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Eric Buhain
Member of the
Philippine House of Representatives
from Batangas' 1st district
Assumed office
June 30, 2022
Preceded byEileen Ermita-Buhain
Executive Director of the
Bureau of Immigration
In office
March 15, 2010 – October 2010
PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo
Benigno Aquino III
Chairman of the
Games and Amusements Board
In office
2005 – March 15, 2010
PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo
Succeeded byJuan Ramon Guanzon (OIC)
6th Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission
In office
2001–2005
PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo
Preceded byCarlos Tuazon
Succeeded byButch Ramirez
Personal details
Born
Joseph Eric Reyes Buhain

(1970-04-12) April 12, 1970 (age 53)
Manila, Philippines
Political partyNacionalista
Spouse
​
(m. 1995)​
EducationLa Salle University (BS)
Sports career
CountryPhilippines
SportAquatics
Medal record
Men's aquatics
Representing  Philippines
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place Bangkok 1985 400 m individual medley
Gold medal – first place Jakarta 1987 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place Jakarta 1987 100 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place Jakarta 1987 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place Jakarta 1987 400 m individual medley
Gold medal – first place Kuala Lumpur 1989 200 m individual medley
Gold medal – first place Kuala Lumpur 1989 400 m individual medley
Gold medal – first place Manila 1991 100 m breastroke
Gold medal – first place Manila 1991 100 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place Manila 1991 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place Manila 1991 200 m individual medley
Gold medal – first place Manila 1991 400 m individual medley
Gold medal – first place Singapore 1993 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place Kuala Lumpur 1989 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place Singapore 1993 100 m breastroke
Bronze medal – third place Bangkok 1985 4×100 m medley relay
Bronze medal – third place Bangkok 1985 200 m backstroke
Bronze medal – third place Jakarta 1987 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place Jakarta 1987 100 m backstroke
Bronze medal – third place Kuala Lumpur 1989 200 m freestyle

Eric Reyes Buhain[1] (Tagalog: [ˈbuhaʔɪn];[2] born April 12, 1970)[3] is a Filipino politician and former competitive swimmer serving as the Representative for Batangas's 1st district since 2022.

He won several medals in the Southeast Asian Games from 1985 to 1993, and participated in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. He later became a sports administrator. During the Arroyo administration, he served as chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, chairman of the Games and Amusements Board, and an executive director of the Bureau of Immigration.

Career

Competitive swimming

Eric ventured into swimming not because he dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal, but because of his doctor's advice to improve his lungs. Eric was born with primary lung complex. He enrolled in a two-week swimming program at the age of seven. Yet his training was breached by another illness, hepatitis. However, this didn't stop him; a year later he was training again and taking the advance course in swimming, the competitive course, at age nine. It was at this age that he got into the varsity swimming team of De La Salle Santiago Zobel School and vowed to win a gold medal in the sport.

By 1981, he was a member of the Philippine Team and swam in the 400-meter individual medley at age eleven. But it was in his first Southeast Asian Games in 1985, held in Bangkok, Thailand, where he snatched the gold in the same category at the age of fifteen. He participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics and was also chosen as the country's flag bearer for the opening ceremonies.

In the 1989 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Buhain broke one of the existing SEA Games swimming records. In the 1991 Southeast Asian Games, where the Philippines was the host, he made a huge contribution to the gold medal record of the host country by winning most of the events in swimming. He was chosen to represent the Philippines in the 1992 Summer Olympics. He didn't win any medals in that sporting event.

Even though he won several gold medals in the 1993 Southeast Asian Games, Buhain decided to retire from his swimming career. He was disappointed by the poor government management that led to a mediocre performance of the Philippines team in that sporting event.

Sports administration

Buhain spent his early career in sport administration as the national training director of the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA) and president of the Professional Swimming Coaches Academy of the Philippines (ProSCAP).[3]

In 2001, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed Buhain as the chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission after learning of the Philippines poor international ranking in sports. He instituted reforms that led to protests by some commissioners and employees. In 2003, the Philippines increased its rank in the medal tally in the Southeast Asian Games and the country won several medals in the 2002 Asian Games after getting only a bronze medal in the 1998 Asian Games.

Barely six months before the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, he was appointed by President Arroyo as the chairman of the Games and Amusement Board (GAB), a public agency that handles professional sporting and gambling events.

On March 15, 2010, he left the GAB when President Arroyo appointed him as a director of the Bureau of Immigration.[4]

Politics

In the 2022 elections, Buhain is a candidate for representative of Batangas' 1st district, the seat his wife is scheduled to vacate. He ran against his sister-in-law, Lisa Ermita, and won.[5]

Personal life

The oldest child of former Bacoor, Cavite municipal vice mayor Cecilia Reyes-Buhain, Eric finished his elementary and secondary education at the De La Salle Santiago Zobel School in Ayala Alabang. In 1991, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in finance at La Salle University in Philadelphia, United States.[6]

Buhain is the husband of Representative Eileen Ermita-Buhain of the 1st district of Batangas, and the son-in-law of former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

Buhain is the older sibling of Camille Buhain-Javier,[7] one of the three women-lawyers behind the Filipino YouTube channel, The Soshal Network.[8]

Honors and awards

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (April 2022)

References

  1. ^ "2022 Elections: Buhain, Eric". Rappler. 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "Eric Buhain, nagbalik-tanaw". People's Television Network (in Tagalog). July 28, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Buhain, Eric; Paglumotan, Alex; Bautista, Angel; Artugue, Ofelina (2006). "Games and Amusements Board Manual of Operations 2006" (PDF). gab.gov.ph. Games and Amusements Board. p. v. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "Buhain gets post in BID, leaves GAB". ABS-CBN News. March 21, 2010. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "PH swimming icon Eric Buhain to run for congressman in Batangas". ABS-CBN News. October 2, 2021. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  6. ^ "Buhain, Eric R." dlsaa.com. De La Salle Alumni Association. 21 September 2015. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  7. ^ Defensor, Tet (2023-01-16). "The Soshal Network: Forever funny lawyers". Manila Standard. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  8. ^ Bills, Bills, Bills sa Congress (Paano masali sa National Budget 🤣), retrieved 2023-02-15
  9. ^ Yumol, David Tristan (March 12, 2021). "Jaworski, Muros lead 2021 PH Sports Hall of Fame class". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
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