VLOG: Chipeco dynasty seeks comeback after being wiped out of Calamba gov’t in 2022

Calamba Mayor Ross Rizal, a former ally who ended the Chipeco dynasty in 2022, tells Rappler his administration's services have been felt by constituents, in contrast to the Chipecos’ 18 years in city hall

LAGUNA, Philippines – In Calamba, Laguna, it’s Team “Calambalik” versus Team “Calambago.”

The words are a combination of the the name Calamba and either “balik” (go back) or “bago” (new), perfectly capturing the current political mood in Jose Rizal’s birthplace.

The Chipeco dynasty has long ruled the locality, overseeing city hall from 2004 to 2022. It has also held the congressional seat of which Calamba is a part of (either the second district or when the city became its own separate district), from 1995 to 2022. At one point, there was also a Chipeco in the city council, on top of their mayoral and congressional posts.

They were wiped out of the Calamba elective government in 2022. Timmy Chipeco, the term-limited mayor, sought to succeed his term-limited father in Congress, but lost to then-councilor Cha Hernandez. Joey Chipeco, then a councilor, battled it out with the Chipecos’ former ally, then-vice Mayor Ross Rizal, for the mayoralty, but was also defeated.

In this vlog filed by Rappler reporter Dwight de Leon together with production specialist Leone Requilman, he says the 2025 polls is crucial for the political survival of the Chipecos.

Both Team Calambalik and Team Calambago mounted simultaneous rallies or miting de avance on the final day of the campaign period. Chipecos’ crowd dwarfs that of his opponent.

The incumbent city administration appealed to the public not to bring back the Chipecos in power.

“Calambago, in a short period of time, was able to show and accomplish what needed to be done — unlike the other side, where 18 years have passed and nothing was felt,” Rizal said. – Rappler.com