Pablo Cuneta

Pablo Pablo Cuneta Sr. (; February 2, 1910 – September 27, 2000) was a Filipino politician who served as the mayor of Pasay for several non-consecutive terms between 1951 and 1998. With a mayoral tenure of 39 years, he is the second longest-serving mayor in the history of the Philippines, after Francisco P. Felix in Cainta. He was the father of actress and singer Sharon Cuneta.

Early life Cuneta was born on February 2, 1910, in Pasay (then a municipality of Rizal) to Catalino Cuneta y García (c. 1871 – c. 1948) and Miguela Pablo y de la Cruz (c. 1873 – October 15, 1948).

Personal life He was first married to Generosa Francisco. They had ten children: Edgardo, Reynaldo, Leonides, Rosauro, Leticia, Jaime, Carmencita, Pablo Jr., Generoso, and Aida.

After Generosa’s death, he married Elinor "Elaine" Gamboa (December 31, 1934 – November 5, 2014); they remained married until his death in 2000. Together, they had two children: César "Chet" and Sharon.

Political career Cuneta started his political career when he served as deputy governor of Rizal from 1947 to 1949. In 1951, he was appointed Pasay mayor. Five years later, he ran for mayor and won. He ran again and won, in the 1959 and 1963 elections. In 1967, he was defeated by Jovito Claudio. He bounced back in the 1971 national elections and was re-elected again in 1980. He stepped down when the Aquino government was swept into power in 1986. Two years later, he again won in the local elections. He would top the local elections again in 1992 and 1995. At the end of his term in 1998, he had been Pasay mayor for 41 years, the longest-serving mayor in Philippine history. He was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque.

Legacy Cuneta's administration is credited with the construction of the Maricaban Settlement, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay (now City University of Pasay), Pasay City General Hospital and the Cuneta Astrodome, among other projects.