Mel Lopez

Gemiliano "Mel" Campos Lopez Jr. (September 1, 1935 – January 1, 2017) was a Filipino politician who served as the 20th and 22nd Mayor of Manila from 1988 to 1992 and as - Mayor of Manila from 1986 to 1987 and an assemblyman of the Batasang Pambansa of the Philippines from 1984 to 1986. He was also a former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission from 1993 to 1996 and the Philippine National Oil Corporation from 2010 until his death in 2017.

Early life and education Mel Lopez was born in Manila on September 1, 1935 to Carmen Campos of Bulacan and Lt. Col. Gemiliano López Sr. of Manila. He is also the grandson of Honorio Lopez, writer and revolutionary during the Spanish Revolution. He was raised in the district of Tondo.

During the 1988 elections, he ran for a full term under the PDP–Laban and won, defeating Housing General Manager Lito Atienza and former Senator Eva Estrada-Kalaw, both his fellow former delegates at the Batasang Pambansa.

Lopez closed down numerous illegal gambling joints and jueteng. He also blocked the re-opening of jai-alai despite pressure from powerful groups.

In January 1990, Lopez padlocked two Manila casinos operated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), saying the billions it gained cannot make up for the negative effects gambling inflicts upon the people, particularly the youth. As a result of this, he was charged with graft in the Sandiganbayan in the same year. The case remained unresolved until it was finally dropped in June 2002.

He also worked for the revival of the Boys’ Town Haven (now referred to as “Boys Town”), rehabilitating its facilities to accommodate underprivileged children and provide them with livelihood and education.

During the 1992 elections, he lost reelection to former National Bureau of Investigation director Alfredo Lim.

Post-mayoralty (1992–2017) In 1993, he was appointed by President Fidel Ramos as Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, serving until 1996. During his term as PSC Chairman, he helped Onyok Velasco to captured the silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA, together with his son Manny Lopez, then-president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (renamed as Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines or ABAP).

In 1995, he sought a rematch against Lim but was unsuccessful. Nine years later, in 2004, he ran again for mayor against then incumbent Mayor Lito Atienza under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) but lost. He last served as chairman of the Philippine National Oil Company and Pacific Concrete Products Inc.

Lopez died on New Year's Day, January 1, 2017, at St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City due to a heart attack at the age of 81. His wake was held at The Aeternum at Heritage Park in Taguig and later at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño de Tondo. A necrological service for him was held at the Manila City Hall on January 5. His remains were interred at The Heritage Park in Taguig.

Legacy In April 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11280 to officially rename a portion of Radial Road 10 to Mel Lopez Boulevard, which runs from Anda Circle in Manila up north to Estero de Marala at the city's border with Navotas.