2025 Manila local elections


Local elections were held in Manila on May 12, 2025, as part of the 2025 Philippine general election. The electorate would elect a mayor, a vice mayor, 36 members of the Manila City Council, and six district representatives to the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The officials elected in the election will assume their respective offices on June 30, 2025, for a three-year-long term.
Isko Moreno and Chi Atienza were elected mayor on his non-consecutive second term and vice mayor on her first term respectively, defeating incumbents Honey Lacuna and Yul Servo.

Background

In the 2022 elections, Asenso Manileño attained a landslide victory, winning 34 of the 36 elective seats in the Manila City Council and all six Manila seats in the House of Representatives of the Philippines. Then-vice mayor Honey Lacuna and Representative Yul Servo were elected mayor and vice mayor, respectively.
The election is expected to be competitive after Isko Moreno, who served as mayor from 2019 to 2022, reportedly formed the Bagong Maynila party to contest the election with a full slate of candidates, despite a plea from the incumbent Mayor Lacuna to "reconsider his plans". Moreno initially intended not to run for any position after losing in the 2022 presidential election.
In August 2024, members of the city council allied with Moreno filed an injunction against Vice Mayor Yul Servo, Majority Floor Leader Ernesto Isip Jr., Minority Floor Leader Philip Lacuna, and 19 other councilors for conducting a session on July 23, when the city government declared all work to be suspended in view of Typhoon Carina. The Moreno allies who filed the suit condemned the meeting as being "illegal and secret", noting that city council funds were transferred to the office of the mayor during the meeting. The accused belied the suit and said that the session was live streamed.

Electoral system

Local elections in the Philippines are held in every second Monday of May, every three years starting in 1992. Single-seat positions are elected via first-past-the-post-voting. The mayor and vice mayor are elected by the city at-large, while the House representative and city councilors are elected per district.
City council elections are done via plurality block voting; for the Manila City Council, the city is divided into six districts, with each district sending six councilors. There are two other ex officio seats, from the municipal presidents of the Liga ng mga Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan; these will be determined later in the year at the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Voters in Manila shall also elect senators and party-list representatives on this day.

Campaign

The campaign period for local elections began on March 28, 2025, and ended on May 10.

Campaign issues

Garbage collection contract

Reports stated that City Government of Manila did not pay its waste management firm Leonel Waste Management Corporation for its first 4 months of service in 2024 of. Incumbent Mayor Honey Lacuna dismissed the allegation that her administration did not pay, and not a debt.

Issues

Campaign conduct

In April 2025, third district councilor candidate Mocha Uson was criticized over her campaign jingle featuring the double-meaning lyric "Cookie ni Mocha, ang sarap-sarap", which was deemed sexually suggestive and objectifying. The COMELEC warned her, expressing concern that such content could detract from serious policy discussions and urged her to adopt a more appropriate campaign approach. She later asked her campaign team to drop the jingle.

Vote buying

On April 24, 2025, the Commission on Elections Kontra Bigay committee issued show-cause orders to mayoral candidates Isko Moreno and Sam Verzosa over alleged vote buying activities surrounding their campaign. A day later, it also issued show-cause order against incumbent Mayor Honey Lacuna also for alleged vote buying, as well as alleged abuse of state resources, surrounding her re-election campaign.

Endorsements

On April 5, 2025, Mamamayang Liberal endorsed Honey Lacuna.
On April 24, 2025, Isko Moreno and other candidates on his ticket were endorsed by Vice President Sara Duterte while campaigning in eastern Tondo, which is encompassed by the 2nd district.

Tickets

Partido Federal ng Pilipinas

Mayoral election

The incumbent mayor is Honey Lacuna, who was elected in 2022 with 63.68% of the vote. Elected as a member of Asenso Manileño, Lacuna is seeking reelection to a second consecutive term as a member of Lakas–CMD, having joined the party on August 7, 2024.
Lacuna previously served as vice mayor from 2019 to 2022 under former Mayor Isko Moreno, who did not seek a second term to run for president of the Philippines. Moreno was unsuccessful in his bid and had stated since 2021 that he would retire from politics if he lost. However, in July 2024, media outlets reported that Moreno plans to seek a return to the mayoralty under a newly formed "Bagong Maynila" party, severing his ties to the Asenso Manileño party but remaining a member of Aksyon Demokratiko, continuing his role as its party president, stating that he was just answering the calls that he should return as mayor. Following the reports, Lacuna remained committed with her reelection bid and encouraged Moreno to reconsider his plans for the mayoralty, while maintaining respect for his eventual decision, emphasizing her "sibling love" for the former.

Declared

Declined

Opinion polling

; Honey Lacuna vs. Isko Moreno
Fieldwork DatePollsterSample SizeMoEMoreno
Aksyon		Lacuna
Asenso Manileño
Fieldwork DatePollsterSample SizeMoE
July 6–10, 2024OCTA Research1,200±3%86%8%

Vice mayoral election

The incumbent Vice mayor is Yul Servo, who was elected in 2022 with 73.67% of the vote. Servo is eligible for reelection to a second term.
On July 22, 2024, Moreno introduced Ali Atienza as his vice mayoral running mate, however, he would be replaced by his sister Chi.

Candidates

Declared

Declined

House of Representatives elections

First district

Incumbent Ernix Dionisio is running for re-election to a second term.

Candidates

Second district

Incumbent Rolan Valeriano is running for re-election to a third term. His opponent is former Congressman Carlo Lopez. They have each won one of the last two contests: Lopez in 2010 and Valeriano in 2022.

Candidates

Third district

Incumbent Joel Chua is running for re-election to a second term.

Candidates

Fourth district

Incumbent Edward Maceda is term-limited. His party nominated his wife, Giselle Lazaro-Maceda.

Candidates

Fifth district

Incumbent Irwin Tieng is running for re-election to a second term.

Candidates

Sixth district

Incumbent Benny Abante is eligible for re-election to a third consecutive term.

Candidates

Results

On June 18, 2025, the Second Division of the Commission on Elections annulled Joey Uy's election to the House of Representatives over questions surrounding his citizenship, effectively handing victory to his opponent, Benny Abante. On July 7, COMELEC, sitting en banc, upheld the June 30 decision to reject Uy's motion for reconsideration and ordered Abante's formal proclamation as the duly elected representative for Manila's 6th district. The following day, Abante was officially declared the winner and immediately assumed office, returning to the post he previously held until June 30.

City Council election

These are the parties participating in the election based on the initial list provided by COMELEC:

First district

The city council district, coterminus with Manila's 1st congressional district, is composed of barangays in western Tondo.
Councilors Irma Alfonso, Niño dela Cruz, Jesus Fajardo Jr., Martin V. Isidro Jr. and Erick Ian Nieva are eligible for reelection, while Councilor Moises Lim is term-limited.

Term-limited

  • Moises T. Lim

Declared

Withdrew

Declined

  • Jayson Luzadas, vlogger and host of ''Pinoy Pawnstars''

Second district

The city council district, coterminus with Manila's 2nd congressional district, is composed of barangays in eastern Tondo.
Councilors Ruben Buenaventura, Rodolfo Lacsamana, Numero Lim, Roma Paula Robles-Daluz and Darwin Sia are eligible for reelection, however, Sia's certificate of candidacy was cancelled by the 2nd Division of COMELEC due to a previous criminal conviction that perpetually disqualified him from public office. Councilor Macario Lacson is term-limited.
On May 20, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against Sia's disqualification, allowing him to be proclaimed. He was the topnotcher in the election upon getting 72,745 votes.

Term-limited

  • Macario Lacson

Third district

The city council district, coterminus with Manila's 3rd congressional district, is composed of barangays in Binondo, Quiapo, San Nicolas and Santa Cruz.
Councilors Maile Atienza, Pamela Fugoso, Ernesto Isip Jr., Apple Nieto-Rodriguez and Tol Zarcal are eligible for reelection, while Councilor Terrence Alibarbar is term-limited. However, Nieto-Rodriguez chose to retire from the council to run for district representative.

Term-limited

  • Terrence Alibarbar

Declared

Fourth district

The city council district, coterminus with Manila's 4th congressional district, is composed of barangays in Sampaloc.
Councilors Don Juan Bagatsing, Louisa Quintos and Science Reyes are eligible for reelection, while Councilors Krystle Marie Bacani, Luisito Chua and Joel T. Villanueva are term-limited.

Term-limited

  • Krystle Marie Bacani
  • Luisito Chua
  • Joel T. Villanueva

Withdrew

Fifth district

The city council district, coterminus with Manila's 5th congressional district, is composed of barangays in Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Port Area, San Andres, and southern Paco.
Councilors Roberto Espiritu II, Jaybee Hizon, Charry Ortega and Raymundo Yupangco are eligible for reelection, while Councilors Laris Borromeo and Ricardo Isip Jr. are term-limited.

Term-limited

  • Laris Borromeo
  • Ricardo Isip Jr.

Sixth district

The city council district, coterminus with Manila's 6th congressional district, is composed of barangays in northern Paco, Pandacan, San Miguel, Santa Ana, and Santa Mesa.
Councilors Benny Fog Abante III, Salvador Philip Lacuna, Elmer Par, Luis Uy and Lou Veloso are eligible for reelection, while Councilor Carlos Castañeda is term-limited. However, Uy chose to retire from the council to run for district representative.

Term-limited

  • Carlos Castañeda

Declared

Aftermath

Legal action

COMELEC en banc has ordered the suspension of the proclamation of Darwin Sia's victory pending resolution of the disqualification case filed against him, however, on May 20, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against his disqualification.
Although Uy won the congressional race in the sixth district, the COMELEC declared his candidacy void due to his citizenship and proclaimed Abante for his re-election. This caused the disenfranchisement of voters from Manila's 6th District, however the decision wasn't final and executory which made Uy's proclamation still in effect. On July 7, COMELEC, sitting en banc, upheld the June 30 decision to reject Uy's motion for reconsideration and ordered Abante's formal proclamation as the duly elected representative for Manila's 6th district. The following day, Abante was officially declared the winner and immediately assumed office.