Rommel Acuña

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Rommel Acuña

| image = Rommel and Ronnie Acuña at Marikina City Hall, March 26, 2025 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Acuña in 2025

| office = Mayor of Marikina

| term_label = Acting

| term_start = March 26, 2025

| term_end = June 30, 2025

| predecessor = Marcelino Teodoro

| successor = Maan Teodoro

| 1blankname = {{nowrap|Vice Mayor}}

| 1namedata = Marion Andres
Ronnie Acuña (acting)

| office2 = Member of the Marikina City Council from the 1st district

| term_start2 = June 30, 2019

| term_end2 = March 26, 2025

| office3 = Member of the Tañong Barangay Council

| term_start3 = November 30, 2013

| term_end3 = June 30, 2019

| party = Lakas (2024–present)

| otherparty = UNA (2021–2024)
Liberal Party (2018–2021)

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|3|7}}

| birth_place = Quezon City, Philippines

| nationality = Filipino

| occupation = {{hlist|Businessman|politician}}

| relations = Ronnie Acuña (brother)

| spouse = Teresita de Leon

| website =

}}

Rommel "Kambal" Santos Acuña (born March 7, 1973) is a Filipino politician who served as the acting mayor of Marikina from March to June 2025, after the Office of the Ombudsman suspended Marcelino Teodoro from office. Acuña previously served as a member of the Marikina City Council from 2019 to 2025, as well as a member of the Tañong Barangay Council from 2013 to 2019.

During his tenure in the city council, he identified as an ally of Mayor Teodoro. However, leading up to and during his interim mayoralty, he began strengthening his ties to Representative Stella Quimbo and ran in the 2025 Marikina City Council election under her slate. He was defeated, placing twelfth.

Life and career

Acuña was born on March 7, 1973 in Quezon City.{{cite web |date=December 19, 2024 |title=Certificate of Candidacy for Member, Sangguniang Panglungsod - Rommel Santos Acuña |url=https://comelec.gov.ph/php-tpls-attachments/2025NLE/COC_2025NLE/COC_Local/COC_Local_NCR/COC_Local_NCR_MARIKINA/ACUÑA,%20ROMMEL%20SANTOS.pdf |access-date=May 26, 2025 |website=Commission on Elections}} He entered politics in 2013, when he was elected as a barangay councilor in Tañong.{{cite web|last=Acuña|first=Ronnie Santos|title=Good job Tañong Barangay council at mga kawani ng barangay..|url=https://www.facebook.com/councilorronnie.acuna/posts/pfbid02eYztaPhutCahBu7gsfpccks8fbGBLsC5Cq9hzGuQjmpJj4mSu1fZtf3AmqSFrogCl|website=Facebook|publisher=Meta Platforms, Inc.|access-date=May 25, 2025|date=August 28, 2015}}{{Better citation needed|date=May 2025}} He was later reelected in 2018, taking his oath in June before Representative Miro Quimbo.{{cite web|last=Acuña|first=Mel|title=At the House of Representatives , Nograles Hall|url=https://www.facebook.com/mel.acuna.9/posts/pfbid02zZFG4JNT3F8ToYLZX7iqWGRfoZc4CLVvF9Kgk4Kqnu8xpzMDHsVKCBWUAtVWJHtvl|website=Facebook|publisher=Meta Platforms, Inc.|access-date=May 25, 2025|date=June 18, 2018}}{{Better citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Marikina City Council (2019–2025)

=Elections=

{{Main article|2022 Marikina local elections#City Council election|2025 Marikina local elections#City Council election}}

Acuña ran for councilor of Marikina's first district as "Kambal Acuña" ({{Literal translation|twin Acuña}}) in 2019 under the Liberal Party, intending to switch with his twin brother Ronnie Acuña, who at that point had served three terms as Liberal councilor in the district. Rommel won a seat in the city council after placing fifth in the election.{{cite news|title=Halalan 2019 CITY OF MARIKINA Election Results|url=https://2019halalanresults.abs-cbn.com/local/city-of-marikina|date=May 22, 2019|access-date=May 25, 2025|work=ABS-CBN News}}

During his 2022 reelection campaign, Acuña was included in the slate of Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, with him actively participating in house-to-house campaigns alongside the latter. He also warned the public about the spread of fake news during the campaign period.{{cite news|title=Mayor Marcy focuses on house-to-house campaign, warns public against fake news|author=Khriscielle Yalao|date=April 29, 2022|url=}} Acuña was reelected as councilor under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).{{cite news|title=Re-electionist Marcy Teodoro wins third term as Marikina mayor|last=Luna|first=Franco|date=May 10, 2022|url=https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/05/10/2180077/re-electionist-marcy-teodoro-wins-third-term-marikina-mayor}}

Acuña sought reelection to the council in 2025, running under the slate of Representative Stella Quimbo. He was defeated, placing 12th out of 21 candidates.

=Tenure=

During a flood response operation in 2024, Acuña highlighted the city's disaster preparedness.{{cite news|title=Ilang residente sa Marikina, lumikas sa gitna ng patuloy na pag-ulan|author=Harlene Delgado|work=ABS-CBN News|date=October 24, 2024|url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/28/fact-check-walang-pahayag-ang-russia-walang-war-plane-ang-tsina-para-kay-rodrigo-duterte-1323}}

In 2024, Acuña switched his party affiliation to Lakas–CMD and allied himself with Stella Quimbo. The following year, he endorsed the Trabaho Partylist, which ran on a platform supporting labor rights and job opportunities.{{cite news|title=TRABAHO Partylist sa mga Marikeño: 'Karapatang maghanap-buhay para sa lahat'|author=RadyoMaN Manila|date=March 22, 2025|url=https://rmn.ph/trabaho-partylist-sa-mga-marikeno-karapatang-maghanap-buhay-para-sa-lahat/}}

Acting Mayor of Marikina (2025)

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) designated Acuña as acting mayor of Marikina on March 26, 2025, a day after Mayor Teodoro's suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman. Simultaneously, his twin brother, Ronnie Acuña, was appointed as acting vice mayor, with both of them sworn into their respective offices before Barangay San Roque chairman Tadeo Amaril in front of city hall.{{cite web |author=Argosino |first=Faith |date=March 26, 2025 |title=DILG names Rommel Acuña as acting Marikina City mayor |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2047205/dilg-directive-on-acting-marikina-mayor |website=Inquirer.net}}

Personal life

Acuña is married to Teresita de Leon.

Electoral history

class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;" \|+ Electoral history of Rommel Acuña ! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" \|Year ! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" \|Office ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" \|Party ! colspan="4" style="background:#eaecf0;" \|Votes received ! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" \|Result
style="background:#eaecf0;" \|Total ! style="background:#eaecf0;" \| % ! style="background:#eaecf0;" \|{{abbr\|2=Position\|P}}. ! style="background:#eaecf0;" \|Swing
2019 \| rowspan="3" \|Councilor (1st district) \| style="background:{{party color\|Liberal Party (Philippines)}};" \| \|Liberal \|35,546 \|44.86% \| 5th \| {{n/a}} \| {{Won}}
2022 \| style="background:{{party color\|United Nationalist Alliance}};" \| \|UNA \|55,854 \|56.15% \|4th \|{{Increase}} 11.29 \| {{Won}}
2025 \| style="background:{{party color\|Lakas–CMD}};" \| \| Lakas \| 35,138 \| 33.74% \| 12th \| {{decrease}} 22.41 \| {{lost}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"

|+ Electoral history of Rommel Acuña

! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Year

! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Office

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Party

! colspan="4" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Votes received

! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Result

style="background:#eaecf0;" |Total

! style="background:#eaecf0;" | %

! style="background:#eaecf0;" |{{abbr|2=Position|P}}.

! style="background:#eaecf0;" |Swing

2019