[5] After witnessing a violent demolition of a squatters' area in Tondo, Manila, during his college years, he realized that he must start making a difference in the lives of the impoverished and marginalized sectors of Philippine society.
In a special issue of The Flame, he wrote the article "Confessions of a Butcher", a satire about President Ferdinand Marcos and his defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile.
Soon, the UST administration warned the Varsitarian against publishing articles deemed critical of the Marcos regime, compelling Llamas to give up his editorship.
As its president, Llamas managed to personally hand over to Pope John Paul II a letter expressing the Filipino students' dissent against the Marcos dictatorship when the Supreme Pontiff first visited the country in 1981, which was published in the L'Osservatore Romano months later.
On February 25, 2006, he and other personalities were arrested in Santolan, Quezon City, while leading a protest rally commemorating the 20th anniversary of the first People Power Revolution.
[16] Since stepping down from his cabinet position, Llamas has stayed active in the media, regularly appearing on talk shows, news programs, and political discussions.
Llamas has made frequent appearances on shows like Facts First with Christian Esguerra, where he shared his perspective on current political events.