| Post: | Mayor |
| Body: | Cebu City |
| Insignia: | Cebu City Old Seal - Mayor's Office.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 120px |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of the Cebu City Mayor |
| Incumbent: | Raymond Alvin Neri Garcia |
| Incumbentsince: | October 9, 2024 |
| Style: | The Honorable |
| Seat: | Cebu City Hall |
| Appointer: | Elected via popular vote |
| Termlength: | 3 years, renewable twice consecutively |
| Formation: | 1936[1] |
| Succession: | Vice Mayor then Highest ranking Sangguniang Panlungsod member |
| Inaugural: | Mariano Jesús Cuenco |
| Deputy: | Vice Mayor |
| Salary: | per month (2021)[2] |
The Mayor of Cebu City (ceb|Punong Dakbayan sa Sugbo) is the chief executive of the government of Cebu City in the Philippines. The mayor leads the city's departments in executing ordinances and delivering public services. The mayorship is a three-year term and each mayor is restricted to three consecutive terms, totaling nine years, although a mayor can be elected again after an interruption of one term.[3]
The current mayor is Raymond Alvin N. Garcia of KUSUG, who was elected vice mayor in 2022. Garcia served as acting mayor after Michael Rama was suspended by the Ombudsman for 6 months on May 8, 2024 after Rama was charged with administrative abuse.[4] Rama was subsequently dismissed from office by the Ombudsman on October 3, 2024 after being found guilty of grave misconduct and nepotism,[5] after which Garcia formally succeeded as mayor, being inaugurated on October 9, 2024.
Commonwealth Act No. 38 or the Charter of the City of Cebu, signed on October 20, 1936 and officially inaugurated on February 24, 1937, created the post of City Mayor which shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the approval of the Commission on Appointments. President Manuel Quezon appointed Alfredo V. Jacinto of Gapan, Nueva Ecija.[6] [7]
Born on March 23, 1891, Jacinto was not a Cebuano. His first assignment outside of Nueva Ecija was in Manila to become Chief Clerk of the Treasurer's Office of Malolos, Bulacan. Jacinto was transferred to Leyte and then to Pangasinan. In March 1930, he was sent to Cebu after his last assignment in Luzon in La Union. Before he was appointed as City Mayor, he was Provincial Treasurer of Cebu. He resigned from the position on December 31, 1936.[6]
Jacinto took his oath of office at Malacañang Palace before Elpidio Quirino, the Secretary of the Interior on January 7, 1937. Along with him, the following city councilors were sworn into office by Secretary Quirino namely, Manuel Roa (the first President of the Municipal Board), Regino Mercado, Felipe Pacaña, Jose Fortich, Diego Canizares, Jose P. Nolasco, Leandro A. Tojong and Dominador J. Abella.[8]
The next to be appointed was Vicente Rama who served as city mayor from 1938 to 1940. When World War II erupted, Rama sought refuge in Carcar where he was appointed as wartime mayor by the Imperial Japanese Army.
A year before the war, Jose Delgado was appointed as city mayor from 1940 to 1942. Delgado also became governor of Cebu from 1943 to 1944. Next in line was Juan Cerilles Zamora.
Then there was Dr. Leandro Tojong of Ginatilan, Cebu, followed by another doctor, Nicolas Escario of Bantayan, Cebu, followed by lawyer Vicente S. del Rosario, then Dr. Luis Espina, Miguel Raffiñan, Pedro Elizalde, Dr. Jose V. Rodriguez, and Pedro Clavano, all of which were appointed by the president.
On June 7, 1955, the Cebu City Charter was amended by Republic Act No. 1233.[9] The first election for City mayor was held on November 8, 1955 together with the 1955 senatorial elections. The first to be elected as city mayor was Sergio Osmeña Jr. together with his vice mayor Ramon Duterte.[7]
As of 2021, the mayor is paid a monthly salary of based on the second tranche of the Salary Standardization Law of 2019 signed on January 8, 2020 by President Rodrigo Duterte[2] with the position being classified under salary grade 30.[10]
This is the list of municipal presidents of Cebu:[11]
| width=10px align=center | width=230px | President | Term of office | width=200px | Vice President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florentino Rallos (1860–1912) | 1901 | 1903 | Agapito Hilario | ||
| 1903 | 1905 | Filemon Sotto | ||||
| 2 | Celestino Rodriguez (1872–1955) | 1905 | 1907 | Luciano Bacayo | ||
| 3 | Luciano Bacayo | 1907 | 1908 | Raimundo Enriquez | ||
| 4 | Martin Llorente | 1908 | 1909 | Francisco Arias | ||
| 5 | Melchor Gonzalez | 1909 | 1910 | Pedro Abarca | ||
| 6 | Vicente Teves | 1910 | 1913 | Gregorio Abendan | ||
| 7 | Arsenio Climaco (1870–1952) | 1913 | 1916 | Fructuoso Ramos | ||
| 8 | Fructuoso Rodis Ramos (1869 - 1949) | 1916 | 1920 | Rufino Lauron | ||
| 1920 | 1922 | Pedro Abella | ||||
| 9 | Hilario Abellana (1896–1945) | 1922 | 1925 | Julian Alcantara | ||
| 1925 | 1928 | Alberto Mansueto | ||||
| 1928 | 1931 | Regino Mercado | ||||
| (8) | Fructuoso Ramos | 1931 | 1934 | Jose Fortich | ||
| 1934 | 1937 | Julian Alcantara | ||||
| Marcos Morelos |
This is the list of mayors of Cebu City:[12]
| width=10px align=center | width=230px | Mayor | Party | Term of office | width=200px | Vice Mayor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appointive position (1936–1955) | ||||||||
| 1 | Mariano Jesus Diosomito Cuenco (1888–1964) | November 28, 1936 | December 1, 1936 | |||||
| 2 | Alfredo V. Jacinto (1891–?) | January 7, 1937 | November 26, 1938 | |||||
| 3 | Vicente Rama (1887–1956) | November 26, 1938 | August 2, 1940 | |||||
| 4 | Jose Delgado | August 3, 1940 | April 10, 1942 | |||||
| 5 | Juan Cerilles Zamora (1906–1966) | 1942 | 1944 | |||||
| 6 | Leandro Tojong (1905–1980) | 1945 | 1945 | |||||
| 7 | Nicolas Gandionco Escario (1898–1958) | 1945 | 1946 | |||||
| 8 | Vicente S. Del Rosario (1905–1987) | 1946 | 1947 | |||||
| 9 | Luis Veloso Espina | May 27, 1947 | September 5, 1947 | |||||
| align=center rowspan="2" | 10 | Miguel Garces Raffiñan (1891–?) | Nacionalista | September 6, 1947 | August 15, 1951 | Arsenio Villanueva | ||
| Florentino Tecson[13] | ||||||||
| 11 | Pedro Bernal Elizalde (1890–1981) | August 18, 1951 | July 23, 1952 | Arsenio Villanueva | ||||
| (8) | Vicente S. Del Rosario (1905–1987) | April 9, 1953 | December 6, 1953 | Carlos Jurado Cuizon | ||||
| align=center rowspan="2" | 12 | Jose Chiong Veloso Rodriguez (1906–?) | Nacionalista | December 7, 1953 | November 16, 1955 | Carlos Jurado Cuizon | ||
| Florentino Tecson | ||||||||
| 13 | Pedro Clavano (1907–?) | November 17, 1955 | December 30, 1955 | Florentino Tecson | ||||
| Elective position (1956–present) | ||||||||
| 14 | Sergio Veloso Osmeña Jr. (1916–1984) | December 30, 1955 | September 12, 1957 | Ramon Gonzales Duterte | ||||
| 15 | Ramon Gonzales Duterte (1901–1971) | September 12, 1957 | December 30, 1959 | Ramon Abasolo Abellanosa[14] | ||||
| (14) | Sergio Veloso Osmeña Jr. (1916–1984) | December 30, 1959 | January 1, 1960 | Carlos Jurado Cuizon | ||||
| 16 | Carlos Jurado Cuizon (1909–1989) | January 1, 1960 | September 18, 1963 | |||||
| 17 | Mario Diez Ortiz (1922–2015) | September 18, 1963 | December 30, 1963 | |||||
| (14) | Sergio Veloso Osmeña Jr. (1916–1984) | December 30, 1963 | September 16, 1965 | Carlos Jurado Cuizon | ||||
| (16) | Carlos Jurado Cuizon (1909–1989) | September 16, 1965 | December 30, 1967 | Luis V. Diores | ||||
| (14) | Sergio Veloso Osmeña Jr. (1916–1984) | December 30, 1967 | January 3, 1968 | Eulogio Enriquez Borres | ||||
| 18 | Eulogio Enriquez Borres (1917–2008) | January 3, 1968 | September 13, 1971 | John Henry Osmeña (until December 30, 1969)[15] | ||||
| 19 | Florencio S. Urot (1904–1975) | September 13, 1971 | December 31, 1971 | |||||
| (14) | Sergio Veloso Osmeña Jr. (1916–1984) | December 31, 1971 | September 17, 1972 | |||||
| (18) | Eulogio Enriquez Borres (1917–2008) | September 17, 1972 | October 16, 1978 | |||||
| align=center rowspan="2" | 20 | Florentino Sanico Solon (1931–2020) | KBL | October 16, 1978 | 1983 | Eulogio Enriquez Borres | ||
| Ronald Regis Duterte | ||||||||
| 21 | Ronald Regis Duterte (1934–2005) | 1983 | March 25, 1986 | Vicente Alcazaren Kintanar Jr. | ||||
| 22 | John Henry Renner Osmeña (1935–2021) | March 25, 1986 | March 19, 1987 | Jose Veloso Cuenco | ||||
| 23 | Jose Veloso Cuenco | March 19, 1987 | November 27, 1987 | Augusto Wong Go | ||||
| 24 | Antonio Rodriguez Veloso | November 27, 1987 | February 2, 1989 (Presidential Term non-87' Concon) | Joseph Sy Gaisano | ||||
| align=center rowspan="2" | 25 | Tomas dela Rama Osmeña (born 1948) | Lakas | February 2, 1989 (Presidential Term non-87' Concon) | June 30, 1992 | Alvin Biaño Garcia | ||
| June 30, 1992 | June 30, 1995 | |||||||
| align=center rowspan="2" | 26 | Alvin Biaño Garcia (born 1946) | PROMDI | June 30, 1995 | June 30, 1998 | Renato Veloso Osmeña Sr. | ||
| June 30, 1998 | June 30, 2001 | |||||||
| align=center rowspan="3" | (25) | Tomas dela Rama Osmeña (born 1948) | June 30, 2001 | June 30, 2004 | Michael Lopez Rama | |||
| Lakas | June 30, 2004 | June 30, 2007 | ||||||
| June 30, 2007 | June 30, 2010 | |||||||
| align=center rowspan="2" | 27 | Michael Lopez Rama (born 1954) | align=center | June 30, 2010 | align=center | June 30, 2013 | Joy Augustus Go Young | |
| align=center | June 30, 2013 | align=center | December 11, 2015 | Edgardo Colina Labella | ||||
| — | Edgardo Colina Labella (1951–2021) | align=center | December 11, 2015 | align=center | February 8, 2016 | Nestor Dionson Archival | ||
| (27) | Michael Lopez Rama (born 1954) | align=center | February 8, 2016 | align=center | May 17, 2016 | Edgardo Colina Labella | ||
| — | Margarita Vargas Osmeña (born 1949) | align=center | May 17, 2016 | align=center | June 30, 2016 | Lea Ouano Japson | ||
| (25) | Tomas dela Rama Osmeña (born 1948) | June 30, 2016 | June 30, 2019 | Edgardo Colina Labella | ||||
| 28 | Edgardo Colina Labella (1951–2021) | June 30, 2019 | November 19, 2021 | Michael Lopez Rama | ||||
| align=center rowspan="2" | 27 | Michael Lopez Rama (born 1954) | November 20, 2021 | June 30, 2022 | Donaldo Cabañes Hontiveros | |||
| align=center | June 30, 2022 | align=center | October 3, 2024 | Raymond Alvin Neri Garcia[16] | ||||
| 29 | Raymond Alvin Neri Garcia | align=center | May 8, 2024 | align=center | Incumbent | Donaldo Cabañes Hontiveros | ||
The vice mayor is the second-highest official of the city 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.
Republic Act No. 244, approved on June 12, 1948, provided for the position of vice mayor of the City of Cebu. It was to be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments. The first to be appointed vice mayor by the provisions of R.A. No. 244 was Arsenio Ruiz Villanueva who took his oath of office on July 16, 1948.[20] [21]
One of the most significant amendments to the Charter of the City of Cebu (C.A. No. 58) came with the approval of Republic Act No. 1243 on June 7, 1955. This particular amendment provided for the election at large, by the city's qualified voters in conformity with the provisions of the Revised Election Code, of the city mayor and vice mayor. The first election for city mayor and vice mayor was held during the general election for provincial and municipal officials on November 8, 1955. Chosen as Cebu City's first elected vice mayor was Ramon Gonzales Duterte.[22]
In the Sangguniang Panlungsod, in this case, the Cebu City Council, the vice mayor serves as its presiding officer and may vote only to break a tie. The vice mayor is also expected to assume the city mayor's office and finish the unexpired term in the event of a permanent vacancy.[23]
As of 2021, the vice mayor is paid a monthly salary of based on the second tranche of the Salary Standardization Law of 2019 signed on January 8, 2020 by President Rodrigo Duterte[2] with the position being classified under salary grade 28 for highly urbanized cities like Cebu City.[10]
The incumbent vice mayor is Donaldo "Dondon" Hontiveros, a member of BARUG-PDP–Laban who first served as vice mayor from November 2021 to June 2022. He previously served as city councilor after having been elected in 2019 and first assumed office as vice mayor after Rama succeeded the late Edgardo Labella.[24]
On October 3, 2024, Hontiveros (having been city councilor since June 2022) once again succeeded as vice mayor, following the elevation of then-vice mayor Raymond Garcia to mayor after the dismissal of then-mayor Mike Rama from office,[25] marking the second time Hontiveros was elevated from first-ranked city councilor to vice mayor due to the premature end of the incumbent vice mayor's term. He is now running for a full term as vice mayor in his own right for the 2025 local elections as Rama's running mate.[26]