Osmeña takes back Cebu City

Former Cebu City mayor and Cebu south district representative Tomas Osmeña has won a heated mayoralty contest in Cebu City, after defeating erstwhile ally and incumbent Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama, GMA Cebu's Nikko Sereno reported.

Former Cebu city mayor Tomas Osmeña (in purple shirt) was proclaimed as the winner of the heated mayoralty race in Cebu City. (Photo by GMA Cebu's Nikko Sereno)

Osmeña, a Liberal Party (LP) candidate, garnered 267, 222 votes against Rama's 233, 186 gaining a margin of more than 34,000 votes.

Rama's running mate, former Cebu City Councilor Edgar Labella with 252,470 votes won the vice mayor post against Nestor Archival, a former City councilor, who gained 222,702 votes.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed the winners around 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, reversing an earlier announcement that proclamation would be done later in the day.

The other winners are Liberal Party's Raul del Mar was re-elected Cebu North District representative while Roberto “Bebot” Abellanosa was elected as South District representative.

In a twist of fate, the new set of City Councilors are mostly allied to defeated Cebu City Mayor Rama, who ran under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). During the incumbency of Rama, the city council was composed mostly of allies of his rival.

North District city councilors are LP members Alvin Arcilla, Mary Ann delos Santos, Bebs Andales, Joy Young and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) candidates Jerry Guardo, Raymond Garcia, Jun Alcover and Joel Gargarnera.

For south district, the councilors are UNA candidates Dave Tumulak, Edu Rama, Joey Daluz, Hanz Abella, James Cuenco, and Joy Pesquera. The other elected councilors are LP candidates Margot Osmeña, the wife of Tomas, and Jun Gabuya.

Mike Rama earlier issued a statement that he is questioning the results of the election. — BAP, GMA News