‘Mother of Baybay’ Carmen Cari dies at 90

Former Baybay City mayor and ex-Leyte representative Carmen Loreto-Cari died on Tuesday, September 1. She was 90. The Baybay City Mayor’s Office confirmed her death through a Facebook post published on its official page on Tuesday, September 1. “Her passing is a great loss to Baybay City and to the many lives she touched through her years of public service,” the mayor’s office stated. Cari, a councilor, served as Leyte’s 5th District representative from 2001 to 2009, completing three consecutive terms. Her congressional career coincided with her son, Jose Carlos Cari, serving as Baybay City mayor from 2001 to 2007. He was succeeded by another son, Michael Cari. During her tenure in Congress, Carmen Cari lobbied for the conversion of Baybay from a municipality into a city through Republic Act No. 9389, which took effect on June 16, 2007. After her congressional term, Carmen returned to Baybay City politics, serving as mayor for three consecutive terms from 2010 to 2019. She later continued serving Baybayanons as a councilor, winning in the 2022 and 2025 elections. Cari’s political career was closely intertwined with her family. While she was serving in Congress, her son Jose Carlos was mayor of Baybay. After her stint as mayor, the two exchanged positions, with Jose Carlos eventually serving as the district’s representative. The Cari family continues to hold key positions in the city and district. Jose Carlos is the incumbent Baybay City mayor, while Carmen’s grandson, Carl Nicolas Cari, serves as Leyte’s 5th District representative. During her congressional term, the Leyte State University was converted into Visayas State University (VSU) through Republic Act No. 9437 on April 27, 2007. VSU also paid tribute to Cari, describing Baybay as a community whose story had been shaped by people like her. “For those of us at Visayas State University, her passing is deeply felt. Baybay is not only the home of our University; it is a community whose story has been shaped by people like Ma’am Carmen,” the university said. Cari was known by constituents as the “Mother of Baybay,” a title associated with her years of public service and her role in the city’s conversion and the development of VSU. Former VSU president Eduardo Tulin echoed the sentiment in a Facebook post following her death. “To many of us, she was truly a mother of Baybay. She saw what Baybay could become and devoted many years of her life to helping make that vision a reality,” Tulin shared on a Facebook post.