Political career Roberto "Obet" Pagdanganan, is the President of the Foundation for Local Autonomy and Good Governance, Inc. (FLAGG), an NGO dedicated to pursue equitable and sustainable national progress through genuine local autonomy,
good governance and quality education. He is Chairman of the National Cooperative Movement (NCM) which supports the development of cooperatives and the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He is also vice-chairman of the National Real Estate Association (NREA), and a member of the National Executive Board of the
Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) where he was a two-term National President in 1996 to 1998 and 2019 to the present. He holds two other posts in the government as presidential adviser on
cooperatives and chairman of the board of part-time professor at the Manuel L. Quezon University (15 years) and
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (3 years), before he became OIC Governor of Bulacan from March 1986 to December 1987. He was elected unopposed (the first) as Provincial Governor of Bulacan in January 1988 and was thereafter re-elected twice in 1992 and in 1995. In the latter election, Pagdanganan won against actor and comedian
Bert "Tawa" Marcelo, who had the support of people from the entertainment industry such as
Fernando Poe Jr. and
Pilita Corrales. In 1998, he ran as a candidate for the Presidential nomination of
Lakas-CMD but later lost to House Speaker
Jose de Venecia during the national convention, he was later included as one of the candidates of the party for the 1998 Senatorial Elections where he placed in the 13th spot. In 2001, he ran again as senator during the Midterm elections under the
People Power Coalition but later lost. Obet Pagdanganan also hosts regular radio programs: "Lingkod ng Bayan" at
GMA Super Radyo DZBB, 594 kHz every Saturday, 11 am to noon; "Obet P. sa IZ" at
DWIZ, 882 kHz every Saturday, 5 pm to 6 pm; "Yagyagan sa Bantay Radyo" at DYDD Cebu City, every Saturday, 9 pm to 10 pm; and "Obet n' Action sa Aksyon Radyo", DXGO Davao City every Sunday, 7 am to 8 am. He has published papers on Business and Local Government Partnership for National Progress, development of SME's and cooperatives, and local governance. He is the author of the book "A Call for Cooperative Revolution". After Pagdanganan lost the 2007
Bulacan Gubernatorial race, his brother, Ramon "Monching," who also lost the
Calumpit mayoralty race, was gunned down on May 4, 2008, in Calumpit. The
Philippine National Police (PNP) ordered full security for Roberto Pagdanganan. On October 15, 2009, the Supreme Court of the Philippines allowed the Commission on Elections to proceed with the election protest for the gubernatorial position in Bulacan of Roberto M. Pagdanganan against Joselito R. Mendoza. On December 1, 2009, the Commission on Elections proclaimed Roberto Pagdanganan as the rightful governor of the province of Bulacan. As a new member of the
Nacionalista Party, Pagdanganan ran for congressman for the 1st district of Bulacan in the
2010 but lost to incumbent
Ma. Victoria Sy-Alvarado. In retirement, he and
Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado (husband of Ma. Victoria), as former governors of Bulacan, campaigned against the conversion of
San Jose del Monte as a
highly urbanized city in a
2024 plebiscite, intended to separate it from Bulacan's political and administrative control. The plebiscite failed.
Government positions This is a partial list of government offices handled by Roberto Pagdanganan: • Governor, Province of Bulacan, 1988–1998 • National President, League Of Provinces of the Philippines, 1990–1998 • National President, Boy Scouts of the Philippines, 1995–1997 • Secretary, Department of Agrarian Reform (Philippines) January 20, 2003 – January 20, 2004 • Secretary,
Department of Tourism (Philippines) February 26 – August 31, 2004 • Chairman and President, Philippine International Trading Corporation, September 2004 - March 2007 • Chairman, Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PhilSOC), 2004–2005 ==Education==