Romulo "Kid" Valderama Peña Jr. (born August 5, 1969) is a Filipino politician who is the vice mayor-elect of Makati. He previously held the position from 2010 to 2015 under the mayoralty of Jejomar Binay Jr., which ended with Peña as acting mayor from 2015 to 2016 following Binay's dismissal over contract irregularities related to the construction of Makati Science High School. Peña has served as the representative for Makati's first district since 2019 and previously served as 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 (; AdU or ADU) is a private Catholic university operated by the Congregation of the Mission located in Manila, Philippines. The university has academic programs in graduate school, law, the liberal arts, sciences, engineerin ...

with the degree of

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in Political Science in 1990, as well as a degree holder of Economics from

De La Salle University De La Salle University (), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private, Catholic coeducational research university run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with main campus in Taft Avenue, Malate, Man ...

Political career

Peña 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 Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

not affiliated with the Binay family since 1986 and its cityhood in 1995. However, he lost the 2016 election to 2nd district representative

Abigail Binay Mar-len Abigail "Abby" Sombillo Binay-Campos (born December 12, 1975) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who has been the Mayor of Makati since 2016. She formerly served in the Congress as Representative of Makati's 2nd District from 2007 to ...

. In the 2019 Philippine midterm elections, Peña made a successful political comeback, defeating former Philippine Vice President

Jejomar Binay Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay Sr. (born Jesus Jose Cabauatan Binay; November 11, 1942) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 13th vice president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016, under President Benigno Aquino III. A ...

in a close race for a congressional seat in the 1st district of Makati. He was re-elected in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, this time under the ticket of incumbent Mayor

. Peña will run for vice mayor of Makati in

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, this time under the

Nationalist People's Coalition The Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) is a conservatism, conservative political party in the Philippines which was founded in 1992 by presidential candidate Danding Cojuangco. History Formation In 1990, amid political and economic unce ...

, as the running mate of fellow Makati representative Luis Campos, who is running for mayor. Campos aims to succeed his wife Abigail, who is term-limited. Peña and incumbent vice mayor

Monique Lagdameo Monique Yazmin María "Nik" Quiríno Lagdaméo (born July 25, 1975) is a Filipino politician who is the representative-elect for Makati's first district. She previously held the seat from 2010 to 2016 and has served as the vice mayor of Makati ...

will effectively swap positions they once held.

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