THE winning candidates for Cebu City councilor of Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) took their oath of office at the City Sports Club Cebu Friday, June 21, 2019, ahead of the start of their three-year term on June 30.
All the winning BOPK councilors of Cebu City showed up except for reelected Councilor Dave Tumulak (Cebu City, south district), who has expressed his support for the incoming administration of mayor-elect Edgardo Labella of Partido Barug-PDP Laban.
Also absent were the two congressmen-elect of Cebu City—reelected Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north district) of the Liberal Party and reelected Rep. Rodrigo “Bebot” Abellanosa (Cebu City, south district) of Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino.
Reelected Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, president of the Laban Ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), the national party allied with the BOPK, administered the oath of office to the eight incoming Cebu City councilors of the north and south districts.
These are councilors-elect Nestor Archival, Lea Japson, Alvin Dizon, and reelected Councilors Sisinio “Bebs” Andales, Alvin Arcilla and Joy Augustus Young of the north district; and councilor-elect Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba and reelected Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr. of the south district.
Abellanosa was unable to attend since he is part of the delegation joining the 108th Session of the International Labour Conference and the Centennial Celebration of the United Nations at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Del Mar, on the other hand, has not replied to SunStar Cebu’s query on why he did not join the oath taking of the local party with which he is affiliated.
Outgoing Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña congratulated the winners, saying in front of Angara and the barangay captains headed by Association of Barangay Councils president Franklyn Ong that the May 13, 2019 election was his most difficult election so far.
The leader of the BOPK did not detail the difficulties he encountered, except for citing the strafing by unknown persons of the homes of four barangay captains allied with his party, which he considered harassment.
Tumulak, who is allied with the BOPK even if he is a member of the Nacionalista Party of senator-elect Cynthia Villar, has already expressed his support for the incoming administration.
“I, therefore, extend my hand of reconciliation with all members of the City Council, with the newly elected ones regardless of political affiliation, and most importantly to the incoming Mayor Edgar Labella, you have my support,” Tumulak wrote in his Facebook account Friday, June 21.
Earlier, outgoing City Councilor Jerry Guardo, who has a big chance of returning to the City Council once there is a writ of execution by the Commission on Elections En Banc for the cancellation of the Certificate of Candidacy of councilor-elect Alvin Arcilla, expressed his support for Labella. (See related story on Page 2.)
Both Tumulak and Guardo were elected under the Team Rama local party in the 2013 and 2016 elections before they bolted the local opposition party to join BOPK. (from PAC of SuperBalita Cebu/CTL)