Born on December 29, 1946 in coastal town of Hagonoy, Alvarado, a consistent honor student during elementary and valedictorian in high school, finished his Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in Banking and Finance at the University of Santo Tomas, where he also earned units in Economics in 1967.

Governor Alvarado worked immediately after college as financial bookkeeper in Solid Bank from where he served for eleven years. Equipped with all the necessary skills and knowledge in business management he acquired in schools, in office and experience in running a fishpond while he was a bookkeeper at the same time, Alvarado pursued his aquaculture business that remains operational until today.

Governor Alvarado also worked as District Chairman in Hagonoy Water District before throwing his hat in the political arena. He was elected mayor of Hagonoy, Bulacan and served for three consecutive terms from 1987 to 1998. Earlier, he was appointed Officer-in-Charge (OIC Mayor) of Hagonoy from 1986-1987 after the EDSA Revolution.

Within this period, Gov. Alvarado received the much-coveted Pag-asa Award for Outstanding Public Official of the Philippines by the Civil Service Commission in 1992.

Upon finishing his term as mayor, he ran for congressman of the First District of Bulacan in 1998. He won by a landslide victory in three successive elections and represented his district in Congress for nine years. He was one of the 18 members of the 12th Congress of the House of Representatives who had been awarded for diligently attending every session of the House.

In the 2007 elections, Alvarado teamed-up with former governor Roberto Pagdanganan and won the race as vice-governor over other tough candidates.

After three years, Alvarado ran for governor with running-mate former board member and actor Daniel Fernando who both became victorious.

Gov. Alvarado is known as Father of North Luzon Expressway, Father of the City of Malolos, and Champion of Education. He is also known for his struggle in claiming the Water Right of the Province as provided for under Sec. 7 Article 10 of the Constitution and Sec. 289 – 293 of the Local Government Code.

Because of his noteworthy accomplishment and contributions to society, Governor Alvarado was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humanities honoris causa by the Bulacan State University.