Maria Laarni “Lani” Lopez Cayetano is the Mayor of the City of Taguig. Her career in public service is marked by the glass ceilings she shattered. At 22, she founded the Progressive Ladies League of the Philippines (PLL), an organization that promotes the welfare of women across the country. At 25, she became the City of Taguig’s youngest and first female congressional representative, and she was recognized by the United Nations Association of the Philippines for her accomplishments in Politics and Government Service. In the same year, she was also awarded the Philippines Youth Leadership Award in Politics and Governance by the National Association of UNESCO Clubs in the Philippines Inc.

At 28, she also became the City’s youngest and first female local chief executive. She served for three consecutive terms from 2010 to 2019 and earned a renewed mandate in 2022. Under Mayor Lani’s stewardship, Taguig underwent a remarkable transformation. Her administration cultivated a business-friendly environment, streamlined business registration processes, campaigned against bureaucratic red tape, and improved the peace and order situation. She did all of these while providing free and quality education from pre-school to graduate school; making healthcare services accessible through 24/7 super health centers, doctors-on-call, and home care for bedridden patients; and caring for the vulnerable sectors through the establishment of a modern Center for the Elderly and Disability Resource and Development Center, house-to-house distribution of free maintenance medicines, and the launch of a comprehensive community-based breast cancer program. She is determined to make Taguig a Transformative, Lively, and Caring City.

She also serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the Taguig City University (TCU), Member of the Board of Regents of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), and Policy Advisor from a Local Government Unit in the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).

Aside from her roles in the City of Taguig, she served as the National Chairperson of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) from 2016 to 2019 and was appointed to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) as representative of the Local Government Units from 2017 to 2019. She served as the Chairperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Ladies Foundation Inc., International Bazaar Foundation Inc., and ASEAN Ladies Foundation Inc. from 2017 to 2019.

During the 18th Congress, then-Representative Lani was one of the authors of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan II), and the laws that established the National Academy of Sports (NAS) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). In addition, she served as the Chairperson of the Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc., and the Association of Women Legislators Foundation Inc.

Mayor Lani earned her degree in Mass Communications from the Centro Escolar University. She also studied Innovative and Developmental Local Governance and Policy Making for Local Chief Executives and Legislators in the University of the Philippines Diliman.

She is married to fellow public servant, Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano.