Currently the Budget and Management Secretary under the Aquino administration, Florencio “Butch” Barsana Abad has worked in various capacities as a reform advocate and public servant for over 30 years.
Unknown to many, "Butch" prefaced his political career by providing legal assistance to landless farmers and human rights victims at the height of the Marcos dictatorship. It was only natural that he would engage in such "barefoot lawyering," as Butch himself had received public assistance in his law studies. Together with Fr. Joaquin Bernas, he founded the Ateneo Legal Assistance Center, where he and his peers worked as paralegals for clients who otherwise could not afford legal services.
He later served as Representative of Batanes in 1987 and was appointed Secretary of Agrarian Reform under the first Aquino administration. He later returned to Congress as House Representative of Batanes in 1995, where he served three consecutive terms. In 2004, he began his term as Secretary of Education, during which he pursued key reforms in basic education that he started as a legislator.
From 1999 to 1994, Abad served as president of the Liberal Party, He continues to be a highly influential figure in the organization and is widely regarded as a mentor for political aspirants. These include President Benigno S. Aquino III himself, whom Abad served as campaign manager in his Senatorial and Presidential bids in 2007 and 2010.
Since assuming the role of Budget and Management Secretary, he has successfully spearheaded several expenditure reforms—including the GAA-as-Release Document, Performance-Based Budgeting, Grassroots Participatory Budgeting, and landmark digitization initiatives—effectively bringing greater transparency, accountability, and openness to the public expenditure process.