Local elections were held in Taguig on May 12, 2025, as part of the 2025 Philippine general election. The electorate will elect a mayor, a vice mayor, twenty-four members of the Taguig City Council, and two 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.
This will be the first general election in which the Embo barangays are part of the Taguig city electorate.
Background
On April 3, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Philippines denied the motion of reconsideration filed by Makati to override its earlier ruling that upheld the 2011 Pasig Regional Trial Court ruling that recognized Taguig's jurisdiction over the ten Embo barangays, resulting in Makati formally ceding control of the barangays to Taguig. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) began the administrative transfer of the 212,613 Embo voters and electoral precincts from Makati to Taguig in August 2023, ahead of the 2023 Philippine barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSKE) elections, where Embo residents voted as residents of Taguig for the first time.
In the Embo barangays, the 2023 BSKE elections resulted in widespread defeat for candidates affiliated with the ruling Cayetano family. Following the election, 140 barangay officials from the Embo area took their oath at the Makati City Hall, affirming their loyalty to Makati. Joey Salgado of Rappler opined that the aftermath of the barangay elections indicated a competitive local race in Taguig in 2025, owing to the popularity of the Binay family in the populous Embo barangays.
Representation of the Embo barangays For the 2025 general election, the Embo residents will elect local officials for Taguig for the first time. While Embo voters will be represented in the city council, the COMELEC ruled that they will be effectively left without representation in the House of Representatives until the barangays are drawn in a legislative district of Taguig through law. Makati Mayor Abigail Binay panned the ruling as an injustice, deeming it a "denial of democracy".
The Taguig City Council planned to pass an ordinance to divide the ten Embo barangays between the two existing councilor districts for the council and increase the elected members per district. Committee hearings on the ordinance began on September 14, 2024; the drafted ordinance formally drew the barangays into the two councilor districts and sought an increase of four elected members per district, creating a total of 12 elected councilors per district and 24 overall. Subsequently, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 23 which the chamber adopted on September 23, followed by the House of Representatives adopting House Concurrent Resolution No. 37 on September 25. These proposals, based on Taguig City Council's Ordinance No. 144, would add barangays Comembo, Pembo, and Rizal to the 1st district and barangays Cembo, East Rembo, Pitogo, Post Proper Northside, Post Proper Southside, South Cembo, and West Rembo to the 2nd district.
Ultimately, COMELEC issued Resolution No. 11069, adopting Taguig City's Ordinance No. 144 and the joint resolution of the houses of Congress. Dante Tiñga, former House representative from Taguig–Pateros and Supreme Court Associate Justice, then questioned the Taguig City's Ordinance No. 144 to the Supreme Court, arguing that the city council had no authority to increase the number of seats, but rather that power belonged to Congress by passing a statute, and not a resolution.
Candidates Candidates in italics indicate incumbents seeking reelection.
Administration coalition +TLC (Team Lani Cayetano)Position# Name Party Mayor1.Lani Cayetano Vice mayor1.Arvin Ian Alit House representative (1st district)3.Ricardo "Ading" Cruz Jr. House representative (2nd district)1.Jorge Daniel Bocobo Councilor (1st district)2.Kim Abbang 4.Raul Aquino 9.Allan Paul Cruz 11.Sammy Cruz 16.Darwin Icay 18.Jimmy Labampa 21.Totong Mañosca 22.Rodil Marcelino 23.Carlito Ogalinola 25.Fanella Joy Panga-Cruz 26.Gamaliel San Pedro 28.Ferdinand Santos Councilor (2nd district)6.Marisse Balina-Eron 8.Edgar Baptista 9.Gigi Bermas-Villasis 14.Danilo Castro 18.Iony De Lara-Bes 20.Ivie Dizon 24.Gen Pautin 25.Alex Penolio 27.Ed Prado 31.Jomil Bryan Serna 32.Nicky Supan 36.Bing Villamor
Primary opposition coalition +Team AMCPosition# Name Party Mayor2.Arnel Cerafica Vice mayor2.Janelle Cerafica House representative (1st district)2.Allan Cerafica House representative (2nd district)3.Pammy Zamora Councilor (1st district)5.Mark Emerson Bacsain 6.John John Bautista 8.RJ Bernal 10.Norjannah Cruz 14.Warren Delos Santos 15.Rolando Gonzales 17.Tristan Inan 19. Paul Lontoc 20.Elvira Madrid 27.Joshua Narc Sanga 29.Maria Ana Santos 30.Gerard Sumagpao Councilor (2nd district)1.Benedicto Abatay 2.Jude Acepcion 3.Joel Advincula 7.Marilou Bandejas 10.Angielyn Bombase 12.Lylani Calvadores 21.Armando Ercillo 22.Arthur Flores 26.Basilio Pooten 28.Ignacio Rivera Jr. 29.Glenn Sacay 35.Gary Lester Valdez
Other candidates +BIDA TAYOPosition# Name Party House representative (1st district)1.Lino Cayetano Councilor (1st district)1. Romeo Edgar Abaigar 7. Mark Bryan Beran 24. Rico Palma 31. Henry Vera
Position# Name Party Mayor3.Brigido Licudine Vice mayor3.Nelly Tanglao House representative (1st district)4. Pedro dela Cruz 5. Ricardo Opoc House representative (2nd district)2. Noe Manila Councilor (1st district)3. Johnny Alvarida 12. Reinante Dela Paz 13. Girlie Delos Santos Councilor (2nd district)4. Juanito Aggalut 5. Abraham Anuncacion 11. Rosaldo Paolo Cabrera VIII 13. Isidro Capurcos 15. Arthur Clavo 16. Edgardo Daria 17. Cosmiano De Asis 19. Cupid Demafiles 23. Persilita Magallano 30. Rodolfo San Pedro Jr. 33. Jerry Tan 34. Caleb Tibio 37. Salvador Zamora III
Mayoral election The incumbent mayor is Lani Cayetano, who has served since 2022 and previously held the post from 2010 to 2019, after being elected with 75.77% of the vote. She is eligible for reelection to a second consecutive term.
Abigail Binay, the term-limited mayor of Makati, has expressed interest in running for mayor of Taguig. To seek the office, Binay would need to resign as mayor of Makati to establish at least one year of residency in Taguig to be eligible for the post. On January 9, 2024, Binay remarked that she is "waiting for a sign" for her to push through with her campaign in Taguig; she indicated that she would finalize her decision by March 2024. Manuel L. Quezon III of the Philippine Daily Inquirer described Binay's potential campaign for mayor of Taguig as a "dynastic invasion" motivated by Makati's loss of the Embo barangays. Since her announcement, Binay has not resigned her post, making a mayoral bid less likely as she is instead being considered as a senatorial bet by the administration coalition. It was later confirmed that she will instead run for senator in 2025 when she was named to the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas coalition.
Meanwhile, political strategist Lito Banayo revealed that former mayor Lino Cayetano, brother-in-law of the incumbent, may challenge for the mayor's seat after reportedly getting the backing of two important factions in local politics: the Zamora family (including second district representative Pammy Zamora, daughter of former San Juan representative Ronaldo Zamora) and the Tiñga family (including former mayor Sigfrido Tiñga), potentially forming an alliance between a Cayetano and several of their political enemies. However, the former mayor announced that he is not running for mayor in his Facebook post, but is still undecided if he would run for another local position. He instead chose to run for first district representative, against his sister-in-law's preferred candidate.
Instead, former first district representative Arnel Cerafica, now backed by the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, challenged to represent the local opposition, including from the Embo barangays, in the mayoral election. This is his third bid to be elected mayor, having lost to the incumbent in 2022 and to Lino Cayetano in 2019.
Candidates
Lani Cayetano (Nacionalista), incumbent mayor of Taguig Arnel Cerafica (PFP), candidate for mayor in 2019 and 2022, former representative from Taguig–Pateros's 1st district Brigido Licudine (Independent)
Declined Abigail Binay, incumbent mayor of Makati (running for Senator) Lino Cayetano, former mayor of Taguig and former representative for Taguig–Pateros's 2nd district (running for representative) Sigfrido Tiñga, founder and President of Global Electric Transport, former mayor of Taguig and former representative for Taguig–Pateros's 2nd district (did not run)
Polling
Abby Binay vs. Lani Cayetano Fieldwork Date(s)PollsterSample SizeMoECayetanoNacionalistaBinayNPCUnd./None Feb 15–22 RPMDinc1,200±3% 57385 Lani Cayetano vs. Arnel Cerafica Fieldwork Date(s)PollsterSample SizeMoECayetanoNacionalistaCeraficaPFPUnd./None Nov 15–20 RPMDinc1,200±3%631720
Results
Per Barangay BarangayCayetanoCeraficaLicudineTotal votesVotes %Votes %Votes % Bagumbayan19,89986.423,05913.28680.3023,026 Bambang4,97282.0299116.35991.636,062 Calzada-Tipas10,25980.672,41919.02400.3112,718Cembo7,49757.764,89837.735854.5112,980Central Bicutan13,20886.421,69611.33590.3914,963 Central Signal Village17,59586.382,68913.20850.4220,369Comembo4,95255.023,81442.382342.609,000East Rembo7,17152.835,97344.004313.1713,575 Fort Bonifacio7,48183.481,08012.054004.468,961 Hagonoy10,23883.971,90415.62500.4112,192Ibayo-Tipas7,93580.021,92819.44530.539,916Katuparan8,86486.901,29612.71400.3910,200Ligid-Tipas4,68880.621,10118.93260.455,815Lower Bicutan22,37583.524,32416.14900.3426,789 Maharlika7,78491.377088.31270.328,519 Napindan9,82381.472,17418.03600.5012,057 New Lower Bicutan20,13184.293,66715.35850.3623,883North Daang Hari6,12187.4885212.18240.346,997North Signal Village13,69288.421,70711.02860.5615,485Palingon-Tipas5,72171.572,24328.06300.387,994Pembo12,40759.687,81037.575732.7620,790 Pinagsama21,59585.013,53713.922721.0725,404Pitogo4,06665.061,87930.063054.886,250Post Proper Northside2,19876.3562721.78541.882,879Post Proper Southside8,59073.452,88624.682191.8711,695Rizal14,34163.777,59333.765562.4722,490San Miguel4,50584.9874314.02531.005,301 Santa Ana8,66877.172,53622.58290.2611,233South Cembo3,94060.492,29835.282764.246,514South Daang Hari9,63585.201,64514.55290.2611,309 South Signal Village15,93185.532,59613.94990.5318,626Tanyag11,37590.271,1709.28560.4412,601 Tuktukan5,59783.461,07616.05330.496,706 Upper Bicutan17,47083.923,26415.68830.4020,734 Ususan14,52485.052,28413.372701.5817,078Wawa6,02888.3977411.35180.266,820West Rembo7,71751.576,71844.905283.5314,963 Western Bicutan31,71384.675,37514.353690.9937,457Total410,70678.92103,33419.866,3941.23520,434
Vice mayoral election The incumbent vice mayor is Arvin Alit, who has served since 2022 after being elected with 68.81% of the vote. He is eligible to run for his second consecutive term.
Candidates Arvin Ian Alit (Nacionalista), incumbent vice mayor of Taguig and former city councilor from the 2nd District Janelle Cerafica (PFP), candidate for vice mayor in 2022, wife of Arnel Cerafica Nelly Tanglao (Independent)
Results
Per Barangay