Gerald Anthony "Samsam" Vargas Gullas Jr. (born December 1, 1984) is a Filipino politician serving as the mayor of

Talisay, Cebu Talisay, officially the City of Talisay (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 263,04 ...

since 2019. He previously served as representative for

Cebu's 1st congressional district Cebu's 1st congressional district is one of the seven congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of Cebu. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 1916 and earlier in the Philippine Assembly ...

from 2013 to 2019.

Early life and education

Gullas is the eldest son of Gerald Anthony "Didi" Gullas and Josephine Vargas. He is also the grandson of former Talisay City mayor and incumbent Cebu 1st district representative

Eduardo Gullas Eduardo "Eddie" Rivera Gullas Sr. (born October 13, 1930) is a Filipino politician from Cebu, Philippines. The son of Vicente Gullas and Josefina "Pining" Rivera, he has been elected to seven terms as a Member of the House of Representatives of t ...

. He completed his tertiary education and graduated as

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in 2009 at Centre for International Education and earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business in 2015.

Early career

Gullas started working as assistant vice president for Finance and Administration of the

University of the Visayas The University of the Visayas (UV) is a private institution located in Cebu City, Philippines. It is the first school in the province of Cebu to attain university status. History Vicente Gullas (1898–1970) founded the University of the Visa ...

and also served as manager UV Green Lancers, the school's basketball team.

Political career

House of Representatives (2013–2019)

Running unopposed as representative of Cebu' 1st district in the 2013 local elections, Gullas won with 153,514 votes and succeeded his grandfather,

who reclaimed his old post as mayor of Talisay City. At the age of 28, he became the youngest member of the

16th Congress of the Philippines The 16th Congress of the Philippines () composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 22, 2013, until June 6, 2016, during the last three years of Benigno Aquino III's presidency. The convening of the 16th Co ...

. In his re-election bid in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, he ran against then

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

mayor Antonio "Abe" Canoy and overwhelmingly defeated the latter by garnering 186,091 votes to Canoy's 83,023 votes.

Mayor of Talisay City (2019–present)

Despite being eligible for a third and last term, Gullas opted to run as mayor of Talisay City which in turn allowed his grandfather Eduardo to run again as representative of Cebu's 1st district in the 2019 local elections. The younger Gullas won in the said election. In his 2019 State of the City Address, Gullas indicated that tourism was his top priority for the city as it aims to promote food tourism with its lechon delicacy and the historic landing site of American forces located at Barangay Poblacion. He also proposed for the construction of a boardwalk and a site to host lechon stalls. He was confronted by the city's illegal drug problem which was mentioned by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

for the second time during his speech on January 19, 2020, for the

Sinulog Festival The Sinulog Festival (also known as Sinug and Sulog) is an annual Filipino cultural and religious festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu, with the center of the activities being in Cebu City; and is the core of Santo Niño Chr ...

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

. Duterte previously called out the city police officials on the said problem in a speech last February 24, 2019. On March 29, 2020, Gullas confirmed the city's first

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

case amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , there have been reported cases, and reported deaths, the fift ...

. In August 2024, Talisay Mayor Gullas handed over to Talisay City Science High School the P3 million Interactive Laboratory with experiment apparatus, “Learnytic Multimedia Kit”,

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

facility and an 85-inch

computer monitor A computer monitor is an output device that displays information in pictorial or textual form. A discrete monitor comprises a electronic visual display, visual display, support electronics, power supply, Housing (engineering), housing, electri ...

Personal life

Gullas is married to Rhea Mae Aquino and together have two daughters, namely Princess and Samantha Niña.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gullas, Samsam Living people Nacionalista Party politicians Mayors of Talisay, Cebu Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Cebu 1984 births Politicians from Cebu