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Pablo Cuneta

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Pablo Cuneta
10th Mayor of Pasay
In office
February 2, 1988 – June 30, 1998
Preceded byNorman Urbina
Succeeded byJovito Claudio
In office
December 30, 1971 – March 26, 1986
Preceded byJovito Claudio
Succeeded byEduardo Calixto (OIC)
In office
December 30, 1951 – December 30, 1967
Preceded by Primitivo Lovina Sr.
Succeeded byJovito Claudio
Deputy Governor of Rizal
In office
December 30, 1947 – December 30, 1949
Personal details
Born
Pablo Pablo Cuneta Sr.

(1910-02-02)February 2, 1910
Pasay, Rizal, Philippine Islands
DiedSeptember 27, 2000(2000-09-27) (aged 90)
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
Resting placeManila Memorial Park, Parañaque, Philippines
Political partyLDP (1995-2000)
Other political
affiliations
Nacionalista (1947-1978, 1988–1995)
KBL (1978–1986)
Spouse(s)Generosa Francisco
Elinor "Elaine" Gamboa
RelationsHelen Gamboa (sister-in-law)
Vicente "Tito" Sotto III (brother-in-law)
KC Concepcion (granddaughter)
Children12 (including Sharon)

Pablo Pablo Cuneta Sr. (Tagalog pronunciation: [kuˈnɛtɐ]; February 2, 1910 – September 27, 2000) was a Filipino politician who served as the mayor of Pasay for three terms between 1951 and 1998, making him the longest-serving mayor in the history of the Philippines. He was the father of actress and singer Sharon Cuneta.

Early life

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Cuneta was born on February 2, 1910, in Pasay (then a municipality of Rizal) to Catalino Cuneta y García (c. 1871 – c. 1948) and Miguela Pablo y de la Cruz (c. 1873 – October 15, 1948).[1]

Personal life

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He was first married to Generosa Francisco. They had ten children: Edgardo, Reynaldo, Leonides, Rosauro, Leticia, Jaime, Carmencita, Pablo Jr., Generoso, and Aida.

After Generosa’s death, he married Elinor "Elaine" Gamboa (born 31 December 1934- died 5 November 2014) until his death in 2000.[2] Together, they had two children: César "Chet" and Sharon.

Political career

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Cuneta started his political career when he served as deputy governor of Rizal from 1947 to 1949. In 1951, he was appointed Pasay mayor. Five years later, he ran for mayor and won. He ran again and won, in the 1959 and 1963 elections. In 1967, he was defeated by Jovito Claudio. He bounced back in the 1971 national elections and was re-elected again in 1980. He stepped down when the Aquino government was swept into power in 1986. Two years later, he again won in the local elections. He would top the local elections again in 1992 and 1995. At the end of his term in 1998, he had been Pasay mayor for 41 years, the longest-serving mayor in Philippine history. He is the only mayor to have served under seven different presidents: Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos.

Health and death

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Cuneta was in good health until December 1996 when he started suffering from rheumatism and arthritis. In 1997, he suffered a mild seizure and was confined at the Makati Medical Center and died due to cardiac arrest on September 27, 2000, at the age of 90. He was the longest-serving mayor in Philippine history.[3] He was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque.

Legacy

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Cuneta's administration is credited for the construction of the Maricaban Settlement, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay (now City University of Pasay), Pasay City General Hospital and the Cuneta Astrodome, among other projects.

References

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  1. ^ Miguela Pablo's Death Register (Part 1 and Part 2)
  2. ^ Francisco, Butch (December 17, 2009). "Not really a fairy-tale life". Philippine Star. Archived from the original on 2022-04-17. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  3. ^ Papa, Alcuin (September 28, 2000). "Pablo Cuneta, 90". Philippine Daily Inquirer. p. 21.