission on Human Rights[19] saying “Congress should strengthen
democratic institutions, not weaken them.” Fortun was one of 20 legislators who
introduced a resolution upholding the independence of the Ombudsman at the
height of attacks against the Office in 2017. He vigorously opposed the non-renewal
of the franchise of ABS-CBN[20] on the ground of press freedom and preservation of
jobs of over ten thousand breadwinners in the middle of a pandemic. Asserting
fundamental rights and freedoms and adherence to the Constitution, Representative
Fortun voted against the Anti-Terror Bill.

10. • Representative Fortun bravely took positions consistent with rule of law and
human rights on several controversial issues in the House. He was among the
few Members who voted against the Death Penalty Bill[16] and was the lone
dissenter in the Committee on Justice against the bill lowering the minimum age
of criminal liability from 15 years old to 9 years of age.[17] In the impeachment
proceedings against former Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno, he was one of only
four Justice Committee members to oppose the committee’s policy not to allow
counsels for the respondent to cross-examine witnesses and resource
persons.[18] He also was among the few House members who stood up against
the infamous P1,000.00 budget for the Commission on Human Rights[19] saying
“Congress should strengthen democratic institutions, not weaken them.” Fortun
was one of 20 legislators who introduced a resolution upholding the
independence of the Ombudsman at the height of attacks against the Office in
2017. He vigorously opposed the non-renewal of the franchise of ABS-
CBN[20] on the ground of press freedom and preservation of jobs of over ten
thousand breadwinners in the middle of a pandemic. Asserting fundamental
rights and freedoms and adherence to the Constitution, Representative Fortun
voted against the Anti-Terror Bill.

11. • Representative Fortun bravely took positions consistent with rule of law and
human rights on several controversial issues in the House. He was among the
few Members who voted against the Death Penalty Bill[16] and was the lone
dissenter in the Committee on Justice against the bill lowering the minimum age
of criminal liability from 15 years old to 9 years of age.[17] In the impeachment
proceedings against former Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno, he was one of only
four Justice Committee members to oppose the committee’s policy not to allow
counsels for the respondent to cross-examine witnesses and resource
persons.[18] He also was among the few House members who stood up against
the infamous P1,000.00 budget for the Commission on Human Rights[19] saying
“Congress should strengthen democratic institutions, not weaken them.” Fortun
was one of 20 legislators who introduced a resolution upholding the
independence of the Ombudsman at the height of attacks against the Office in
2017. He vigorously opposed the non-renewal of the franchise of ABS-
CBN[20] on the ground of press freedom and preservation of jobs of over ten
thousand breadwinners in the middle of a pandemic. Asserting fundamental
rights and freedoms and adherence to the Constitution, Representative Fortun
voted against the Anti-Terror Bill.

12. • Representative Fortun is also an active member representing the Minority in
several important committees, including the Committee on Ways and Means, the
Committee on Public Accounts the Committee on Justice, the Committee on
Human Rights, the Committee on Ecology, the Committee on Constitutional
Amendments, the Committee on Revision of Laws, the Committee on Inter-
Parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy and the Committee on the West
Philippine Sea.

13. Interests
• Fortun is a sports enthusiast. He is into running, cycling, badminton and football.
He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine Football Federation
serving from 2019 to 2023[21] and President of the Butuan-Agusan Norte
Football Association.

14. Personal life
• Fortun is married to Marie Therese Fontanilla-Fortun.[3] They have three sons.