Antonio de Jesus Villegas (January 9, 1928 – November 16, 1984) was a Filipino politician who served as the 16th

Mayor of Manila The City Mayor of Manila (, sometimes referred to as, ''Alkalde ng Maynila'') is the head of the executive branch of Manila's city government. The mayor holds office at Manila City Hall. Like all local government heads in the Philippines, the m ...

from 1962 to 1971. His term was after the term of

Arsenio Lacson Arsenio Hilario Sison Lacson Sr. (December 26, 1912 – April 15, 1962) was a Filipino lawyer, journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as 1st to be elected and 15th Mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive liken ...

as mayor of Manila, and before the period of

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

in the Philippines.

Political career

Villegas was elected as vice mayor of Manila in 1959 and became the city mayor when

died in 1962 with over one year left on his term. In 1963, he ran for reelection under the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

(LP) banner and won against Roberto Oca of the

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...

(NP). Villegas inaugurated the "Manila Film Festival" ("Manila Tagalog Film Festival") in 1966, the precursor of the modern

Metro Manila Film Festival The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority and held nationwide in the Philippines. The festival, which runs from Christmas Day through New Year's Day and into first weeke ...

. Foreign films were banned from being screened during the duration of the film festival. The annual event was discontinued during the tenure of Villegas' successor in the 1970s. In 1967, he ran again for reelection and won against NP Congressman Pablo Ocampo. His victory along with his party council members in Manila was the only major victory enjoyed by the LP in 1967. All of the LP senatorial candidates except for Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino were defeated by the opposing Nacionalista Party. In 1971, then-Congressman

Ramon Bagatsing Ramon Delaraga Bagatsing Sr. (August 19, 1916 – February 14, 2006) was a Filipino politician. He was the only Filipino of Indian ancestry and person with disability (an amputee) who served as 17th Mayor of Manila from 1971 to 1986. Bagatsi ...

was chosen by the Liberal Party to run for Manila mayor, while Vice-Mayor Felicisimo Cabigao remained NP's bet for mayor; Villegas was left without a party. He formed the Libre'ng Pilipino Party (LPP) to run for reelection as mayor in the 1971 local election, and selected journalist J.V. Cruz to be his running mate; Villegas ultimately lost to Bagatsing. In the police investigation into the Plaza Miranda bombing in August 1971, which was attended by members of the Liberal Party, Villegas was named the primary suspect of the bombing, but later evidence suggested otherwise.

Later life and death

After losing in the 1971 local mayoral elections to then

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Congressman

, Villegas and his entire family emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He remained in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, with his wife Lydia Alano Villegas, until his death on November 16, 1984. His remains were exhumed from Reno cemetery and flown to the Philippines in October 1997. A memorial ceremony was held in Manila City Hall. Eulogies by the Villegas family, then-Mayor

Alfredo Lim Alfredo "Fred" Siojo Lim (; December 21, 1929 – August 8, 2020) was a Filipino politician, police officer and lawyer who served as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator of the Philippines from 2004 to 2007, He also served as the 20th Mayor of ...

, and Senator

Blas Ople Blas Fajardo Ople (February 3, 1927 – December 14, 2003) was a Filipino journalist and politician who held several high-ranking positions in the Executive Departments of the Philippines, executive and Congress of the Philippines, legislative b ...

were given. Villegas's body was finally buried in a plot located along the rotunda of Manila North Cemetery.

Writings

*''Manila, 1962: Mayor Antonio J. Villegas reports (1963)'' *''Building a Better Manila (1963)'' *''Manila: Its Needs and Resources (1966)'' *''Dahong Alaala (1968)'' *''To End the Reign of Misery and Strife ... Libre'ng Pilipino (1971)''

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villegas, Antonio J. People from Tondo, Manila Mayors of Manila 1928 births 1984 deaths Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Burials at the Manila North Cemetery Filipino emigrants to the United States 20th-century Filipino politicians