Mel Lopez

Gemiliano "Mel" Campos López, Jr. (September 1, 1935 – January 1, 2017) was a Filipino politician who served as the Mayor of Manila from 1986 to 1987 and 1988 to 1992 and an assemblyman of the Batasang Pambansa of the Philippines from 1984 to 1986. He was also a former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission.

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Campos and the surname or paternal family name is López.

Mel Lopez
3rd Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission
In office 1993–1996
President	Fidel Ramos
18th Mayor of Manila
In office February 2, 1988 – June 30, 1992
Vice Mayor	Danny Lacuna (1988-1992) Ernesto Maceda, Jr. (1992)
Preceded by	Gregorio Ejercito (officer-in-charge)
Succeeded by	Alfredo Lim
In office March 26, 1986 – December 1, 1987
Vice Mayor	Bambi Ocampo (1986-1987) Ernesto Nieva (1987-1988)
Preceded by	Ramon Bagatsing
Succeeded by	Gregorio Ejercito (officer-in-charge)
Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) from Manila
In office June 30, 1984 – March 25, 1986 Serving with Lito Atienza, Eva Estrada-Kalaw, Carlos Fernando, Gonzalo Puyat II, and Arturo Tolentino
President Pro-Tempore of the Manila City Council
In office 1972–1975
Vice Mayor of Manila
In office January 1, 1971 – December 31, 1971
Mayor	Antonio Villegas
Preceded by	Leonardo Fugoso
Succeeded by	Martin Isidro, Sr.
Member of the Manila City Council from the 1st District
In office December 30, 1967 – December 31, 1975
Personal details
Born	Gemiliano Campos López (1935-09-01)September 1, 1935 Manila, Philippines
Died	January 1, 2017(2017-01-01) (aged 81)[1] Quezon City, Metro Manila
Cause of death	Heart attack
Resting place	The Heritage Park, Taguig[2]
Political party	Liberal Party UNIDO PDP-LABAN Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino Lakas-NUCD KNP
Spouse(s)	Concepcion Tantoco
Children	9
Occupation	Politician

Early life and education

Mel Lopez was born in Manila on September 1, 1935 to Carmen Campos of Bulacan and Lt. Col. Gemiliano López Sr. of Manila. He is also the grandson of Honorio Lopez, writer and revolutionary during the Spanish Revolution.

He graduated from the Jose Rizal University (formerly Jose Rizal College) with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Commercial Science. He also played swimming, boxing and basketball in the NCAA for the JRU Heavy Bombers.

Personal life

He was married to Concepcion Tantoco, a Filipina businesswoman and entrepreneur. They were married for over fifty years and have nine children, over thirty grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Political life

Councilor (1967–1975)

On August 21, 1971, 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing marred a Liberal Party rally, killing 9 persons and injuring 92 more, including Lopez, who was then a councilor. President Ferdinand Marcos used the bombing incident as a basis to suspend the writ of habeas corpus.

When Marcos declared martial law, Lopez decided to organize active opposition to the regime that could eventually topple it and help restore democracy to the country. He held secret meetings with labor and student leaders, community and political leaders, exploring ideas on how to organize opposition to the martial law regime.

Laban

Lopez was among the founding signatories of Laban, a contraction of “Lakas ng Bayan” and a Tagalog translation of People's Power. When Marcos announced an election for the Interim Batasang Pambansa on April 7, 1978, he was the campaign manager in Manila, organizing sorties and meetings to attract more citizens to oppose Marcos' dictatorial rule.

Batasang Pambansa (1984–1986)

In recognition of his leadership in Manila, some 20 prospective candidates of United Nationalists Democratic Organizations (UNIDO) for the 1984 Batasang Pambansa elections signed a resolution giving him authority to select the five other candidates for the six assembly seats assigned to Manila based on voting population.

Marcos' ticket, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, suffered a heavy blow and the UNIDO candidates including Lopez and four others won. While serving in the Batasang Pambansa, he filed bills aimed at proposing the compensation income of spouses who are both employees to be taxed separately, paying lower taxes, seeking to abolish the Metro Manila Commission, providing for the establishment of the Philippine National Language Commission, and providing for a synchronization of national and local elections in 1986.

Mayor of Manila (1986–1992)

After the People Power Revolution, Lopez was appointed as Mayor of Manila. During his early years, his administration was faced with 700 million pesos worth of debt and inherited an empty treasury. In the first eleven months, however, the debt was reduced to 365 million pesos and the city's income rose by around 70%. Revenues from movie theaters rose by 180%, from public markets 170%, and the Manila Zoo began to have profits. Manila had an annual income of over 700 million pesos due to these increase in tax revenues. Within the same eleven months, 21 schools were built. Squatters were relocated, with an average of 12,700 families a year.[3]

During the 1988 elections, he ran for a full term under the PDP-LABAN and won, defeating Former Assemblyman Lito Atienza and Former Senator Eva Estrada-Kalaw.

Lopez closed down numerous illegal gambling joints and jueteng. He also blocked the re-opening of jai-alai, the “game of the thousand thrills,” despite pressure from powerful groups.

In January 1990, Lopez padlocked two Manila casinos operated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), saying the billions it gained cannot make up for the negative effects gambling inflicts upon the people, particularly the youth. As a result of this, he was charged with graft in the Sandiganbayan in the same year. The case remained unresolved until it was finally dropped in June 2002.[4]

He also worked for the revival of the Boys’ Town Haven (now referred to as “Boys Town”), rehabilitating its facilities to accommodate underprivileged children and provide them with livelihood and education.

During the 1992 elections, he lost reelection to former National Bureau of Investigation director Alfredo Lim.

Post-mayoralty (1992–2017)

In 1993, he was appointed by President Fidel Ramos as Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, serving until 1996. During his term as PSC Chairman, he helped Onyok Velasco to captured the silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA, together with his son Manny Lopez, then-president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (renamed as Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines or ABAP), now the Congressman of 1st District of Manila.[5]

In 1995, he sought a rematch against Lim but was unsuccessful. Nine years later, in 2004, he ran again for mayor against then incumbent Lito Atienza under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) but lost.

Lopez died on New Year's Day, January 1, 2017, in Quezon City from a heart attack at the age of 81.[6]

In April 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11280 to officially rename a portion of Radial Road 10 to Mel Lopez Boulevard, which runs from Anda Circle in Manila up north to Estero de Marala at the city's border with Navotas.[7]

References

1. "Ex-Manila mayor Mel Lopez, 81". The Philippine Star. January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
2. "Ex-Manila mayor Mel Lopez dies". Rappler. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
3. Joaquin, Nick (1990). Manila,My Manila. Vera-Reyes, Inc.
4. Sandigan clears former Mayor Lopez
5. Navarro, June (January 2, 2017). "Ex-Manila mayor, PSC chair Mel Lopez; 81". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
6. "Former Manila Mayor Mel Lopez dies at age 81". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
7. Balinbin, Arjay (May 20, 2019). "Road in Manila renamed to honor late sportsman and politician Mel Lopez". BusinessWorld. Retrieved March 29, 2020.

Political offices
Preceded by Gregorio Ejercito Officer-in-charge	Mayor of Manila 1988–1992	Succeeded by Alfredo Lim
Preceded by Ramon Bagatsing	Mayor of Manila 1986–1987	Succeeded by Gregorio Ejercito Officer-in-charge
Preceded by Leonardo Fugoso	Vice Mayor of Manila 1971	Succeeded by Martin Isidro, Sr.