Local elections was held in the Municipality of Makati on December 10, 1940, within the 1940 Philippine local elections, during the administration of President Manuel Quezon. The voters elected for the elective local posts in the town: the mayor, vice mayor, and the eight-member local municipal council. The municipality of Makati was then under the jurisdiction of the 1st congressional district of the Province of Rizal. The elections for the district representatives were held in 1938 and in 1941. This was the last local elections in Makati before the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in January 1942.
Background
Incumbent Makati mayor Jose D. Villena is running for his third term, having been elected as municipal mayor in 1934 and 1937. He selected incumbent vice mayor Deogracias Luciano as his running mate. Both are stalwarts of the ruling Partido Nacionalista Consolidado.
His challenger for mayor was former vice mayor Pablo Cortes, candidate of the newly-formed Popular Front. He was Makati vice mayor from 1922 to 1934, during the administration of then-mayor Nicanor F. Garcia. His vice-mayoral running mate was incumbent councilor Martin Santos.
At the time, Philippine politics was dominated by the Nacionalistas, who were opposed by several parties, among them the Popular Front, Partido Democrata Nacional, and the Young Philippines Party.
Candidates
Coalicion Nacionalista Name Party For Mayor Jose Daniel S. Villena Sr. For Vice MayorDeogracias Luciano
Popular Front Name Party For Mayor Pablo C. Cortes For Vice MayorMartin Santos
Results Mayor Incumbent mayor Jose D. Villena defeated former vice mayor Pablo Cortes.
Vice Mayor Incumbent vice mayor Deogracias Luciano won against incumbent councilor Martin Santos.
1938 elections for Rizal 1st District Representative Francisco Sevilla won as 1st congressional district representative against eight other contenders, among them incumbent Makati mayor Jose D. Villena. The election for this position was held on November 8 ,1938. This district holds jurisdiction over the Municipality of Makati. The winner held term from 1938 to 1941.
1941 elections for Rizal 1st District Representative Francisco Sevilla won re-election as 1st congressional district representative against former representative Miguel Cornejo. The election for this position was held on November 11 ,1941. This district holds jurisdiction over the Municipality of Makati. The winner held term from 1941 to 1944, though it was interrupted by World War II and the subsequent Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
Municipal Council There were no surviving records regarding the results for the members of the Makati Municipal Board, as most election files were destroyed during World War II. There were some records, however that one of the elected councilors was Atty. Tomas Baluyut, the future vice mayor of Makati.
Aftermath Mayor Villena's term will be interrupted by the war. On December 24, 1941, President Manuel Quezon appointed Secretary Jorge B. Vargas as Mayor of the City of Greater Manila, whose merger included the municipality of Makati, effectively ending Villena's term as mayor. Villena will be elected for two more terms, in 1947 and 1951.
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