Ayong Maliksi

Maliksi was first elected to public office as Vice Mayor of then municipality of Imus, Cavite, where he served for two consecutive terms (1980-1986).

After the EDSA Revolution, Maliksi was elected as Mayor of Imus, which he held from 1988 to 1998. Under his term, Imus became well known as the "Christmas Capital of the Philippines," with its colorful lanterns, lights and nativity scenes (belen) during the yuletide season.[1]

In 1998, Maliksi ran for the position of Second District Representative of Cavite, at the 11th Congress. Maliksi served a full 3-year term until 2001.

By 2001, Maliksi ran an uphill gubernatorial race against first-term incumbent Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. Mostly known by many as an actor, Revilla also hailed from a highly respected political clan in Bacoor, Cavite. In 1995, Revilla was also elected as Vice-Governor of Cavite. With the appointment of then-Governor Epimaco Velasco as Secretary of Interior and Local Government, Revilla assumed the position of Governor. in 1998, he would run for the same position and eventually win.

Despite Revilla's popularity and his family's political background, Maliksi won against Revilla by a wide margin for the position of Governor.

Under Maliksi's three-year term, a number of big-ticket infrastructure projects were implemented and/or started, such as:

• Manila - Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX)
• Cavite - Laguna Expressway (CALAEX)
• Molino - Daang Hari Road

Maliksi went on to serve two more terms until 2010.

In 2010, Maliksi ran and won as Representative of the newly-created Third Legislative District of Cavite, which covers the City of Imus. It was during this time that Imus became a chartered city, by virtue of Republic Act No. 10161. The passage of the law was initiated by Rep. Maliksi, who authored House Bill No. 4729, creating the City of Imus. With the eventual enactment into law and the ratification by its registered voters, the municipality of Imus was converted into a component city to be known as the City of Imus.

In 2013, Maliksi ran for the position of Cavite Governor, challenging then-incumbent and successor Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Remulla. Remulla was the running mate of Maliksi during the 2001 and 2004 elections. Remulla eventually broke ties with Maliksi after the 2004 elections, and then proceeded to file an administrative case against Maliksi. During the campaign, Remulla used the cases he filed to undermine Maliksi. The cases, which were eventually dismissed by the courts, negatively impacted the campaign of Maliksi. Remulla went on to win the election with a margin of over 50,000 votes.

In 2015, then-President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III appointed Maliksi as Chairman of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Maliksi held the position until August 2016.