Mayor of Manila

Mayor of The City of Manila
Seal of the City of Manila
Incumbent Alfredo Lim since June 30, 2007
Appointer	Elected via popular vote
Term length	3 years
Inaugural holder	Arsenio Cruz-Herrera
Formation	1901
Website	Office of the Mayor of Manila

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.

History

Prior to the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi, Manila was a Muslim chiefdom headed by datus. 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.^[1] 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.

List

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

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. Vargas (1941-1942)
• León G. Guinto, Sr. (1942-1945)
• Juan L. Nolasco (1945-1948)
• Manuel de la Fuente (1948-1952)

Elected

Name	Party		Start of term	End of term
Arsenio Lacson		Nacionalista	January 1, 1952	April 15, 1962
		Liberal
Antonio Villegas		Liberal	April 15, 1962	December 30, 1971
		Nacionalista
Ramon Bagatsing		Liberal	December 30, 1971	May 1986[a]
		KBL
Mel Lopez		UNIDO	May 1986	June 30, 1992
Alfredo Lim		PRP	June 30, 1992	June 30, 1998
Lito Atienza		Liberal	June 30, 1998	June 30, 2007
Alfredo Lim		PMP	June 30, 2007	present
		Liberal (KKK)

^a 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.

Elections

• Manila local elections, 2010

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 mates, 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

References

1. ^ "Arsenio Lacson of Manila Dead (pay site)". New York Times. 1962-04-16. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70D17FE3A5E1A738DDDAF0994DC405B828AF1D3. Retrieved 2008-02-02. "Mr. Lacson had returned to the Nacionalista party, now in opposition, and was considered likely to be its Presidential candidate in 1965" 

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