Alfred Romualdez gains third term as Tacloban mayor

Mayor Alfred Romualdez | PHOTO: Official Facebook page of Alfred Romualdez

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Philippines — Mayor Alfred Romualdez secured his third and final term as chief executive of Tacloban City, with his son, Raymund Romualdez, winning the vice mayoral seat in the 2025 elections.

This marks the first time in Tacloban’s political history that a father and son have been elected simultaneously as mayor and vice mayor.

Running under the Nacionalista Party, the elder Romualdez garnered 78,193 votes, defeating his lone rival, independent candidate Michael dela Cruz, who received over 20,900 votes.

READ: Romualdez proclaimed as Leyte representative

Raymund Romualdez, the incumbent president of the Association of Barangay Councils, also scored a landslide victory with 73,048 votes, far ahead of opponent Makoy Romualdez, who received over 17,600 votes.

Seven of Mayor Romualdez’s 10 council candidates also secured seats, including Martin “Marty” Romualdez, son of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who placed fourth overall.

The Romualdez father-and-son tandem and the rest of their winning slate were officially proclaimed by the City Board of Canvassers at 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13.

In a brief interview after his proclamation, Mayor Romualdez expressed gratitude to the people of Tacloban for their continued trust and support.

He said he remains committed to making Tacloban, the regional capital, even more progressive.

“There are still a lot of problems to attend to, and we will address them. But we hope for the best, and I am happy that we remain a peaceful city,” he said.