| Post: | Mayor |
| Body: | Dipolog Mayor sa Dakbayan sa Dipolog |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of the City of Dipolog |
| Seat: | Dipolog City Hall |
| Incumbent: | Darel Dexter T. Uy |
| Incumbentsince: | June 30, 2016 |
| Appointer: | Elected via popular vote |
| Termlength: | 3 years, not eligible for re-election immediately after three consecutive terms |
| Formation: | July 1, 1913 January 1, 1970[1] |
| Succession: | Vice Mayor then highest ranking Sangguniang Panlungsod member |
| Deputy: | Vice Mayor |
| Inaugural: | Pascual T. Martinez (as a Municipality) Felicisimo L. Herrera (as a Chartered City) |
The mayor of Dipolog (Filipino; Pilipino: Punong Lungsod ng Dipolog, Cebuano: Mayor sa Dakbayan sa Dipolog) is the head of the executive branch of Dipolog's government. The mayor holds office at the Dipolog 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.
It was said that Dipolog's history as a government unit was established in 1834 when the Spanish Philippine government organized a civil government in the former Province of Misamis.[2] The following capitans were appointed:For another time, capitan was substituted to gobernadorcillo. The following men who had served the town as such were:Around January 1889, the Gobernadorcillo position is reverted to capitan before the occurrence of the Philippine Independence of 1898. The following were appointed to the position: In 1900, the capitan designation was renamed presidente local, and then renamed again to municipal president from 1901 to the time Dipolog was reverted to a barrio of Dapitan in March 1904. The following served that position:
In 1912, the Governor of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, General John "Black Jack" Pershing granted the petition of separating Dipolog from Dapitan (which Dipolog was a barrio of since it was reverted to such in 1904), and reorganize as a municipality again. As Dipolog was being created as a municipality in 1913, Municipal President of Dapitan Pascual Tan Martinez, a citizen of Dipolog, was appointed as the Municipal President of Dipolog.
Republic Act No. 5520, the Charter of the City of Dipolog was signed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on June 23, 1969, and Dipolog became a city on January 1, 1970. Felicisimo Herrera, who was Municipal Mayor since 1963, became City Mayor on the day of its cityhood.
The Local Government Code of 1991 outlines the functions and duties of the city mayor as follows:
| № | Name | Term Began | Term Ended | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appointed as Mayor of the Municipality of Dipolog | |||||
| 1 | Pascual T. Martinez | 1913 | 1921 | Appointed as Municipal President of Dapitan since 1910 prior to Dipolog's reestablishment. | [3] |
| 2 | Paciano J. Ortega | 1922 | Served in an ad interim position. Previously served as a municipal councilor in the first special local election. | ||
| 3 | Gaudencio Bendijo | 1922 | Served for only three months. | ||
| 4 | Isabelo Z. Echavez | 1922 | 1925 | Served in an ad interim position. | |
| 5 | Geronimo Gonzales | 1926 | 1927 | ||
| 6 | Felipe B. Lacaya | 1928 | Served in an ad interim position. | ||
| 7 | Fermin D. Kagatan | 1929 | 1930 | ||
| 8 | Gerino Z. Lailay | 1930 | 1935 | ||
| Elected as Mayor of the Municipality of Dipolog | |||||
| (8) | Gerino Z. Lailay | 1936 | 1937 | ||
| 9 | Vicente Calibo | 1938 | 1946 | ||
| (7) | Fermin D. Kagatan | 1946 | 1955 | Elected for a non-consecutive term. | |
| 10 | Pastor R. Bajamunde | 1956 | 1959 | ||
| 11 | Virginio B. Lacaya | 1960 | 1963 | ||
| 12 | Felicisimo L. Herrera | 1963 | 1969 | Last elected Municipal Mayor prior to cityhood. | |
| Mayor of the City of Dipolog[4] | |||||
| (12) | Felicisimo L. Herrera | January 1970 | May 1978 | First City Mayor following cityhood. | |
| 13 | Roseller "Matoy" L. Barinaga | May 1978 | April 1986 | Previously served as vice mayor prior to becoming mayor. | |
| 14 | Dario B. Lacaya | April 21, 1986 | December 2, 1987 | Served in an officer in charge (OIC) capacity. | |
| 15 | Luis B. Paloma | December 3, 1987 | January 7, 1988 | Served in an officer in charge (OIC) capacity. | |
| 16 | Pascual B. Bajamunde | January 8, 1988 | February 1, 1988 | Served in an officer in charge (OIC) capacity. | |
| (13) | Roseller "Matoy" L. Barinaga | February 2, 1988 | March 27, 1998 | Resigned to run for congressman of Zamboanga del Norte's 2nd congressional district, which includes Dipolog. | [5] |
| 17 | Edelburgo "Bebs" L. Cheng | March 27, 1998 | June 30, 1998 | Served in an acting capacity. Cheng was vice mayor from 1995 when he assumed as acting mayor after Mayor Barinaga's resignation, only to be re-elected as vice mayor in 1998. | |
| 18 | Roberto "Berto" Y. Uy | July 1, 1998 | June 30, 2007 | Previously served as officer in charge (OIC) Barangay Captain of Barangay Central for an unspecified period.[6] | [7] |
| 19 | Evelyn "Belen" T. Uy | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2016 | Served as First Lady of Dipolog during the tenure of Mayor Roberto Uy (1998 - 2007). | |
| 20 | Darel Dexter T. Uy | July 1, 2016 | Incumbent | Elected in 2016, 2019, and 2022. | [8] [9] |
See main article: Dipolog City Council. 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 Dipolog 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.
Senen O. Angeles (2004 - 2013, 2022–present) is the currently the vice mayor; he once served as City Councilor (2001 - 2004) and was Zamboanga del Norte Vice Governor (2013 – 2022).
After leaving office, a number of mayors held various public positions and made an effort to remain in the limelight.