Draft:Art Mercado

Art Joseph Francis Mercado, or popularly known as Art Mercado (born May 22, 1990) is a Filipino politician who currently serves as the Mayor of the City of San Pedro, Laguna. He previously served as Vice Mayor of the City of San Pedro from 2019 to 2022, and City Councilor from 2016 to 2019.

Early Life and Education
Born in the then-Municipality of San Pedro, Laguna on May 22, 1990, Mercado finished his elementary education at the Maria Montessori Foundation in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City. In 2006, he graduated from high school at the De La Salle Santiago Zobel School, also in Muntinlupa City.

From 2008 to 2009, he studied Economics at the Fullerton College in Fullerton, California, where he became part of the Dean's List and a volunteer of GLIDE San Francisco, California. Then, in 2009, he transferred to the University of San Francisco, where he finished his Bachelor of Arts in Economics, magna cum laude in 2011, with a GPA of 3.77. As a student, he was a tutor for Filipino at the USF Department of Modern and Classical Languages. He likewise took an introductory course on Excellence in Local Legislation offered by the University of the Philippines's National College for Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG).

Business Career
Mercado started his business career as a part-time Auditor in the family-owned Greenstar Express Inc. in 2007. After graduation, in 2013, he established the AJFM Logistics Inc., and formed the Southern Metrology and Calibration Services in 2015. Since 2020, he has been the Managing Director of The Millworks Co. Inc.

Political Career
In 2016, Mercado ran as City Councilor under the banner of the Nationalist People's Coalition, and garnered the second highest number of votes for that election's candidates in the local City Council. In 2019, he ran as Vice Mayor under the PDP-LABAN Party and won against Delio Hatulan. Three years later, in the 2022 elections, he won as City Mayor under the LAKAS-CMD ticket, winning against City Councilor Aaron Cataquiz.