Councilor Alexander Cruz Sta. Maria, fondly called “Doc Alex,” was born on July 31, 1971, to the late Engr. Hipolito B. Sta. Maria, who served as a barangay councilman of Hulo and professor at the University of Santo Tomas, and Dr. Antonina C. Sta. Maria, a former professor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

 He is an ophthalmologist by profession and a diplomate of the Philippine Board of Ophthalmology. He also serves as a consultant at the Fatima Medical Center, Borough Lasik Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, and MegaClinic. Additionally, he is an Associate Professor II at Our Lady of Fatima University College of Medicine.

He is happily married to Dr. Christine Mojares-Sta. Maria, an anesthesiologist, and they are blessed with three daughters—Beatrice, Hanna, and Kelsie.

He completed his secondary, tertiary, and medical education at the University of Santo Tomas and obtained his master’s degree in local governance from the University of Makati.

He first joined the Sangguniang Panlungsod in 2010 where he served as a three-termer councilor. During his re-election bids in 2013 and 2016 for his subsequent terms, he obtained the highest number of votes in the second district. This can be attributed to his credentials, track record, legislative performance, and various projects—all of which are in accord with his tagline, Serbisyong Maaasahan.

He implemented various programs and projects, including a year-round anti-dengue campaign; free cataract surgery, circumcision, medical and dental services, and TB awareness programs; a solar light bulb project that was adopted by some AFP units in Mindanao; basketball clinics and libreng tsinelas programs in partnership with PBA and AKTV; free breast examination and cervical screening in partnership with Soroptimist International; regular feeding programs; professional gamefowl (sabong) seminars in partnership with Sabong TV; and surgical missions in partnership with doctors from West Pennsylvania, USA.

After his stint in the city council, he was appointed as the City Health Officer in 2019, with the COVID-19 response serving as the highlight of his experience. At the onset of the pandemic, he coordinated closely with Mayor Menchie Abalos in activating the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU), instituting a molecular laboratory in the National Center for Mental Health, establishing quarantine facilities in key areas in the city and a cold storage unit for vaccines, and providing free RT-PCR swab tests to the public. He was also a key figure in the launching of MandaTrack and MandaVaxx, with the latter lauded for being an organized roll-out of the vaccination which positioned the city as the key proponent of Vaxx as One. The program was the first to cater to residents from other LGUs in order to curb the effects of the pandemic not just within the city but to the entirety of the region. He also facilitated partnerships with private malls and companies for the vaccination response.

He returned to the council in 2022 and currently sits as the Chairman for the Committee on Health and Sanitation; Vice Chairman for the Committee on Appropriations, Trade, Commerce, and Industry; and Member of the Committees on Barangay Affairs, Human Rights, and Laws, Rules, Government Affairs, Ethics, and Accountability. Since returning to the council, he was able to consistently author numerous resolutions and ordinances, as well as implement projects for the betterment of the people of the City of Mandaluyong, which include free reading glasses, chest X-rays, and partnerships with local clinics for dialysis programs.

As the Eye of the Tiger, he commits himself to providing quality, efficient, and effective public service to his constituents in the City of Mandaluyong.