Term limits · 2001–2025 local elections

When the term ends, but the power doesn’t.

Local officials may serve three consecutive terms. 1,482 times since 2001, a term-limited official moved to another seat, handed the seat to someone with the same surname, traded seats, or came back for it.

Very high risk

124

Every case

494 seat moves

Each strip shows who won the seat in each election from 2001 to 2025.

Search name or placeRisk levelPatternProvince

Clear

This official (●)Same surname (S)Someone elseNo result on file

Highest risk Most recent

Representative, 2nd District · City of Davao, Davao del Sur

Mylene GarciaVincent Garcia

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

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’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Vincent Garcia
+1Surname held this office 15 straight years

2013Representative, 2nd District · City of Davao
2016Representative, 2nd District · City of Davao

Mayor · San Jose, Dinagat Islands

Allandos EcleoYngwie Ecleo

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Yngwie Ecleo
+1Surname held this office 18 straight years

2013Mayor · San Jose
2016Mayor · San Jose

Vice Mayor · Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur

Floro TadenaBryan Tadena

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Swapped seatsSame-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+1Won another seat the next election: Mayor · Santo Domingo
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Bryan Tadena

2013Vice Mayor · Santo Domingo
2016Vice Mayor · Santo Domingo
2019Mayor · Santo Domingo

Vice Mayor ⇄ Mayor · Santa Cruz, Ilocos Sur

Teresita Valle Virgilio Valle

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Seat exchangeTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

’10

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+2Teresita Valle and Virgilio Valle traded Vice Mayor and Mayor in 2019
+1Both share the same surname
+1Surname held these offices 18 straight years

2013Mayor · Santa Cruz
2016Vice Mayor · Santa Cruz
2019Mayor · Santa Cruz
2022Mayor · Santa Cruz
2025Mayor · Santa Cruz

Vice Mayor ⇄ Mayor · San Juan Lapog, Ilocos Sur

Elaine SarmientoBenjamin Sarmiento Jr.

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Seat exchangeTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

’10

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+2Elaine Sarmiento and Benjamin Sarmiento Jr. traded Vice Mayor and Mayor in 2019
+1Both share the same surname
+1Surname held these offices 18 straight years

2016Vice Mayor · San Juan Lapog
2019Mayor · San Juan Lapog

Mayor · Concepcion, Iloilo

Milliard VillanuevaDok Banias

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Swapped seatsReturned to the seatTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

●

’22

●

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+1Won another seat the next election: Vice Mayor · Concepcion
+2Won the same office back in 2022

2013Mayor · Concepcion
2016Mayor · Concepcion
2019Vice Mayor · Concepcion
2022Mayor · Concepcion
2025Mayor · Concepcion

Mayor · Barotac Viejo, Iloilo

Nielex TupasBongbong Tupas

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Bongbong Tupas
+1Surname held this office 18 straight years

2013Mayor · Barotac Viejo
2013Representative, 4th District · Iloilo
2016Mayor · Barotac Viejo

Representative, 3rd District · Isabela

Napoleon DyIan Dy

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Ian Dy
+1Surname held this office 18 straight years

2013Representative, 3rd District · Isabela
2016Representative, 3rd District · Isabela

Representative, 2nd District · Isabela

Ana GoEd Go

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Ed Go
+1Surname held this office 18 straight years

2013Representative, 2nd District · Isabela
2016Representative, 2nd District · Isabela

Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan, Lanao del Norte

Motalib Dimaporo Ulwan Dimaporo

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Swapped seatsSame-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+1Won another seat the next election: Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Ulwan Dimaporo

2013Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo
2013Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2016Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2019Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2022Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo
2025Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo

Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan, Lanao del Norte

Ulwan Dimaporo Motalib Dimaporo

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Swapped seatsSame-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+1Won another seat the next election: Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Motalib Dimaporo

2013Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2016Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2019Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2025Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo

Vice Mayor ⇄ Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan, Lanao del Norte

Motalib Dimaporo Ulwan Dimaporo

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Seat exchangeTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Motalib Dimaporo and Ulwan Dimaporo traded Vice Mayor and Mayor in 2019
+1Both share the same surname

2013Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo
2013Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2016Vice Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2019Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo Karomatan
2022Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo
2025Mayor · Sultan Naga Dimaporo

Mayor · Lumba-Bayabao, Lanao del Sur

Gambai DagalangitMahar Dagalangit

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Mahar Dagalangit
+1Surname held this office 15 straight years

2013Mayor · Lumba-Bayabao
2016Mayor · Lumba-Bayabao

Mayor · Binidayan, Lanao del Sur

Abdullah DatumulokSual Dimaporo

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Sual Dimaporo
+1Surname held this office 18 straight years

2013Mayor · Binidayan
2016Mayor · Binidayan

Vice Mayor ⇄ Mayor · Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur

Hafiz MutiMacmod Muti

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Seat exchangeTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

’10

’13

●

’16

’19

●

’22

’25

+2Hafiz Muti and Macmod Muti traded Vice Mayor and Mayor in 2019
+1Both share the same surname
+1Surname held these offices 15 straight years

2016Vice Mayor · Saguiaran
2019Mayor · Saguiaran
2022Vice Mayor · Saguiaran

Mayor · Palompon, Leyte

Ramon OnateMyra Arevalo

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Swapped seatsReturned to the seatTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

●

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+1Won another seat the next election: Vice Mayor · Palompon
+2Won the same office back in 2022

2013Mayor · Palompon
2016Mayor · Palompon
2019Vice Mayor · Palompon
2022Mayor · Palompon

Mayor · Talitay, Maguindanao

Montasir SabalAbdulwahab Sabal

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Swapped seatsSame-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+1Won another seat the next election: Vice Mayor · Talitay
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Abdulwahab Sabal

2013Mayor · Talitay
2016Mayor · Talitay
2019Vice Mayor · Talitay

Vice Mayor · Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao

Ameerah MamalapatZandria Ampatuan

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Zandria Ampatuan
+1Surname held this office 15 straight years

2013Vice Mayor · Shariff Saydona Mustapha
2016Vice Mayor · Shariff Saydona Mustapha

Mayor · Parang, Maguindanao

Ibrahim IbayCahar Ibay

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Same-surname successorTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

●

’10

●

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+1Reached the 3-term limit
+2Same-surname successor took the seat: Cahar Ibay
+1Surname held this office 15 straight years

2013Mayor · Parang
2016Mayor · Parang

Vice Mayor ⇄ Mayor · Pagagawan, Maguindanao

Ohto MontawalVicman Montawal

Moderate risk · 4 pts

Seat exchangeTerm limit 2019

’01

’04

’07

’10

’13

●

’16

’19

’22

’25

+2Ohto Montawal and Vicman Montawal traded Vice Mayor and Mayor in 2019
+1Both share the same surname
+1Surname held these offices 15 straight years

2016Vice Mayor · Pagagawan
2019Mayor · Pagagawan
2022Mayor · Pagagawan

How the risk level is scored

Reached the 3-term limit	+1
Won a different seat in the same province the next election	+1
Vacated seat won by someone with the same surname	+2
Won the same office back later	+2
Traded offices with another official in one election	+2 (+1 if same surname)
Surname held the office 15+ / 21+ straight years	+1 / +2

Low risk 0–2 pointsModerate risk 3–4 pointsHigh risk 5–6 pointsVery high risk 7+ points

What this does and doesn’t mean

Every move counted here is legal. The Local Government Code (and, for House members, the Constitution) limits an official to three consecutive terms in the same office; it does not stop them from running for another office, or for the same office after one term out.

The risk level measures how concentrated a seat has become in one person or one surname. It is not an accusation of wrongdoing.

“Same surname” means a shared last name, or a last name that matches the other’s middle name, as BetterGov.ph Dynasties defines it. A shared name may not mean the two are related.

Source: COMELEC results 2001–2025 compiled by Open Halalan (ODbL), via the BetterGov.ph Dynasties dataset. Covers governor, vice governor, district representative, mayor and vice mayor seats. Representatives fall under the Constitution’s three-term limit.

Political families and surname blocs →