Caesar Perez

Perez was successfully elected as mayor of Los Baños in 2001. He was re-elected in 2004 and in 2007.

Upon being term-limited as mayor, Perez ran for Vice Governor of Laguna in 2010 as the running mate of Laguna provincial administrator Dennis Lazaro, the son of outgoing Governor Teresita Lazaro, under the Lakas–Kampi–CMD ticket. Although the younger Lazaro lost to Pagsanjan Mayor E. R. Ejercito, Perez was elected as the provincial vice governor, serving from 2010 to 2013.

Perez decided not to seek reelection as vice governor to run for mayor of Los Baños again under the Akbayan Citizens' Action Party in the 2013 elections, winning over incumbent Mayor Anthony Genuino. Upon his inauguration, Perez stated that his mayorship would focus on the town's sports development and traffic management, as well as the cleaning of Laguna de Bay.

His tenure as mayor was characterized by a focus on environmental protection, with his ban on single-use plastic bags in 2008 making Los Baños the first municipality to regulate plastic bag use in the Philippines.{{cite news|last=Lina|first=Joey D.|author-link=Joey Lina|title=Mayor Caesar Perez was an excellent public servant|url=https://mb.com.ph/2020/12/15/mayor-caesar-perez-was-an-excellent-public-servant/|access-date=October 30, 2024|work=Manila Bulletin|publisher=Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation|date=December 16, 2020}}{{cite journal|last=Garcia|first=John Philip D.|title=Factors Shaping Policy Adoption on Single-Use Plastic Bag Regulation in Philippine Cities and Municipalities|journal=Philippine Journal of Public Administration|date=2022|volume=66|page=2}} One of his staunch opponents throughout his mayorship was councilor Norvin Tamisin.{{cite news|last=Punongbayan|first=Michael|title=Wastes dumped in Los Baños forest reserve|url=https://www.philstar.com/nation/2005/07/18/286927/wastes-dumped-los-bantildeos-forest-reserve|access-date=October 30, 2024|work=Philstar.com|publisher=Philstar Global Corp.|date=July 18, 2005}}

Perez was assassinated behind the Los Baños Municipal Hall at approximately 8:45 p.m. PHT on December 3, 2020.{{cite news|last1=Baraoidan|first1=Kimmy|last2=Cinco|first2=Maricar|title=Shock, rage in Los Baños over mayor's slay|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1368203/shock-rage-in-los-banos-over-mayors-slay|access-date=October 30, 2024|newspaper=Inquirer News|publisher=INQUIRER.net|date=December 5, 2020|location=Los Baños, Laguna}}{{cite news|last1=Mallari Jr.|first1=Delfin T.|last2=Quitasol|first2=Kimberlie|title=Suspect in Laguna mayor slay nabbed|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1510624/suspect-in-lagunamayor-slay-nabbed|access-date=October 30, 2024|newspaper=Inquirer News|publisher=INQUIRER.net|date=November 5, 2021|location=Baguio City}} He had just come from inspecting a project in Barangay Baybayin with Councilor Janos Lapiz when he arrived at the municipal hall that evening and asked for a masseuse. After his massage, Perez instructed his driver and assistant to bring the masseuse home, upon which he began feeding the carp in his koi pond behind the town hall and taking a stroll in an open area with one civilian guard present. During his stroll, Perez was shot in the head by an unseen gunman, with two more shots in the chest and one graze wound on his right shoulder. The guard took him to the HealthServ Medical Center, also in Los Baños, where he was pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m.{{cite news|last=Cinco|first=Maricar|title=Los Baños mayor shot inside municipal hall, dies in hospital|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1367873/los-banos-mayor-shot-dead-inside-municipal-hall|access-date=October 30, 2024|newspaper=Inquirer News|publisher=INQUIRER.net|date=December 3, 2020|location=San Pedro City, Laguna}} His younger brother, Ruel Perez, had previously been assassinated in May 2017.{{cite news|last=Cinco|first=Maricar|title=Brother of Laguna mayor shot dead|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/895081/brother-of-laguna-mayor-shot-dead|access-date=November 26, 2024|work=Inquirer News|publisher=INQUIRER.net|date=May 8, 2017|location=San Pedro City, Laguna}}

On December 4, 2020, the Los Baños municipal council issued a resolution declaring a state of mourning in Los Baños up to December 12.{{cite news|last=Aguilon|first=Erwin|title=December 4 hanggang 12 idineklarang state of mourning sa Los Baños, Laguna|url=https://radyo.inquirer.net/278376/december-4-hanggang-12-idineklarang-state-of-mourning-sa-bayan-ng-los-banos|access-date=October 30, 2024|newspaper=Radyo Inquirer 990 AM|publisher=INQUIRER.net|date=December 4, 2020|language=Filipino}} On the same day, the Department of Justice instructed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the assassination and submit periodic updates on their progress.{{cite news|author=LBG|title=DOJ directs NBI to investigate Los Baños mayor slay|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/766926/doj-directs-nbi-to-investigate-los-banos-mayor-slay/story/|access-date=October 30, 2024|work=GMA News Online|publisher=GMA Network Inc.|date=December 5, 2020}} Media reports regarding the assassination regularly pointed out that Perez was mentioned during President Rodrigo Duterte's reading of a list of "narco-politicians" who are allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade, which Perez's son Aldous believes had been the reason for his assassination.{{cite news|last=Ranada|first=Pia|title=Duterte distances himself from his 'narco-politicians' list after Los Baños mayor killing|url=https://www.rappler.com/philippines/duterte-distances-himself-from-narco-politicians-list-after-los-banos-mayor-killing/|access-date=October 30, 2024|work=Rappler|publisher=Rappler Inc.|date=December 8, 2020}}{{cite news|last=Saldajeno|first=Ivan Stewart|title=Slain Laguna town mayor's son pleads with Duterte for justice|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1123950 |access-date=October 30, 2024 |agency=PNA|date=December 6, 2020|location=Los Baños, Laguna}} A month prior to his assassination, Perez went to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to be tested for drugs to prove his innocence.{{cite news|author=DVM|title=Mayor Perez held office in the open despite threats –Los Baños exec|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/766935/mayor-perez-held-office-in-the-open-despite-threats-los-banos-exec/story/|access-date=October 30, 2024|work=GMA News Online|publisher=GMA Network Inc.|date=December 6, 2024}}

In early May 2021, a Laguna police task force issued a murder complaint against former councilor Norvin L. Tamisin and government official Glenn Arieta based on eyewitness accounts of the incident. Tamisin had continuously denied his involvement in the assassination in interviews, expressing his bafflement on how he was placed by eyewitnesses in the crime scene.{{cite news|last=Amoroso|first=Ed|title=Ex-councilor charged in Los Baños mayor's slay|url=https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/05/05/2095895/ex-councilor-charged-los-baos-mayors-slay|access-date=October 30, 2024|work=Philstar.com|publisher=Philstar Global Corp.|date=May 5, 2021|location=Laguna, Philippines}}{{cite news|last=Cinco|first=Maricar|title=2 ex-Laguna execs face raps over mayor's slay|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1427829/2-ex-laguna-execs-face-raps-over-mayors-slay|access-date=October 30, 2024|newspaper=Inquirer News|publisher=INQUIRER.net|date=May 6, 2021}} On October 22, the Los Baños Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 107 issued an arrest warrant for murder against Tamisin, and by November 2, Tamisin was captured in Baguio City by a joint team of Batangas police and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) as the sixth most wanted person in Region IV-A.{{cite news|last=Amoroso|first=Ed|title=Ex-councilor tagged in Los Baños mayor's slay nabbed|url=https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/11/04/2138786/ex-councilor-tagged-los-baos-mayors-slay-nabbed|access-date=October 30, 2024|work=Philstar.com|publisher=Philstar Global Corp.|date=November 4, 2021|location=Camp Vicente Lim, Laguna}} Tamisin later testified before Congress that he left Los Baños in order to protect his family from potential harm by the police and not to go into hiding. After his capture, he spent the next seven months in jail, and by mid-2022 was allowed by the RTC to post bail.

In October 2024, Tamisin was invited to testify before a congressional inquiry into extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration, where he asserted that he was framed by the police through the use of a "bogus" witness to place him in the crime scene.{{cite news|last=Cervantes|first=Filane Mikee|title=House panel cites cop tagged in Batangas mayor's killing for contempt|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1236147|access-date=October 30, 2024|agency=PNA|date=October 22, 2024|location=Manila}} Tamisin also confirmed in the hearing that surveillance footage taken in Los Baños a few days prior to Perez's murder featured a man he considers to have a strong resemblance to Cebu City police captain Keneth Paul Albotra, a person previously cited in the hearing as being involved in Tanauan, Batangas mayor Antonio Halili's assassination, whom Tamisin believes to be involved in the assassination of Perez.{{cite news|last=Mogato|first=Manny|author-link=Manuel Mogato|title=A dangerous pattern of assignments|url=https://news.tv5.com.ph/breaking/read/opinion-a-dangerous-pattern-of-assignments|access-date=October 30, 2024|work=News 5|publisher=TV5 Network|date=October 27, 2024}}

Perez's remains laid at his residence in the days after the assassination. On December 8, they were brought to a funeral car for a five-hour procession through all 14 barangays in Los Baños before reaching the Los Baños Municipal Hall at 2:15 p.m. to be laid in state for four days.{{cite news|last=Saldajeno|first=Ivan Stewart|title=Los Baños residents mourn death of mayor Perez|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1124126|access-date=October 30, 2024|agency=PNA|date=December 8, 2020}} On December 12, Perez was buried at a cemetery.{{cite news |author= |date=December 12, 2020 |title=Slain Los Baños mayor Caesar Perez laid to rest, as family calls for justice |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/30/-walangpasok-class-suspensions-on-thursday-october-31-1955 |access-date=October 30, 2024 |work=ABS-CBN News |publisher=ABS-CBN Corporation}}

{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-off}}

{{s-bef|before=Ramil Hernandez}}

{{s-ttl|title=Vice Governor of Laguna|years=2010–2013}}

{{s-aft|after=Ramil Hernandez}}

{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Caesar}}

Category:1954 births

Category:2020 deaths

Category:20th-century Filipino politicians

Category:21st-century Filipino politicians

Category:Assassinated Filipino politicians

Category:Assassinated mayors

Category:Deaths by firearm in the Philippines

Category:Akbayan politicians

Category:Filipino farmers

Category:Mayors of places in Laguna (province)

Category:People from Los Baños, Laguna