Mayor of Manila facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Manila
Seal of the City of Manila
Incumbent Honey Lacuna Pangan since June 30, 2022
Style	The Honorable (Formal)
Seat	Manila City Hall, Ermita
Appointer	Elected via popular vote
Term length	3 years, not eligible for re-election immediately after three consecutive terms
Inaugural holder	Arsenio Cruz Herrera
Formation	1901
Website	Lungsod ng Maynila

The City Mayor of Manila is the main leader of Manila's city government. Think of them as the city's chief executive officer. The mayor works from the Manila City Hall.

Just like other local leaders in the Philippines, the mayor is chosen by a popular vote. This means the person with the most votes wins. A mayor can serve for three terms in a row. After that, they cannot be elected immediately, but they can run again later. If a mayor leaves office because of death, resignation, or illness, the vice mayor steps in to take their place.

History of Manila's Mayors

Early Leaders (Before 1901)

Before the Spanish arrived, Manila was led by local chiefs called datus. When the Spanish took over in 1575, they appointed Spanish people to lead the city. Filipinos could only hold lower positions, like cabeza de barangay (village chief).

Later, in 1895, a law called the Maura Law was passed. This law allowed people to elect their own town heads, called capitan municipal. However, the Spanish still had a lot of power and could say no to decisions.

Changes During Wars (1901-1951)

During the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War, the city's leader was again appointed, not elected. In World War II, President Manuel L. Quezon appointed Jorge B. Vargas as mayor of the City of Greater Manila in 1941. This was a bigger area, like an early version of Metro Manila.

After Manila was freed in 1945 by Filipino and American soldiers, the old system of appointing a mayor returned.

Electing Mayors (1952-Present)

In 1951, a new law changed things. The mayor of Manila would now be elected by the people! The first election was in 1951. Arsenio Lacson, who was a congressman, won against the current mayor, Manuel de la Fuente.

A few years after President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, Manila and nearby cities like Quezon City, Caloocan, and Pasay came under the control of a new governor for Metro Manila. President Marcos appointed his wife, Imelda Marcos, to this role.

Manila's Golden Age

When Arsenio Lacson became the first elected mayor, Manila entered a special time called The Golden Age. The city became lively again and was known as the "Pearl of the Orient." After Mayor Lacson, Antonio Villegas led the city in the 1960s, and Ramon Bagatsing was mayor for most of the 1970s.

These three mayors—Lacson, Villegas, and Bagatsing—are often called "the Big Three of Manila." They served for a long time, from 1952 to 1986. They helped Manila grow and improved life for its people.

After the People Power Revolution

After the People Power Revolution in 1986, which removed President Marcos, President Corazon Aquino appointed new temporary leaders for all local areas. She chose Mel Lopez to be the temporary mayor of Manila.

Local elections were held in 1988, and Lopez was elected as mayor. In 1991, a new law called the Local Government Code was created. This law made the mayor of Manila's powers similar to those of mayors in other cities.

The longest-serving mayor of Manila was Ramon Bagatsing. He was mayor from 1971 until 1986. He supported the 1986 revolution and willingly gave up his position to the new temporary leader.

List of Mayors

Here's a list of the people who have served as Mayor of Manila.

No.	Image	Name of mayor	Party		Term	Start of term	End of term	Name of Vice mayor
Appointed Mayors (1901–1951)
1		Arsenio Cruz Herrera		Federalist	N/A	August 7, 1901	September 18, 1905	Ramón Fernández
2		Félix M. Roxas		Federalist		September 19, 1905	January 15, 1917
								Ramón Fernández Isabelo de los Reyes Justo Lukban Pablo Ocampo
								Pablo Ocampo
3		Justo Lukban		Liga Popular		January 16, 1917	March 6, 1920
4		Ramón Fernández		Democrata		March 7, 1920	July 16, 1923	Juan Posadas Jr.
5		Eulogio A. Rodriguez Sr.		Democrata		July 17, 1923	February 8, 1924
6		Miguel Romuáldez		Nacionalista		February 9, 1924	August 31, 1927	Tomás Earnshaw
7		Tomás Earnshaw		Nacionalista		September 1, 1927	December 31, 1933
								Juan Posadas Jr. Isabelo de los Reyes Jorge B. Vargas
								Jorge B. Vargas
8		Juan Posadas Jr.		Nacionalista		January 1, 1934	January 4, 1940
(5)		Eulogio A. Rodriguez Sr.		Nacionalista		January 5, 1940	August 28, 1941	Carmen Planas
9		Juan G. Nolasco		Nacionalista		August 29, 1941	December 23, 1941	Hermenegildo Atienza
10		Jorge B. Vargas		Nacionalista		December 24, 1941	January 26, 1942
				KALIBAPI
11		Leon Guinto Sr.		KALIBAPI		January 27, 1942	July 17, 1944
12		Hermenegildo Atienza		KALIBAPI		July 18, 1944	July 18, 1945	Carmen Planas
(9)		Juan G. Nolasco		Nacionalista		July 19, 1945	June 6, 1946
13		Valeriano E. Fugoso Sr.		Liberal		June 7, 1946	December 31, 1947
14		Manuel de la Fuente		Liberal		January 1, 1948	December 31, 1951
								Carmen Planas
								Iñigo Ed. Regalado
Elected Mayors (1952–present)
15		Arsenio Lacson Sr.		Nacionalista	1951	January 1, 1952	April 15, 1962	Jesus Marcos Roces
					1955
					1959			Antonio Villegas
16		Antonio Villegas		Liberal		April 16, 1962	December 31, 1971	Herminio A. Astorga
					1963
					1967			Felicisimo Cabigao
								Atty. Ernesto Maceda Sr.
								Atty. Danilo B. Lacuna Sr.
								Atty. Mel Lopez
17		Ramon Bagatsing		Liberal	1971	January 1, 1972	March 26, 1986
								Martin B. Isidro Sr.
				KBL	1980			James Barbers
18		Mel Lopez		UNIDO		March 26, 1986	December 1, 1987	Bambi M. Ocampo
				PDP–Laban				Ernesto A. Nieva
				PDP–Laban				Ernesto A. Nieva
19		Gregorio Ejercito		N/A		December 2, 1987	February 2, 1988	Ernesto A. Nieva
(18)		Mel Lopez		PDP–Laban	1988	February 3, 1988	June 30, 1992	Danilo Lacuna
				LDP
				Lakas				Ernesto Maceda Jr.
20		Alfredo Lim		PRP	1992	June 30, 1992	March 27, 1998	Lito Atienza
				Liberal	1995
21		Lito Atienza		Liberal		March 27, 1998	June 30, 2007	Ernesto Nieva
								Larry Silva
					1998			Danilo Lacuna
					2001
					2004
(20)		Alfredo Lim		PMP	2007	June 30, 2007	June 30, 2013	Isko Moreno
				Liberal	2010
22		Joseph Estrada		UNA	2013	June 30, 2013	June 30, 2019
				PMP	2016			Honey Lacuna Pangan
23		Isko Moreno		Asenso Manileño	2019	June 30, 2019	June 30, 2022
24		Honey Lacuna Pangan		Asenso Manileño	2022	June 30, 2022	Incumbent	Yul Servo Nieto

The Vice Mayor of Manila

The vice mayor is the second most important official in Manila. They are also chosen by popular vote. Sometimes, the mayor and vice mayor might be from different political parties. This is because people vote for them separately.

The vice mayor leads the Manila City Council meetings. They can only vote if there's a tie. If the mayor leaves office, the vice mayor becomes the new mayor until the next election.

The current vice mayor is Yul Servo Nieto.

Elections for Mayor

The mayor of Manila holds office at the Manila City Hall.

Here are some of the past elections for Manila's mayor:

• 1951 Manila mayoral election
• 1955 Manila mayoral election
• 1959 Manila mayoral election
• 1963 Manila mayoral election
• 1967 Manila mayoral election
• 1971 Manila mayoral election
• 1980 Manila mayoral election
• 1988 Manila local elections
• 1992 Manila local elections
• 1995 Manila local elections
• 1998 Manila local elections
• 2001 Manila local elections
• 2004 Manila local elections
• 2007 Manila local elections
• 2010 Manila local elections
• 2013 Manila local elections
• 2016 Manila local elections
• 2019 Manila local elections
• 2022 Manila local elections
• 2025 Manila local elections

See also

• Gobernadorcillo
• Cabeza de Barangay
• Legislative districts of Manila. representation in the House of Representatives
• Manila City Council

Images for kids

• 

  Isabelo de los Reyes

• 

  Pablo Ocampo

• 

  Iñigo Ed. Regalado

• 

  Ernesto Maceda

• 

  Atty. Martin B. Isidro Sr.

• James Barbers.jpg

  James Barbers

• 

  Isko Moreno

• 

  Yul Servo