Rep. Paul Daza
1st District, Northern Samar


AMONGST the new breed of incoming legislators in the House of Representatives is Rep. Paul R. Daza from Barangay Cawayan, Catarman, 1st District of Northern Samar.

Daza’s impressive educational background dates back to high school when he graduated magna cum laude at La Salle High School in Pasadena, California . He was a member of the National Honor Society while at the same time excelled in sports as a champion track and field athlete and basketball player. Consequently, he pursued his degree in Bachelor of Arts in Economics/ Business at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he consistently displayed academic excellence as a dean’s lister, graduating with honors as cum laude in 1984. Not long after, he continued further studies in UCLA School of Law in 1987 and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1988. He was also an active student leader having served as external vice president of the student government.

Daza’s early experiences as a young professional include working at the Real Estate Propery section of Security Pacific National Bank in Los Angeles and as a tax intern at Arthur Andersen and Company, formerly one of the top CPA firms in the world. To further his career, he became part of the tax department of Price Waterhouse in the late 1980’s. He later practiced law specializing in insurance, bankruptcy and tax law. When the landmark Build-Operate- Transfer (BOT) Law was enacted in the early 90s, Daza joined Metro Rail Transit Corporation, which designed, financed and built the EDSA MRT 3, as senior vice president and spokesperson for the project.

Daza follows the footsteps of his father now Governor Raul A. Daza, former LP President and Speaker Pro Tempore/Deputy Speaker. His mother Teresita Ruiz also comes from a family of public servants. Her grandfather Alejandro Ruiz was a five-term congressman from Argao, Cebu.