Luisa "Banti" Lloren Cuaresma (born January 18, 1955) is a Filipina politician who currently serves as the representative of the lone district of Nueva Vizcaya since 2016. Previously, she served as governor of

Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya (; ; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital and largest town is Bayo ...

from 2004 until 2013 and vice-governor from 1998 until 2004. She is the province's fourth female governor.

Early life

Cuaresma, a pharmacist by profession, was married to Bambang Mayor Benjamin Cuaresma, who was abducted and assassinated by the

New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...

on the eve of the 1988 local elections.

Political career

After her husband's murder, Cuaresma ran for mayor in the 1988 election and won, serving the three-term limit until 1998. Afterwards, she was elected vice governor for two terms before becoming the fifth woman to become governor of

in 2004. She served in that post until 2013, when she made an unsuccessful bid to run for the

lone district Lone may refer to: People *Destroy Lonely, a nickname for the artist * Lone (given name), a given name (including a list of people with this name) * Lone (musician), Matt Cutler, an electronic musician from Nottingham, United Kingdom * Lone (surn ...

in the 16th Congress. She was finally elected to the 17th Congress in 2016 and was reelected in 2019 and 2022. She ran for governor in the

2025 Philippine general election The 2025 Philippine general election was held on May 12, 2025. During this midterm election, where the winners take office mid-way through the Presidency of Bongbong Marcos, term of President Bongbong Marcos, all 317 seats in the House of Repres ...

, but lost to the incumbent, Jose Gambito. Cuaresma was a critic of large-scale mining operations in the province such as the

Didipio mine Didipio mine is a large open-pit and underground gold and copper mine located at Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. The mine is operated by the OceanaGold. History The mine was permitted to operate for 25 years under a Financial or Technical ...

operated by the Australian mining firm

OceanaGold OceanaGold Corporation (OceanaGold), previously named Macraes Mining Company and then GRD Macraes, is a gold mining and exploration company based in Vancouver, Canada and Brisbane, Australia OceanaGold operates the Haile Gold Mine in the United ...

in the town of

Kasibu Kasibu, officially the Municipality of Kasibu (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,776 people. ''Kasibu'' in the Ilongot language means, "a venue where ...

. In 2008, she and other officials of the provincial government were sued for blocking the mine's operations. As congresswoman, Cuaresma co-signed the impeachment complaint against Vice President

Sara Duterte Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio (, ; born May 31, 1978), commonly known as Inday Sara, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who is the 15th and current vice president of the Philippines. She is the third female vice president (after Gloria Macap ...

on February 5, 2025.

Personal life

Cuaresma has four children, the eldest of which, Benjamin III, has served as mayor of Bambang.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuaresma, Luisa Lloren Living people 1955 births Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Nueva Vizcaya Governors of Nueva Vizcaya Women members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines People from Nueva Vizcaya Politicians from Nueva Vizcaya Women provincial governors of the Philippines