Sepulturero turned councilor has lively plans for Batangas town

A town councilor carries the arduous task of crafting local ordinances and making sure he uplift people's lives, all the while maintaining safety, peace, and progress.

An episode of GMA News TV's Investigative Documentaries this week takes us to Taal, Batangas where townspeople found a local sepulturero as the right man for the job.

Arnel Garces, who provided for his family by digging graves and building mausoleums, never went to college but he was able to send all his children to school.

Several locals also had him to thank for free healthcare and improved sewer systems as served the town as barangay captain and kagawad. 

"Ang mga batas na una kong naipasa yung mga pagbibigay ng PhilHealth, pag-tulong sa atin hong mga kapwang tao, paggawa ho ng rehabilitation ng mga barangay hall, ng mga sewerage system ho ng mga kanal," Garces said.

Taal is home to over 56,000 people.  

Twenty ran for the councilor position last May, and 17,787 of them placed their trust in Garces.

"Hindi naman naging hadlang ang pagiging sepulturero niya," one of his voters said.

"Hindi ibig sabihin na hindi niya maibigay yung kakayahan niya para mag-lingkod sa ating bayan."—Margaret Claire Layug/LDF, GMA News