Mayor of Manila
Encyclopedia
The Mayor of Manila is the head of the executive branch of the City of Manila
's government. The mayor holds office at Manila City Hall
. Like all local government heads in the Philippines
, the mayor is elected via popular vote, and may not be elected for a fourth consecutive term (although the former mayor may return to office after an interval of one term). In case of death, resignation or incapacity, the vice mayor becomes the mayor.
, Manila was a Muslim
chiefdom headed by datu
s. From the defeat of Rajah Sulayman
's forces in 1595 to the passage of the Maura Law
in 1895, the chief executive of the city was appointed by the Spanish government to a person of Spanish descent. The highest position a Filipino was able to hold was the cabeza de barangay
. With the passage of the Maura Law, the office of capitan municipal was established, with the people electing their own town heads, although the Spanish retained considerable influence and can veto decisions.
With the eruption of the Philippine Revolution
and the Philippine–American War, the position reverted to an appointive head. With the advent of World War II
, President
Manuel L. Quezon
appointed Jorge B. Vargas
as "mayor of Greater Manila" (forerunner of Metro Manila
) in 1941. With the liberation of Manila in 1945 by combined Filipino and American soldiers against the Japanese Imperial forces, the earlier setup was used once again.
With the amendment of the city's charter in 1951, the position became an elective post. The first mayoral election was in 1951, and Manila's congressman from the 2nd district Arsenio Lacson
defeated incumbent Manuel de la Fuente. After the declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos
, the office of the mayor was overshadowed by the governor of the newly-created Metro Manila, whom Marcos appointed his wife, Imelda Marcos
, to the position.
With the ouster of Marcos during the People Power Revolution, President Corazon Aquino
vacated all local executive officials and appointed officers in charge (OIC) in their place; she appointed party-mate Mel Lopez
as OIC of Manila. Local elections were held in 1988
, and Lopez was elected as mayor. The Local Government Code
was enacted in 1991, and standardized the powers of Manila's mayor making it at par with other cities in the country.
The office of the mayor is often used as a springboard for further political ambitions. In 1961, Lacson bolted the Nacionalista Party to become the campaign manager of the Liberal Party
's Diosdado Macapagal
's presidential campaign. After Macapagal's victory, Lacson returned with the Nacionalistas and became a critic of the Macapagal administration. Lacson would've been likely the Nacionalista's candidate for the presidency in 1965, had not death intervened in 1962. In 1998
, the sitting mayor of Manila, Alfredo Lim
, did run as the Liberal Party's candidate for the presidency, but was beaten by Joseph Estrada
, finishing fifth in a field of ten candidates, garnering 9% of the vote.
At this time, Aquino forced the resignation of all local government unit heads and appointed officers in charge in their place. An election
elected mayors and replaced the officers in charge.
s, the vice mayor is elected separately from the mayor. This can result in the mayor and the vice mayor coming from different political parties.
The Vice Mayor is the presiding officer of the Manila City Council, although he can only vote as the tiebreaker. When a mayor is removed from office, the vice mayor becomes the mayor until the scheduled next election.
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
's government. The mayor holds office at Manila City Hall
Manila City Hall
The Manila City Hall is one of the distinct landmarks in the capital city of Manila, in the Philippines. The edifice, with its hexagonal tower with three red-faced clock on three of its facets, received unfavorable reviews in its initial years because of its austere architectural design, lack of...
. Like all local government heads in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the mayor is elected via popular vote, and may not be elected for a fourth consecutive term (although the former mayor may return to office after an interval of one term). In case of death, resignation or incapacity, the vice mayor becomes the mayor.
History
Prior to the arrival of Miguel López de LegazpiMiguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador who established one of the first European settlements in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands in 1565. He is the first Governor-General in the Philippines...
, Manila was a Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
chiefdom headed by datu
Datu
Datu is the title for tribal chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs in the Visayas and Mindanao Regions of the Philippines. Together with Lakan , Apo in Central and Northern Luzon, Sultan and Rajah, they are titles used for native royalty, and are still currently used in the Philippines...
s. From the defeat of Rajah Sulayman
Rajah Sulayman
Rajah Sulayman was the Muslim Rajah of Maynila, a kingdom at the mouth of the Pasig River where it meets Manila Bay, at the time the Spanish forces first came to Luzon....
's forces in 1595 to the passage of the Maura Law
Maura Law
The Maura Law was a law that laid the basic foundations for municipal government in the Philippines. It is named after its author, Don Antonio Maura, the Spanish Minister of Colonies at the time. It was promulgated on May 19, 1893, and put into effect starting in 1895. The law's preamble stated...
in 1895, the chief executive of the city was appointed by the Spanish government to a person of Spanish descent. The highest position a Filipino was able to hold was the cabeza de barangay
Cabeza de Barangay
The Cabeza de Barangay was the leader or chief of a barangay in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. The post was inherited from the first datus who became cabezas de barangay when the many independent barangays fell under the rule of the Spanish Crown...
. With the passage of the Maura Law, the office of capitan municipal was established, with the people electing their own town heads, although the Spanish retained considerable influence and can veto decisions.
With the eruption of the Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
and the Philippine–American War, the position reverted to an appointive head. With the advent of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...
appointed Jorge B. Vargas
Jorge B. Vargas
Jorge B. Vargas was a lawyer and youth advocate born in Bago City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911 and a Bachelor of Law degree with honors in 1914, both from the University of the...
as "mayor of Greater Manila" (forerunner of Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
) in 1941. With the liberation of Manila in 1945 by combined Filipino and American soldiers against the Japanese Imperial forces, the earlier setup was used once again.
With the amendment of the city's charter in 1951, the position became an elective post. The first mayoral election was in 1951, and Manila's congressman from the 2nd district Arsenio Lacson
Arsenio Lacson
Arsenio H. Lacson was a Filipino journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as Mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive likened by Time and The New York Times to New York's Fiorello La Guardia, he was the first Manila mayor to be reelected to three terms...
defeated incumbent Manuel de la Fuente. After the declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
, the office of the mayor was overshadowed by the governor of the newly-created Metro Manila, whom Marcos appointed his wife, Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos
Imelda R. Marcos is a Filipino politician and widow of 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986...
, to the position.
With the ouster of Marcos during the People Power Revolution, President Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
vacated all local executive officials and appointed officers in charge (OIC) in their place; she appointed party-mate Mel Lopez
Mel Lopez
Gemiliano C. Lopez Jr. served as Mayor of the City of Manila and was a former assemblyman of the Philippines.-Early life:...
as OIC of Manila. Local elections were held in 1988
Philippine local election, 1988
This article on elections in the Philippines give information on election and election results in the Philippines.Local elections for a new set of local and municipal officials were held on January 18, 1988 under the new Constitution of the Philippines which was ratified in...
, and Lopez was elected as mayor. The Local Government Code
Local government in the Philippines
Local government in the Philippines is divided into four levels:#Autonomous regions#Provinces and cities independent from a province#Component cities and municipalities#Barangays...
was enacted in 1991, and standardized the powers of Manila's mayor making it at par with other cities in the country.
The office of the mayor is often used as a springboard for further political ambitions. In 1961, Lacson bolted the Nacionalista Party to become the campaign manager of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
's Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970...
's presidential campaign. After Macapagal's victory, Lacson returned with the Nacionalistas and became a critic of the Macapagal administration. Lacson would've been likely the Nacionalista's candidate for the presidency in 1965, had not death intervened in 1962. In 1998
Philippine general election, 1998
The senatorial election was held in the Philippines on May 11, 1998. The two main competing coalitions in the senatorial election were the Lakas-NUCD-UMDP and the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino -led coalition composed of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino , Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino , the...
, the sitting mayor of Manila, Alfredo Lim
Alfredo Lim
Alfredo Siojo Lim is the incumbent Mayor of the City of Manila and a former senator of the Philippines. A widower, he first served as mayor of Manila from 1992 to 1998 and returned to that post after winning in the 2007 mayoral election.-Early life and career:Born on December 21, 1929 in 1324 J...
, did run as the Liberal Party's candidate for the presidency, but was beaten by Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
, finishing fifth in a field of ten candidates, garnering 9% of the vote.
List
Appointed
- Arsenio Cruz-Herrera (1901-1905)
- Félix Roxas (1905 - 1917)
- Justo Lukban (1917-1920)
- Ramón Fernández (1920-1924)
- Miguel Romuáldez (1924-1927)
- Tomás Earnshaw (1927-1935)
- Valeriano Fugoso (1935-1941)
- Jorge B. VargasJorge B. VargasJorge B. Vargas was a lawyer and youth advocate born in Bago City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911 and a Bachelor of Law degree with honors in 1914, both from the University of the...
(1941-1942) - León G. Guinto, Sr.León G. Guinto, Sr.Leon G. Guinto, Sr. distinguished himself as public servant in the Philippines from the Commonwealth period up to the post-war era, best remembered as the war-time Mayor of the City of Manila in the Philippines....
(1942-1945) - Juan L. Nolasco (1945-1948)
- Manuel de la Fuente (1948-1952)
Elected
| Name | |Party | Start of term | End of term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenio Lacson Arsenio Lacson Arsenio H. Lacson was a Filipino journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as Mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive likened by Time and The New York Times to New York's Fiorello La Guardia, he was the first Manila mayor to be reelected to three terms... |
Nacionalista Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907... |
January 1, 1952 | April 15, 1962 | |
| Liberal Liberal Party (Philippines) The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the... |
||||
| Antonio Villegas | Liberal Liberal Party (Philippines) The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the... |
April 15, 1962 | December 30, 1971 | |
| Nacionalista Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907... |
||||
| Ramon Bagatsing Ramon Bagatsing Dr. Ramon D. Bagatsing was the Mayor of Manila during Martial Law from 1971 to 1986. He was the first Indian Filipino to serve in this position.-Early Life and Military Career:... |
|Liberal Liberal Party (Philippines) The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the... |
December 30, 1971 | May 1986 | |
| KBL Kilusang Bagong Lipunan The Kilusang Bagong Lipunan , formerly the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ng Nagkakaisang Nacionalista, Liberal, at iba pa, , is a political party in the Philippines... |
||||
| Mel Lopez Mel Lopez Gemiliano C. Lopez Jr. served as Mayor of the City of Manila and was a former assemblyman of the Philippines.-Early life:... |
UNIDO United Nationalists Democratic Organizations The United Nationalist Democratic Organization or UNIDO was the main umbrella coalition of the traditional political opposition during the turbulent last years of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in the mid-1980s. It was formed in January 1980, and was originally known as the United Democratic... |
May 1986 | June 30, 1992 | |
| Alfredo Lim Alfredo Lim Alfredo Siojo Lim is the incumbent Mayor of the City of Manila and a former senator of the Philippines. A widower, he first served as mayor of Manila from 1992 to 1998 and returned to that post after winning in the 2007 mayoral election.-Early life and career:Born on December 21, 1929 in 1324 J... |
PRP People's Reform Party The People's Reform Party is a political party in the Philippines. Founded on April 12, 1991 as the political party of former Agrarian Reform Secretary Miriam Defensor-Santiago for her bid as President in the 1992 Presidential Elections. During the 1992 Elections, the party nominated Santiago as... |
June 30, 1992 | June 30, 1998 | |
| Lito Atienza Lito Atienza Jose Livioko Atienza, Jr. , commonly known by his nickname Lito Atienza, is the former city mayor of Manila and former secretary of the Department of Environment and Resources. He stepped down as mayor of Manila on June 30, 2007, after serving a three-year three-term limit for local government... |
Liberal Liberal Party (Philippines) The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the... |
June 30, 1998 | June 30, 2007 | |
| Alfredo Lim Alfredo Lim Alfredo Siojo Lim is the incumbent Mayor of the City of Manila and a former senator of the Philippines. A widower, he first served as mayor of Manila from 1992 to 1998 and returned to that post after winning in the 2007 mayoral election.-Early life and career:Born on December 21, 1929 in 1324 J... |
PMP Partido ng Masang Pilipino The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino , formerly Partido ng Masang Pilipino is a populist political party in the Philippines. It is the political party of former Philippine President Joseph Estrada... |
June 30, 2007 | present | |
| Liberal Liberal Party (Philippines) The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the... (KKK) |
At this time, Aquino forced the resignation of all local government unit heads and appointed officers in charge in their place. An election
Philippine local election, 1988
This article on elections in the Philippines give information on election and election results in the Philippines.Local elections for a new set of local and municipal officials were held on January 18, 1988 under the new Constitution of the Philippines which was ratified in...
elected mayors and replaced the officers in charge.
Vice Mayor of Manila
The Vice Mayor is the second-highest official of the city. The vice mayor is elected via popular vote; although most mayoral candidates have running mateRunning mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
s, the vice mayor is elected separately from the mayor. This can result in the mayor and the vice mayor coming from different political parties.
The Vice Mayor is the presiding officer of the Manila City Council, although he can only vote as the tiebreaker. When a mayor is removed from office, the vice mayor becomes the mayor until the scheduled next election.
See also
- Roman Catholic archbishop of Manila