Romulo "Kid" Valderama Peña Jr. (born August 5, 1969) is a Filipino politician and the current Representative of the 1st District of Makati in the Philippine House of Representatives. He previously served as acting Makati Mayor from 2015 to 2016 after the office of

Ombudsman of the Philippines The Ombudsman of the Philippines, also known as Tanodbayan ng Pilipinas, is an ombudsman responsible for investigating and prosecuting Philippine government officials accused of crimes, especially graft and corruption. Functions Under the 1 ...

dismissed Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay, Jr. over contract irregularities related to the construction of

Makati Science High School The Makati Science High School (Filipino: ''Mataas na Paaralang Pang-agham ng Makati''; informal: MakSci) is a public secondary school located in Kalayaan Avenue, Cembo, Makati. The school implemented the K-12 system last 2016 and offers only t ...

. Prior to that, he served as Vice Mayor of Makati from 2010 to 2015 and a barangay '' kagawad'' and captain of Barangay Valenzuela.

Personal life

Romulo Peña Jr. was once a service crew member, rider, and manager for several fast food restaurants. His humble beginnings among the streets and masses have been attributed to his success and relevance in the local politics of Makati. He is an avid motorcycle rider and the founder of a community-based group named "Tropang Kid". Since its formation in 1994, the riding club has established itself as a growing organization in Makati composed of volunteers who travel around in motorbikes as companions of the District Representative and as social service carriers. He graduated from

Adamson University Adamson University ( fil, links=no, Pamantasang Adamson) also referred to by its acronym AdU is a private, Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Congregation of the Mission in Manila, Philippines. The univers ...

with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1990, as well as a degree holder of Economics from

De La Salle University De La Salle University ( fil, Pamantasang De La Salle or Unibersidad ng De La Salle), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private university, private, Catholic Church, Catholic coeducational research university run by the I ...

Political career

He started his career in politics when he volunteered as a youth leader before being elected as Councilor and Chairman of Barangay Valenzuela, Makati. He later became President of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC), a Sectoral Representative in the City Council, from 2007 to 2010. In the May 2010 elections, he was elected as vice-mayor where he ran as an independent candidate and the running mate of outgoing Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado. He was re-elected in 2013 under the Liberal Party (LP). Peña was sworn in as acting mayor of Makati at the old city hall building after the Office of the Ombudsman suspended Mayor Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay Jr. and 14 individuals over irregularities on building contracts. He became the first city mayor of Makati not affiliated with the Binay family since 1986 and its cityhood in 1995. However, he lost the 2016 election to Abigail Binay. In the 2019 Philippine midterm elections, Peña made a successful political comeback, defeating former Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay in a close race for a congressional seat in the 1st district of Makati.

External links

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Romulo, Jr. 1969 births Living people Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Makati Mayors of Makati De La Salle University alumni Adamson University alumni Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians People from Makati