TRUE, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña doesn't have "to make a decision today." But every time he tosses a trial balloon, as he did last week, people inevitably talk about it.
Last February, Tomas floated the idea of his wife Councilor Margot running for mayor and himself for vice mayor. But the day after he said that, former mayor Mike Rama declared he'd run for mayor again next year -- and Tomas followed it with his own announcement that he'd be BOPK's bet for the city's top post.
The match for the mayorship is still unclear, with the opposition struggling to avoid fielding both Mike Rama and Vice Mayor Edgar Labella against Tomas.
Comparing both
Meanwhile, the names of Tumulak and Mary Ann are the ones getting public notice.
Both Dave and Mary started at about the same place and in the same year in politics: Tumulak as barangay captain in Basak-Pardo and Mary Ann as barangay captain in Lahug. Both have some media savvy although May Ann has been mired in more controversies. They became councilor in the same 2013 election but Mary Ann had unsuccessful runs before that: for mayor in 2007 and congresswoman in 2013. And they became councilors, thanks to Team Rama, which they both abandoned, one after the other. Now they find themselves, under the same party, competing for the same post.
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Higher vote-getter
Who's the higher vote-getter? In the 2013 election, Mary Ann finished #2 councilor in Cebu City north while Dave ended up as #4 in the south. But in 2016, Tumulak was #1 in his district while de los Santos was #2 in hers.
Dave is next to the vice mayor in the line of succession, having obtained the highest number of votes among the councilors: 144,727, bigger than Alvin Arcilla's 103,215 (#1 in the north) and Margot Osmeña's 143,001 (#2 in the south). If both Tomas and Vice Mayor Edgar Labella would be suspended, Tumulak would take over as mayor.
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More cautious
Mayor Tomas said he'd discuss the VM question with BOPK although it's common knowledge that often he alone decides. He may listen to other people's comments but he'd pick the would-be vice mayor who he thinks is (a) himself a winner, (b) a vote-getter not just for himself but for the bets for mayor and councilors, and (c) one he could lead, preferably, by the nose or, at least, one who would heed his counsel.
Tomas is known to commission in-house surveys to assess his and co-party mates' chances. Or he relies on his own calculation, decides, and uses the supposed survey to defend his choice. His experience with Mike Rama (his vice mayor until 2010 who defeated him in 2013 -- must have taught him to be more cautious in picking his vice mayor this time.
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As deputy mayors
Councilor Dave Tumulak -- who sports the title "deputy mayor," to the consternation of his rivals and the confusion of many people in and out of City Hall -- has impressed Tomas as a hard-working councilor.
But the title of deputy mayor (also called by some as MM, "mayor-mayor" or "mora'g mayor") has also benefited Dave. Because of it, he has reaped more exposure to publicity than any other councilor, including Mary Ann. He has made media access to him easy and quick; at times, his comment is sought even on events or issues on or outside the fringe of his authority or expertise.
Tomas said he's open to having either Dave or Mary Ann as his running mate. But earlier, in August 2017, when the issue of "deputy mayor" title was questioned, Tomas indicated that six deputy mayors he appointed, except Tumulak, hadn't met his "expectations."
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