CEBU City Mayor Edgardo Labella is once again on medical leave.

Labella announced on his Facebook page that he would be on leave from Monday, May 31, 2021, until Wednesday, June 2.

The mayor posted that he was admitted to the hospital over the weekend for fever.

After consultations and a series of tests, Labella said, doctors told him he has “slight pneumonia.”

However, in the same post he said that he was due to be discharged from the hospital at 4 p.m. on Monday. However, he said his doctors advised him to rest for a few days.

Labella said he will be back at work by Thursday, June 3.

“I am heeding the medical advice and will be on leave for three days beginning today until Wednesday,” he said.

In January 2021, Labella was sidelined by an ear infection, which forced him to take a leave of absence for several days.

Even with the infection gone, the mayor decided to work from home on his doctor’s advice. Being away from City Hall for more than a month gave rise to questions regarding the true state of the mayor’s health.

However, Labella had explained that he belonged to the category that was vulnerable to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)–he is a senior citizen and he is immunocompromised–so he avoided crowded places like City Hall.

While on leave, Vice Mayor Michael Rama will take over executive functions.

The vice mayor has been spending time in the city’s mountain barangays to convince residents to avail themselves of the City Government’s vaccination program against Covid-19.

Rama has visited 14 mountain barangays to disseminate information regarding the vaccine rollout. (JJL)