IN LESS than four days, three Cebu officials, with Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan being the latest, have tendered their resignation as members of the Partido Demokratiko Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas Ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), now PDP.
Chan, on Friday, May 31, 2024, posted on his official Facebook page his resignation letter addressed to PDP president Jose Alvarez, leaving his post as the party chairman in Lapu-Lapu City.
PDP is the political party of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies.
Chan said that although it was a big and difficult decision, it was in the best interest of the Oponganons to maintain the unity of the leadership of all local government units in Cebu Province.
“Usa kini ka dako ug lisud nga desisyon apan ato kini nabuhat tungod sa atong dakong gugma sa pagpangalagad ug pagpadayon sa panaghiusa sa mga lider sa tibuok Probinsya sa Sugbo,” he said on his post.
“Although Lapu-Lapu City is a highly urbanized city, we are inter-dependent and inter-connected as One Cebu Island, thus, I firmly believe that we must work harmoniously and strengthen our relationship with our neighboring local government units,” he added.
On Wednesday, May 29, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes also resigned from the party, saying he wanted to be aligned with the governor’s leadership under the One Cebu banner.
Garcia, on Tuesday, May 28 was the first Cebu official to leave PDP.
The reason behind her resignation was her “untenable” association with the party as she has an ongoing rift with the suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, who serves also as the party’s vice president for Visayas.
Garcia cited the administrative complaint Rama filed against her before the Office of the President and his petition to have her suspended.
Rama, on Wednesday, slammed the governor’s use of his name to be blamed for her resignation, adding that Garcia’s loyalty to the party was already questionable.
The tension between Rama and Garcia came to a head last Feb. 27, as the governor issued a cease and desist order against the construction of a bus station in front of the Capitol building along Osmeña Blvd., which is part of the first package of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project, citing potential heritage violation.
It resulted in Rama filing administrative cases against the governor.
However, the relationship between the two officials have long soured beforehand. Most notable was when Garcia and Rama disagreed on the the venue of the Sinulog Festival in 2024 and 2023,
Garcia was against holding the country’s grandest festival at the South Road Properties (SRP), which was Rama’s decision, as she wanted the event to be held at its regular venue at the Cebu City Sports Center. / EHP