Raymond Alvin Neri Garcia is a lawyer, civic leader, and public servant in Cebu City, Philippines.
A two-term local legislator, he is presently the majority floor leader of the 15 th Sangguniang Panglungsod and chairs three committees, including the very powerful Committee on Laws and the Committee on Budget and Finance.
Born on January 29, 1977, Raymond entered government service as a barangay councilor, serving the community of his youth – Kamputhaw.
He left behind a quiet yet lucrative career in the business sector as Assistant Vice President and, subsequently, Corporate Secretary of Sun.Star Cebu, something he’d been preparing himself for by finishing his law degree at the University of San Carlos and a Masters of Science in Business Administration at the University of Asia and the Pacific.
Finding himself resonating more with service to the community, his work in Kamputhaw earned him the respect of fellow barangay officials who, in 2013, elected him president of the Cebu City Chapter of the Barangay Councilors League of the Philippines.
He held that post until 2016, when he campaigned in Cebu City’s North District and won a seat in the Cebu City Council under Kugi Uswag Sugbo, the party his father founded.
Raymond became the minority floor leader of the 14 th Sangguniang Panglungsod on his neophyte term and served his constituency with distinction until the end of his first term in 2016. His effort was rewarded with a fresh mandate as well as recognition from such groups as the Rotary Club of Cebu, Don Bosco, and the Alpha Kappa Rho fraternity.
As a member of the 15 th Sangguniang Panglungsod, Raymond also serves as the chairman of the Committee on Housing and the Committee on Sister Cities and is the concurrent president of the Philippine Councilors League Cebu City chapter as well as the organization’s regional assembly.
One year into his second term, Atty. Garcia continues to serve with distinction. Of the 29 ordinances passed by the council between July 2019 and July 2020, Raymond authored 13. And of the 2,270 resolutions passed within the same period, Raymond authored 1,012.
Raymond’s brand of service to people is influenced heavily by his parents – Mrs. Trinidad Neri Garcia and Atty. Alvin Biano Garcia, former Cebu City Mayor – and extends outside government as well.
Atty. Garcia is the chairman of the Philippine Anti-Kidnapping Group Visayas Advisory Council.