Ex-Zamboanga del Norte governor Rosalina Jalosjos dies

Former Zamboanga del Norte governor Rosalina “Nene” Jalosjos died on Friday, August 14, two weeks after the passing of her brother and political kingpin Romeo Jalosjos. 

The Dapitan City Government confirmed this through an official statement posted on its official Facebook page. She was 79.

“We remember Ma’am Nene not only for the positions she held and the years she devoted to public service, but for the gentleness, warmth, and genuine care with which she led,” the city government stated.

Rosalina Jalosjos began her political career as a Dapitan councilor in 2010 before winning the mayoralty in 2013 against Agapito Cardino, who had only been sworn in as mayor months earlier after then-vice mayor Patrick Bajamunde-Chan vacated the post.

After serving three full terms, she ran and won as governor of Zamboanga del Norte in the 2022 elections. 

Before assuming the post, Rosalina had protested former governor Roberto Uy’s move to donate millions’ worth of medical equipment to Dipolog City and other local governments due to its foreseen impact on the province’s main referral hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During her gubernatorial term, Jalosjos advocated for culture and the environment when she vowed to expand aid for the marginalized Subanen tribe, and ordered the suspension of massive quarrying in Zamboanga del Norte.

In the 2025 elections, Jalosjos sought mayorship in Dipolog City under the Aggrupation of Parties for Prosperity, but lost to Uy. It was the same year the Jalosjos clan suffered major losses in the province.

“To many Dapitanons, she will be remembered as a loving and compassionate leader whose presence carried a quiet strength and whose service left a lasting place in the story of our city and our province,” the statement added.

Details of the former governor’s wake have yet to be announced. – Rappler.com

Kean Bagaipo is a Mover and student journalist based in Dumaguete City.