TALISAY City Mayor Gerald Anthony "Samsam" Gullas denied that the reason why he decided to run for reelection instead of seeking the First District of Cebu's congressional was due to allegations that his wife, Rhea, was losing in the local surveys.
Rhea, who was supposed to run for city mayor in next year's elections, decided to withdraw her certificate of candidacy (COC) on Friday, November 12, 2021, to make way for her husband.
Instead, Rhea filed her COC at the Cebu Provincial Elections Office on the same day, opting to run for congresswoman of Cebu's First District. She is running unopposed.
"Not true. In our surveys which went to every sitio in every Barangay in the city it was 50-55 percent Rhea, 20-22 percent opponent and 20-30 percent still undecided," Gullas added.
Gullas said he and his wife made the decision to switch places after a weeklong consultation with their families and party members.
He decided to seek reelection as he couldn't take the alleged mudslinging campaign being committed against his wife.
Rhea was supposed to face her husband's former running mate, Vice Mayor Alan Bucao, for the city's top post.
"One reason why I wanted to seek re-election is that dili na nako kaya motan-aw na daogdaogon lang ako wife sa iya kaatbang of issues that are truly below the belt. I cannot just sit idle and watch as he throws every traditional trick in the book at Rhea. Sakit gyud kaayo isip bana ug amahan ang mga bakak ug mga issue ilang gipanglabay sa akong asawa," Gullas said, in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
Concerning the legality of the Gullas couple's move, Cebu Provincial Election supervisor and lawyer Marco Lionel Castillano said their move was not prohibited by the Omnibus Election Code and by any Comelec resolution.