Emmylou "Lala" Jacolo Taliño-Mendoza (born February 25, 1972) is a

Filipina Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino, English, or other Philippine languages. Despite formerly being subject to ...

politician. She was a representative for the first congressional district of Cotabato from 2001 until 2010. She was then elected as the Governor of Cotabato against Agriculture Secretary

Emmanuel Piñol Emmanuel "Manny" Fantin Piñol (born December 16, 1953) is a Filipino politician, journalist, writer, agriculture advocate and agribusinessman. He served in President Rodrigo Duterte's cabinet as chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority ...

. She was elected until her last term in 2019, when she was elected as vice governor. She was then elected as the Governor of Cotabato in 2022 and currently serves as the governor.

Early life and education

Emmylou Taliño was born on February 25, 1972, in Makilala,

North Cotabato Cotabato, formerly and still commonly referred to as North Cotabato and officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Kidapawan, the ...

. She studied at the Notre Dame of Kidapawan for Girls for her primary and secondary education. She studied at

Ateneo de Davao University Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU; ) is a private Catholic basic and higher education institution in Davao City, Davao del Sur, Philippines. It is run by the Philippine Jesuit Province. Before the Jesuits took over administration of the schoo ...

for her tertiary education as an undergraduate for accountancy. She studied at the

University of Southern Mindanao The University of Southern Mindanao (USM; ), formerly Mindanao Institute of Technology (MIT),is a university in the Southern Philippines. It provides instruction and professional training in science and technology, particularly in agriculture a ...

Kabacan Kabacan officially the Municipality of Kabacan ( Maguindanaon: ''Inged nu Kabakan'', Jawi: ايڠد نو كباكن; ; ; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 77, ...

Cotabato Cotabato, formerly and still commonly referred to as North Cotabato and officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen Regions of the Philippines, regi ...

and gained an Honorary Degree as a Doctor of Science in Rural Development. For her diploma, she studied at the

University of Asia and the Pacific The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P; ) is a private university in the Philippines. It traces its beginnings to the Center for Research and Communication (CRC), which was established on August 15, 1967, as a private think-tank that cond ...

in the Agribusiness Executive’s Program. She gained her masteral education at the

National Defense College of the Philippines The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP; ) is an educational, training, and research agency of the Philippine government located inside Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City. It is responsible for providing continued and ...

as an Executive Master in National Security Administration.

Early political career and representative

From 1993 to 1996, she was the chairperson for

Sangguniang Kabataan A Sangguniang Kabataan (abbreviated as SK; ) is a community council that represents the youth in a barangay in the Philippines. Established to provide young people with a platform for civic engagement and participation in Local government in ...

. In 1998, she was the Senior Board Member for the Local Government Unit in Cotabato. She became a representative for Cotabato's 1st congressional district after the

2001 Philippine House of Representatives elections Elections for the House of Representatives of the Philippines were held on May 14, 2001. This was the next election succeeding the events of the 2001 EDSA Revolution that deposed Joseph Estrada from the presidency; his vice president, Gloria Maca ...

. In the

12th Congress of the Philippines The 12th Congress of the Philippines (), composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives, met from July 23, 2001, until June 4, 2004, during the first three years of Gloria Macapagal ...

, she was a member of the Committees of Rules, Accounts, Legislative Franchises, and National Defense. She was re-elected as a representative for the 1st district of Cotabato in the

2004 Philippine House of Representatives elections Elections for the House of Representatives of the Philippines were held on May 10, 2004. Being held together with 2004 Philippine presidential election, presidential election, the party of the incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Lakas� ...

. She was a member of the Committees of Rules, Accounts, Legislative Franchises, and National Defense in the

13th Congress of the Philippines The 13th Congress of the Philippines (), composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 26, 2004, until June 8, 2007, during the fourth, fifth, and sixth years of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's presidency. The conven ...

. In the

2007 Philippine House of Representatives elections The 2007 Philippine House of Representatives elections were held on May 14, 2007, to elect members to the House of Representatives of the Philippines to serve in the 14th Congress of the Philippines from June 30, 2007, until June 30, 2010. The Ph ...

, she was re-elected as a representative. In the

14th Congress of the Philippines The 14th Congress of the Philippines (), composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 23, 2007, until June 9, 2010, during the last three years of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's presidency. The convening of the 14th ...

, she was a member of the

Commission on Appointments The Commission on Appointments (, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by the 1987 Constitution. Whil ...

. Moreover, she was a member of the Committees of Rules, Accounts, Legislative Franchises, and National Defense. She was the Vice Chairperson for the

Philippine House Committee on Legislative Franchises The Philippine House Committee on Legislative Franchises, or House Legislative Franchises Committee is a standing committee of the Philippine House of Representatives. Jurisdiction As prescribed by House Rules, the committee's jurisdiction i ...

Governor of Cotabato

She won as Governor of the Province during the

2010 Philippine gubernatorial elections Gubernatorial elections were held in the Philippines on May 10, 2010. All provinces elected their provincial governors for three-year terms that will begin on June 30, 2010. Governors that are currently serving their third consecutive terms are pr ...

against Then-Governor

, causing Piñol to file an election protest against her, which was dismissed. In the

2013 Philippine gubernatorial elections Gubernatorial elections were held in the Philippines on May 13, 2013. All provinces elected their provincial governors for three-year terms who will be inaugurated on June 30, 2013, after their proclamation. Governors that are currently serving ...

, she won against Piñol, leading Piñol to once again, file an election protest against her, which he eventually reversed. In the

2016 Philippine gubernatorial elections Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number) *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * '' Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen * ''Sixteen'' ...

, she ran 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 ...

against four other candidates. She won by a landslide, marking her third and final consecutive term. After her win she planned to focus on agriculture and farmers. In the

2019 Philippine gubernatorial elections Gubernatorial elections were held in the Philippines on May 13, 2019. All provinces elected their provincial governors for three-year terms, who will be inaugurated on June 30, 2019 after their proclamation. Governors that are currently serving ...

, she ran as vice governor under 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 ...

. She ran against Socrates Piñol of

Partido Demokratiko Pilipino The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP, ) is a Populism, populist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was previously known as Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–L ...

. She won with 321,838 votes. In the

2022 Philippine gubernatorial elections Gubernatorial elections were held in the Philippines on May 9, 2022. All provinces will elect their provincial governors for three-year terms, who will be inaugurated on June 30, 2022 after their proclamation. Governors that are currently servi ...

, she ran for governor under the Nacionalista Party. She gained 308,479 votes or 50.78 percent of the votes, a slight win against Nancy Catamco of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino. In the

2025 Philippine gubernatorial elections Gubernatorial elections were held in the Philippines on May 12, 2025. All provinces will elect their provincial governors for three-year terms, who will be inaugurated on June 30, 2025, after their proclamation. Governors that are currently servi ...

, she ran under the Nacionalista Party. She won with 414,043 votes, 51.91 percent of the votes.

Personal life

She is married to Congressman

Raymond Mendoza Raymond Democrito Cañete Mendoza (born July 7, 1962) is a Filipino lawyer, politician and labor leader who has served as the representative of the Trade Union Congress Party for seven intermittent terms since 2009. The longest-serving member ...

, representative of the TUCP Partylist. Together they have one son, Emilio Ramon, and she has a daughter from a previous marriage, Ma. Alana Samantha. She is of an ethnic Ilocano descent.

Electoral Performance

2025 2022

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Talino-Mendoza, Emmylou Living people 1972 births Governors of Cotabato Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino politicians Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Cotabato Women members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines People from Cotabato Ateneo de Davao University alumni 21st-century Filipino women politicians 21st-century Filipino politicians Women provincial governors of the Philippines