Raneo Abu was born on May 12, 1967. He completed elementary and high school education in public schools in Bauan. In college, he took up general engineering at Batangas State University (formerly Pablo Borbon Memorial Institute of Technology) in 1984 to 1985 before transferring to University of Batangas (formerly Western Philippine Colleges) to take up political science from 1986 to 1989. He was a working student, notably at an ice plant every summer. However, he dropped off from the university to help his parents by working.[4]
Political career
Committee Support Services Division of the Philippine Senate (1990–1992)
Abu's stint in government service started in 1988 when he became a youth development assistant in the office of then-Governor Vicente Mayo. He also worked as a photocopying attendant at the Committee Support Services Division of the Senate from 1990 to 1992.
Municipal Councilor of Bauan (1992–1995)
In 1992, he ran as municipal councilor of Bauan and won. However, he served for only one term as he did not seek re-election in 1995 because his father was dying of liver cancer.
Post-municipal councilorship (1995–2013)
Instead, his father asked him to help Hermilando Mandanas, who was then running for governor in 1995. Abu served as executive assistant for Mandanas, a position that he kept until 2004 when he was appointed supervising political affairs officer in the House of Representatives under the office of Mandanas, who was then elected representative of the 2nd district of Batangas.[4]
Abu is married to Maria Paz Dolor, who has worked as a domestic helper in Italy,[4] with whom he has three children.[7] Their eldest daughter, Maria Reina, is a physician by profession who unsuccessfully ran for representative at the 2nd district of Batangas in 2022.[8]
On March 25, 2021, Abu tested positive for COVID-19.[9]
