Amado Bagatsing

Amado Sevilla Bagatsing (born December 3, 1947^[1]) is a Filipino lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist who is the head of Manila's Committee on Reclamation since 2026. He previously served as the representative of Manila's 5th district from 1987 until 1998 and from 2007 to 2016. He is also the founding president of Kabalikat ng Bayan sa Kaunlaran (KABAKA).^[2]

Appointed byIsko Moreno

Preceded byPosition created

Succeeded byJoey Hizon

Quick facts Head of the Committee on Reclamation of Manila, Appointed by ...

Amado S. Bagatsing
Official portrait, 2013

Head of the Committee on Reclamation of Manila
Incumbent
Assumed office June 3, 2026
Appointed by	Isko Moreno
Preceded by	Position created
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Manila's 5th congressional district
In office June 30, 1987 – June 30, 1998
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Joey Hizon
In office June 30, 2007 – June 30, 2016
Preceded by	Joey Hizon
Succeeded by	Cristal Bagatsing

Personal details
Born	Amado Sevilla Bagatsing (1947-12-03) December 3, 1947 (age 78) Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines
Citizenship	Filipino
Party	Aksyon (2024–present) KABAKA (local party; 1987–present)
Other political affiliations	NUP (2011–2016) Lakas–Kampi (2007–2011) LAMMP (1998) LDP (1987–1998) KBL (until 1987)
Spouse	Rosario La'O-Bagatsing
Children	4 (including Cristal)
Parents	Ramon D. Bagatsing, Sr. (father) Juanita H. Sevilla-Bagatsing (mother)
Relatives	Ramon "Don Don" S. Bagatsing, Jr. (brother) Ramon "Boy" B. Bagatsing, Jr. (half-brother) Don Juan Bagatsing (nephew) Raymond Bagatsing (half-nephew) RK Bagatsing (half-nephew)
Education	University of Manila
Occupation	Politician, businessman
Profession	Lawyer

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Life

Bagatsing was born on December 3, 1947, to Ramon Bagatsing, who would later serve as representative and mayor of Manila, and second wife Juanita Sevilla.^[3] He is the brother of former ambassador to India Dondon Bagatsing.^[4]^[5]

Career

Bagatsing served as chairman of the Chamber of Real Estate & Builders' Associations, Inc. (CREBA) Council of Leaders and its National President in 1981, 1982, and 1986.^[2]

Bagatsing became the representative of Manila's 5th district in 1987, and served until 1998. In the early 2000s, Bagatsing served as vice chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and initiated a project for more than 2,000 families of soldiers and uniformed personnel at Bonifacio Heights in Taguig.^[2]

He attempted to run for mayor in 1998, picking former Vice Mayor Danny Lacuna as his running mate. Lacuna won but Bagatsing lost to incumbent Lito Atienza.^[6] A week after the 1998 election, Bagatsing and two other defeated mayoral candidates unsuccessfully petitioned the Supreme Court to disqualify Atienza for allegedly violating the Omnibus Election Code after illegally disbursing ₱3.375 million in public funds to public school teachers during the campaign period.^[7] He ran again in 2001, picking again Lacuna as his running mate, but still lost to Atienza.^[8]

He returned to Congress in 2007,^[9] and served for three terms until 2016.^[10] In 2016, he ran again for mayor, with Ali Atienza as running mate, but lost to another incumbent and former president Joseph Estrada.^[10] In 2019, he ran for vice mayor as the running mate of Estrada,^[11] but both suffered defeat to the tandem of former Vice Mayor Isko Moreno and the then-incumbent Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna.^[12]^[13]^[14]

In 2022, he attempted to run again as mayor, even without a running mate, but lost to incumbent Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna.^[15]^[16]

In 2025, Bagatsing ran for congressman in the 5th district of Manila under former Mayor Isko Moreno's slate named Yorme's Choice.^[17] However, he lost to incumbent Irwin Tieng, losing the congressional race for the first time.

On June 3, 2026, Bagatsing was appointed by Mayor Isko Moreno as the first head of Manila's Committee on Reclamation.^[18]

Controversy

In 2014, Bagatsing was implicated in the pork barrel scam, facing accusations of receiving ₱600,000 in kickbacks linked to Janet Lim-Napoles, according to the ledger of whistleblower Benhur Luy. Graft complaints were filed against him and 9 others with the Office of the Ombudsman on August 7, 2015.^[19] However, Napoles denied the allegations against him.^[20] Bagatsing filed a perjury complaint against Napoles, challenging the validity of her accusations, and argued that his implication in the scandal was politically motivated.^[21]