He was appointed by former President Corazon Aquino as officer-in-charge of Makati from 1986 to 1987. After his assignment, he was elected Mayor Makati in 1988 and served until 1998. Concurrently, he was also the Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) from 1990 to 1991. In 2001, he was reelected as Mayor and served until 2010. During his time as Vice President, He was appointed as Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and as Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers but resigned on June 22, 2015. due to differences with President Aquino and some of his cabinet members.