First elected in 1995 as the 24th governor of Albay, Al Francis Bichara—a civil engineer by profession—was voted anew to the seat in May 2016, signaling the resurgence of significant improvements he had previously established for his constituents and the province as a whole.

After the expiration of his third consecutive term as governor in 2004, the popular public servant had successfully placed this part of northern Luzon both on the national and international stage as The Sunday Times Magazine learned on a weekend visit to Albay.