CEBU CITY -- With just a few months to go before the nation votes for new government officials, politics here grew as exciting as that in the national arena this 2018.
An incumbent leader and his protégé will face-off in the mayoral contest in this city, while the sitting governor and vice governor decided to switch positions.
City chief executive Tomas Osmeña, who, for 30 years, has been a prominent political figure here, will run against incumbent Vice Mayor Edgar Labella, who was his mentee, in the May 2019 mayoral election.
Osmeña is the standard bearer of the local party Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).
BOPK used to be allied with the Liberal Party and supported then presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II in the 2016 elections, but before the filing of the certificate of candidacy last October, Osmeña claimed that BOPK has struck an alliance with the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino. The LDP leadership has not issued a statement to back his claim.
Labella, meanwhile, is the standard bearer of the Barug - Partido Demokratiko Pilipino -Lakas ng Bayan (Barug PDP-Laban).
In the province of Cebu, Governor Hilario Davide III, son of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., has slid down and filed for the vice mayoralty while Vice Governor Agnes Magpale is the Liberal Party’s standard bearer for governor.
Magpale will face her former ally, now Cebu’s 3rd District Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia, daughter of former governor and constitutionalist, Pablo Garcia.
Garcia’s tandem is Daphne Salimbangon, daughter of incumbent 5th District Congressman Benhur Salimbangon.
Cebu City’s vice mayoral race in 2019 will also be a contest between erstwhile allies as former mayor Michael Rama is set to slug it out with incumbent city Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos.
Delos Santos was a hard critic of Osmeña when she was still serving as chairperson of vote-rich Barangay Lahug, but the mayor is now her tandem as standard bearer.
Rama was formerly Osmeña’s vice mayor but rose to mayorship, when the latter finished his term in 2010 and ran for congress in the south district. Their relationship went sour when they faced off in 2013, and Osmeña lost to Rama in the mayoral match.
Osmeña’s allies in the two congressional districts will also get challenged by young candidates. In the south district, incumbent Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa will face his former colleague in the City Council of Cebu, now incumbent City Councilor Joy Pesquera.
The congressional contest for the north district of this city has likewise become more interesting. The sitting representative, Raul del Mar, who has been the district’s lawmaker since 1998, will not be left unchallenged as he will be faced by actor Richard “Sir Chief” Yap.
Meanwhile, new aspirants for councilors under the BOPK party are former Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president Rengelle Pelayo, Inayawan incumbent Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo, Guadalupe Barangay Captain Michael Gacasan, former board member and former city councilor Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba, City Hall’s Human Resource Department Office head, lawyer Marie Velle “Amay” Abella, and Department of Public Services head Roberto Cabarrubias.
BOPK will have reelectionist councilors in the north district. They are Jerry Guardo, Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, and Joy Augustus Young.
Osmeña’s party has new aspirants in the north district that include Dr. Marlo Maamo, former councilors Alvin Dizon, environmentalist Nestor Archival Sr., and Lea Japson.
The former district representative, Antonio Cuenco, has filed his certificate of candidacy for councilor in the south district under Labella’s Barug PDO-Laban.
Another former member of the House of Representatives’ party-list system, Pastor Alcover Jr., has filed his COC for his last term as Barug PDP-Laban councilor in this city’s north district.
After losing her bid to become president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) last July, Mabolo Barangay Captain Prisca Niña Mabatid joined the Barug PDP-Laban slate for councilor in the north district.
Mabatid, a travel agency operator, is joined by former Calape in Bohol mayor Ernest Herrera, son of the late senator Ernesto Herrera, and Cambinocot Barangay Captain Rey Lauron.
Former Apas Barangay Captain now incumbent Councilman Ramil Ayuman and former city councilor Noel Wenceslao will also run under Barug PDP-Laban. Both lost in the 2016 elections.
Three incumbent councilors in the north, Joel Garganera, Alcover, and lawyer Raymond Alvin Garcia will seek reelection.
In the south district, Councilors Erik Miguel Espina, Renato “Junjun” Osmeña Jr., and Eduardo “Edu” Rama Jr. led the slate of Barug PDP-Laban. Councilors Osmeña and Rama are incumbents, while Espina was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte in July this year, replacing then councilor James Cuenco, who was ordered dismissed by the Court of Appeals.
Espina is a reservist brigadier general, who heads Central Visayas.
Barug PDP-Laban has new aspirants for city councilor including former professional basketball player Dondon Hontiveros and former ABC president and reelected Tisa Barangay Captain Phillip Zafra. Another newbie of the party is Quiot Barangay Captain Francis Esparis.
Former city councilor Gerardo Carillo has joined the party and will run for councilor in the south district. (PNA)
