Lorenzo Reyes Tañada III or “Erin” as he is fondly called by friends, represents the third generation of Tañadas in the field of politics. Yes, he is the grandson of the “grand old man of Philippine politics” – the late Senator Lorenzo “Ka Tanny” M. Tañada, known for his fiery speeches, great oratorical and debating skills and fearless stand against the Marcos dictatorship. He is also the son of former Senator Wigberto “Ka Bobby” E. Tañada, the Senator who led the fight to rid the country of the US military bases in Clark and Subic and later, put up a valiant stand to stop the country’s early accession into the GATT-WTO in 1994. Recent developments are proving Ka Bobby right.
One can safely say that activism is indeed in his genes. During his college days as President of National Union of Students of the Philippines or NUSP he would be seen in pickets lines and rallies. As a young lawyer of the Tañada, Vivo and Tan Law Office, he found himself handling cases of human rights victims, helping farmers fight for their land, and workers getting their just wages. He was also one of the volunteer lawyers of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), providing pro-bono assistance to people who can't afford to pay for quality legal assistance.
Erin is now serving his second term as Representative of the 4th District of Quezon Province. The district is composed of ten municipalities - Alabat, Atimonan, Plaridel, Gumaca, Perez, Quezon, Tagkawayan, Calauag, Guinayangan and Lopez. There are 442 barangays under these towns. Poverty and underdevelopment are still pervasive but he uses his priority development assistance fund (PDAF) judiciously to bring genuine development into the area.
Ever since he was elected in 2004, he has been very active in plenary and committee debates. He is among the authors of various important pieces of legislation in Congress - the repeal of the death penalty law, UP Charter of 2008 , Renewable Energy Act and the law creating Quezon del Sur.
Erin was among those who voted against the Human Security Act and co-authored bills that seek to penalize torture and enforced or involuntary disappearances. He opposed E-VAT and voted twice to impeach President Macapagal-Arroyo at the cost of not getting the PDAF allocation that should go to the 4th District of Quezon in 2006 and the first half of 2007. At the top of his legislative agenda are the Freedom of Information Bill, Anti-Smuggling Act and the creation of the Philippine Trade Representative Office.
As chair of the sensitive Committee on Human Rights, Erin has high hopes that the Human Rights Victims Compensation Bill will become law before the 14th Congress closes.
Apart from being the Spokesperson of the Liberal Party in the House of Representatives, Erin is a member of the Reform Bloc in Congress – Representatives who have been pushing for greater transparency in the Congress' budget, professionalizing the institution's secretariat, and calling for the independence of Congress from the Executive.
On a more personal side, Erin is the proud father of Mito and Michie. Meticulous and always hands-on, he finds time to be home to help his kids do their homework and prepare for their exams. You might even bump into him doing the groceries for the family, in shorts and crocs. If he is in Quezon with his constituents, he would be calling his children to talk to them just before they go to bed.
His mostly activists staff describes him as a very grounded, easy-to-be with, and a joy-to-work-for type of boss. Informality in his office abounds with him even being addressed simply by his nickname, “Cong. Erin” by the younger staff. He finds time to go out and have a few round of beers and pizza with them every so often.
He will always be the caring Kuya of the three other children of Ka Bobby and Nanay Zeny – Toby, Mar and Trina.
