 Prior to governorship, he was a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines as the representative of the second district of Zamboanga del Sur.He has been succeeded in the Congress by his wife, Aurora Enerio-Cerilles as congressman who also preceded him in the governorship of the province.He also worked as the "Secretary of Department of Environment and Natural Resources" ("DENR") during the tenure of then Philippine President Joseph Estrada from 1998–2001.