Filemon Celestino Aguilar Sr. (November 22, 1914–February 14, 1995) was a Filipino physician and politician from Las Piñas, Metro Manila, Philippines. He served as Mayor of Las Piñas for more than two decades and later represented the lone district of Las Piñas and Muntinlupa in the House of Representatives of the Philippines during the 8th Congress (1987–1992). He was the patriarch of the Aguilar political family, which has been a dominant force in Las Piñas politics since the 1960s.
Political career
Mayor of Las Piñas
Aguilar entered politics in the 1960s and served as Mayor of the then-municipality of Las Piñas from 1963 to 1986, one of the longest mayoral tenures in the town's history. Contemporary press coverage recorded his re-election as mayor in the 1967 local elections. He would be re-elected on the same post in 1971 and 1980.
As mayor, he oversaw the development of local public services, including the upgrading of the local district hospital in the mid-1980s.
House of Representatives
In the 1987 elections, Aguilar was elected to represent the newly created lone district of Las Piñas and Muntinlupa in the House of Representatives, reportedly winning by more than 4,000 votes over his closest rival. He served a single term in the 8th Congress, from June 30, 1987 to June 30, 1992, and was succeeded by his son-in-law Manny Villar.
Legislation
As a member of the House of Representatives, Aguilar authored bills concerning infrastructure, education, health, and flood control in his district. According to the Senate of the Philippines Legislative Reference Bureau, these included measures providing for:
the construction of a ten-room school building at Barangay Pilar Village, Las Piñas;
the conversion of the Las Piñas Municipal High School and Muntinlupa Municipal High School into national high schools;
the construction of rehabilitation center buildings in Las Piñas and in Muntinlupa;
the concreting of C.A.A. Road in Las Piñas;
the conversion of the Las Piñas District Hospital into a 50-bed hospital;
the completion of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System distributor pipes in Las Piñas;
the construction of riprap on both sides of the Las Piñas River; and
the dredging of major rivers in Las Piñas to prevent flooding.
Legacy
In 1998, Republic Act No. 8714 renamed the Manila South Road, Zapote–Alabang Section, in the cities of Muntinlupa and Las Piñas as "Felimon C. Aguilar Avenue" in his honor, describing him as the late congressman of the lone district of Las Piñas and Muntinlupa. The Act lapsed into law on July 16, 1998.
The Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas City, a tuition-free local college, is named in his honor. It was established in 1998 by his son, then-Mayor Vergel Aguilar, to provide free tertiary education to city residents, and marked its 25th founding anniversary in 2023.
Personal life
Aguilar was the patriarch of a family that became prominent in Las Piñas politics from the 1960s onward.
His son, Filemon "Sonny" Aguilar Jr., was also part of the family's local political presence. He served as a President of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) of Las Piñas and later won in 2013 as member of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Las Piñas.
Another son, Vergel Aguilar, was a property developer before entering public office and later served as Mayor of Las Piñas for several terms.
12"Simon bats for local polls on Aug. 24". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. May 15, 1987. p.6. Retrieved 9 October 2026. Filemon C. Aguilar, independent candidate in the lone congressional district of Muntinlupa and Las Pinas, has won by more than 4,000 votes over his closest rival[....] Aguilar, who was mayor of the Las Pinas for 22 years, thanked the people of Muntinlupa and Las Pinas for their support.
↑"Romualdez Scores Big Win; Other Local Results Here". Manila Bulletin. Las Piñas, Rizal: Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. November 16, 1967. p.16. Reelectionist Mayor Felimon [sic] Aguilar won by more than 2,000 votes over his closest rival, Demetrio Cristobal, in yesterday's elections. In the vice mayoralty race, Padre de la Cruz, N.P., won over Felimon Trono, L.P.
