Lito Lapid

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The Honorable Lito Lapid
Lapid in 2019
Senator of the Philippines
Incumbent
Assumed office June 30, 2019
In office June 30, 2004 – June 30, 2016
Senate committee chairmanships
2019–present	Committee on Games and Amusement
Governor of Pampanga
In office June 30, 1995 – June 30, 2004
Vice Governor	Cielo Macapagal-Salgado Clayton Olalia Mikey Arroyo
Preceded by	Bren Guiao
Succeeded by	Mark Lapid
Vice Governor of Pampanga
In office June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1995
Governor	Bren Guiao
Preceded by	Cielo Macapagal-Salgado
Succeeded by	Cielo Macapagal-Salgado
Personal details
Born	(1955-10-25) October 25, 1955 (age 65) Porac, Pampanga, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Political party	NPC (1991–1998; 2018–present[1])
Other political affiliations	Lakas–CMD (1998–2012) K4 (2004) Independent (2012–2018)
Spouse(s)	Marissa Tadeo
Children	6 (including Mark and Ysabel)
Residence	Porac, Pampanga Makati, Metro Manila
Occupation	Actor, politician
Net worth	₱71 million[2] (Dec. 31, 2019)
Signature

Manuel "Lito" Mercado Lapid (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈlito ˈlapid]; born October 25, 1955) is a Filipino actor and politician serving as a Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016.^[3][4] He started his political career in Pampanga, serving as vice governor from 1992 to 1995, and governor from 1995 to 2004.

In 2015, he was charged for graft over his alleged involvement in the 2004 Fertilizer Fund scam while he was governor of Pampanga, but the case was dismissed in 2016 by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court due to the "inordinate delay" in the investigation.^[5][6][7][8]

Early life and education[]

Lapid was born in Porac, Pampanga on October 25, 1955. He is the fifth child out of nine children of Jose Lapid and Eleuteria Mercado. He completed his elementary education at the Porac Central School in 1968 and secondary education at St. Catherine's Academy in Porac in 1972. He did not enroll for his tertiary education as he pursued acting.^[3]

Acting career[]

Lapid entered the film industry as a stuntman, and became an actor. He is the nephew of Jess Lapid and the cousin of Jess Lapid Jr.^[9] The movie "The Jess Lapid Story" got him noticed in the movie industry.^[3][4]

Political career[]

In the 1992 general election he ran under the opposition block Nationalist People's Coalition as vice governor of Pampanga, and defeated the incumbent vice governor Cielo Macapagal-Salgado.

In 1995, he ran against Governor Bren Guiao as governor of Pampanga under the same party and won. When he sought a second term in 1998, Lapid joined the administration party Lakas-NUCD. After the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and the second EDSA Revolution the following year, he ran again for his final term and won.

He decided to run as mayor of Angeles City, in the 2004 elections but abandoned his plans when he was encouraged to run as a senator.^[3]

Senate[]

During the 2004 Senatorial elections, the then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo encouraged Lapid to run as a senator under the administration coalition K4. He accepted the offer and won the election where he placed eleventh. In May 2010, he was re-elected as senator, placing 11th in the overall ranking. He ran under the Lakas–CMD but subsequently left the party in 2012 and served until 2016 as an independent. He was chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism and Cooperatives.

On October 15, 2018, Lapid filed his Certificate of Candidacy for senator at the Commission on Elections in Intramuros, Manila.^[10] On May 22, 2019, he was proclaimed as one of the winners of the 2019 Philippine Senate election by the Commission on Elections sitting as National Board of Canvassers. He garnered 16,954,677 votes placing him in seventh place, succeeding Senator Sonny Angara at sixth and preceding former Ilocos Norte governor Imee Marcos at eighth.^[11]

Personal life[]

House of Lito Lapid (Porac, Pampanga).

Lapid is married to Marissa Tadeo, with whom he has two sons and two daughters. They are Maan Krista, Mitzi Karen, Maynard and Mark.^[12] Lapid also has two children out of wedlock: Manuelito with former supermodel Melanie Marquez^[13][14] and actress Ysabel Ortega with former singer, Michelle Ortega.^[15][16][17]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Television[]

References[]

External links[]

• Lito Lapid at IMDb
• Senate of the Philippines - Lito Lapid
• Lito Lapid as governor of Pampanga at the Wayback Machine (archived September 29, 2007)