Ace Durano

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Hotchkiss and the surname or paternal family name is Durano.

Joseph Felix Mari "Ace" Hotchkiss Durano^[1] (born April 3, 1970) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of Tourism under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He was also general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), being appointed by Arroyo in 2008.^[2]

Ace Durano
Official portrait, 2013
Provincial Administrator of the Provincial Government of Cebu
Incumbent
Assumed office June 30, 2025
Governor	Pamela S. Baricuatro
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Cebu's 5th district
In office June 30, 2013 – June 30, 2016
Preceded by	Ramon Durano VI
Succeeded by	Ramon Durano VI
In office June 30, 1998 – November 29, 2004
Preceded by	Ramon D. Durano III
Succeeded by	Ramon Durano VI
13th Secretary of Tourism
In office November 30, 2004 – June 30, 2010
President	Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Preceded by	Roberto Pagdanganan
Succeeded by	Alberto Lim
Personal details
Born	Joseph Felix Mari Hotchkiss Durano (1970-04-03) April 3, 1970 (age 55) Cebu City, Philippines
Political party	PPP (2021–present)
Other political affiliations	Liberal (2012–2021) NPC (1998–2012)
Alma mater	University of Redlands (BA) Ateneo de Manila University (LL.B)
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Lawyer

Personal life

Durano was born to Ramon “Nito” Duterte Durano III, a former mayor of Danao, Cebu who was also a second cousin of former president Rodrigo Duterte.^[3]

Political career

He also served twice as the Representative of Cebu's 5th congressional district: from 1998 to 2004 and from 2013 to 2016.^{[citation needed]}

He was one of the youngest to be elected representative to the 11th congress (1998-2001). He was an Assistant Majority Floor Leader and Vice Chairman of the Committee on Trade and Industry during that time.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2022 local elections, Durano challenged the incumbent governor Gwendolyn Garcia for the governorship of Cebu and lost. He ran alongside incumbent vice governor Hilario Davide III as his running mate.^[4]

In 2025, Durano was appointed provincial administrator of Cebu by governor Pam Baricuatro.^[5]

Controversies

Durano was convicted of graft by the Sandiganbayan over the development of the Department of Tourism 2009 wall calendar, worth PhP 2.7 million, without initiating a public bidding process.^[6] His motion for reconsideration was denied by the court in February 2022.^[7] The case is currently under appeal before the Supreme Court.^[8]