Jonvic Remulla

Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Catibayan Remulla Jr. (; born October 23, 1967) is a Filipino politician who had served as the 42nd secretary of the interior and local government since 2024. He previously served as the 31st governor of Cavite from 2019 to 2024 and from 2010 to 2016, and had previously served as vice governor and as a member of the Cavite Provincial Board. He is a son of former governor Juanito Remulla Sr. and sibling of fellow politicians Gilbert and Jesus Crispin Remulla.

Remulla entered politics in 1995, when he won as board member of the second district of Cavite. Three years later, in 1998, he was elected as vice governor, a post he held for three terms and in 2010, he became governor. He became a governor again when he defeated former governor Ayong Maliksi in the 2019 elections.

Early life and education

Remulla was born on October 23, 1967, to Juanito "Johnny" Remulla, who was then a member of the Cavite Provincial Board and later governor, and Ditas Catibayan. He is a member of the Remulla family, a known political dynasty in Cavite led by his father, who was later elected Cavite governor in 1979. He took up his elementary education at De La Salle University before the school moved to Greenhills, then took secondary education at Ateneo de Manila University. In college, he studied at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he became a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity in direct imitation of his father. He graduated with a degree in philosophy.

Board member and Vice Governor (1995–2007)

In 1995, Remulla ran for board member of Cavite in the second district and won. He ran for vice governor in 1998 and was elected. Three years later, in 2001, he sought reelection with 2nd District Representative Ayong Maliksi, a protégé of his family, as his running mate and their tandem won. The two would win again in the 2004 elections.

Following the election, he broke ties with Maliksi when he filed an administrative case against Maliksi before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with an anomalous purchase of (about US$134,000) worth of rice in 2004. As a result, Maliksi was issued a six-month preventive suspension order on August 15, 2005, and he assumed office as acting governor. Maliksi filed a petition and his suspension was lifted on October 24, 2005, when he was granted a preliminary injunction. Remulla would become acting governor again on April 4, 2006, when the Court of Appeals lifted Maliksi's preliminary injunction. Nine months later, on January 10, 2007, Remulla became acting governor for the third time when the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered the six-month preventive suspension order again on Maliksi. In a surprise announcement the same month, he said he would not run as governor against Maliksi in the May 2007 elections. Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez lifted the suspension order a month later for lack of merit.

Governor (2010–2016, 2019–2024)

Remulla made a comeback in politics in 2010, when he ran for governor. In the race, he defeated Vice Governor Dencito Campaña, who had the backing of Maliksi.

Under his tenure, Cavite was cited as one of the top-performing provinces in the Philippines by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Also, it is the first and only province to be ISO 9001:2008 certified.

In the 2013 elections, Remulla sought a second term as governor, with actor and Cavite Liga ng mga Barangay (League of Barangays) President Jolo Revilla, son of Senator Bong Revilla and Representative Lani Mercado, as his running mate. Maliksi challenged him in the race. During the campaign, Remulla accused Maliksi of being involved in the anomalous LRT extension project, where ₱500 million (about US$11.162 million) was allotted for 2,000 housing units, road, lighting and water projects, relocation sites and payments for the residents directly affected by the development. Remulla even threatened to resign if his allegations are proven wrong. And he said ''Mas mabuti ang mamigay, wag lang magnakaw'' () Despite most surveys showing Maliksi would beat him by a wide margin, Remulla went on to win the election by more than 50,000 votes. Jolo Revilla also won, beating Maliksi's running mate, Ronald Jay Lacson, son of Senator Panfilo Lacson.

He was named as one of ''People Asia'' magazine's "People of the Year" in 2013, along with Megan Young, who won Miss World 2013.

In 2014, Remulla was assigned by Vice President Jejomar Binay as his new spokesperson. Remulla was supposed to run for his last term as governor in 2016 but he decided to quit as Binay asked him to become secretary of the interior and local government should Binay win the presidency. His brother, Jesus Crispin, ran in his stead and later won. However, as of April 29, 2016, Remulla was confirmed to have left Binay's camp in support of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte.

Remulla successfully sought a comeback as governor in 2019, defeating former Governor Maliksi for the second time. He sought re-election 2022 and won, this time with Tagaytay councilor Athena Tolentino, the daughter of 8th district representative Abraham Tolentino, as his running mate. He also supported the successful campaign of presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos and vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte.

Secretary of Interior and Local Government (2024–present)

Remulla initially intended to run for his third and last consecutive term as the Governor of Cavite in 2025, with incumbent Vice Governor Athena Tolentino as his running mate. However, he and Tolentino withdrew their certificates of candidacy on October 7, 2024, six days after filing those, and he was appointed by President Bongbong Marcos as the secretary of the interior and local government, succeeding senatorial candidate Benhur Abalos. He eventually vacated the post of the Governor of Cavite, of which Vice Governor Tolentino would later assume the governorship to finish out his remaining gubernatorial term from October 8, 2024. He was replaced in the gubernatorial race by his nephew, 7th district Board Member Francisco Gabriel "Abeng" Remulla.

Remulla took oath as secretary on October 8, 2024.

Personal life

Remulla is married to Agnes Tirona, a physician, with whom he has five children.

Remulla is the team manager of the UP Fighting Maroons (Men's Senior Basketball Team) and was instrumental in recruiting and building the team which eventually ended a 32-year finals drought in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). In game 1 of the 2018 Season 81 basketball finals against top-ranked Ateneo Blue Eagles, Remulla was handed a technical foul in violation of the "cooling-off" period when he attempted to approach the game officials prior to the start of the 3rd quarter.

Remulla is also a fan of South Korean entertainment, noting how Korean dramas and K-pop inspire Filipinos and strengthen cultural ties, as Koreans are also the top tourists in the Philippines. He believes in learning from Korea's achievements, seeing their success as a model Filipinos can aspire to.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Remulla, Juanito Victor C.
1967 births
Living people
National Unity Party (Philippines) politicians
People from Imus
Governors of Cavite
Members of the Cavite Provincial Board
University of the Philippines Diliman alumni
Secretaries of the interior and local government of the Philippines
Bongbong Marcos administration cabinet members