ENDORSED:
The Iglesia ni Cristo has given its support to Cebu City candidates of Barug PDP Laban like (from near right) Raymond Garcia, Edu Rama, Niña Mabatid, Mike Rama, Edgar Labella and Gerard Carillo. But Labella gets the coveted presidential endorsement for mayor.
THE Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) will support the candidates of Barug PDP-Laban who are running for mayor and vice mayor of Cebu City in the midterm elections on Monday, May 13.
The INC leadership in Cebu City endorsed Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and Michael Rama-the party’s candidates for mayor and vice mayor, respectively.
Brother Diosdado “Dong” Dades, INC Cebu district minister, summoned the candidates to INC’s church on Gen. Maxilom Ave. on Tuesday afternoon, May 7 to inform them of the church leaders’ decision.
Labella and Rama thanked them.
The tandem are running against reelectionist Mayor Tomas Osmeña and his running mate Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos of Bando Osmeña Pundok (BOPK).
INC church members are believed to practice bloc voting during elections.
Councilor Joey Daluz, Barug PDP-Laban’s campaign manager, said around 25,000 of the more than 700,000 voters in Cebu City are INC members.
Barug PDP-Laban is the city’s opposition party, challenging BOPK’s hold on City Hall.
In the 2016 elections, INC supported the candidacy of Labella, who ran for vice mayor against then councilor Nestor Archival.
“I thank the Iglesia Ni Cristo for giving its trust to us, to me as a mayoral candidate and to our partymates,” Labella said in Cebuano.
The INC supported Osmeña in past elections, but the latter accepted its decision.
“I respect the opinion of the INC. I would like to assure the members of the INC that I will always treat them with equal respect,” Osmeña said.
INC, however, ditched Barug PDP-Laban’s candidates for the seats of north and south districts in the House of Representatives---actor Richard Yap and Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera.
The church endorsed reelectionists congressmen Raul del Mar and Rodrigo Abellanosa of north and south districts, respectively.
INC’s councilors for the north district are Niña Mabatid and Raymond Garcia of Barug PDP-Laban, and Nestor Archival, Alvin Arcilla, Alvin Dizon, Sisinio Andales, Jerry Guardo and Lea Japson of BOPK.
In the south district, INC endorsed Dondon Hontiveros, Gerard Carillo, Antonio Cuenco and Eduardo Rama of Barug, and Yayoy Alcoseba, Eugenio Gabuya Jr., Roberto Cabarrubias and Dave Tumulak of BOPK.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte has officially endorsed Labella of Barug PDP-Laban for mayor of the city.
In a video posted on the vice mayor’s Facebook page, Duterte urged Cebuanos to vote for Labella.
“I am appealing to you to help and support this man because he is a just person, not corrupt and he will help his fellow men because he is the essence of public service,” Duterte said in Cebuano.
In a separate Facebook post, Labella apologized for asking the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Cebu City chapter to postpone his debate with Osmeña, which was originally scheduled last Monday, May 6, because he had to meet the President.
The debate was moved to Friday, May 10.
The photos he uploaded showed Duterte raising his hand.
Labella, in his post, said the President is “well aware” of issues in the city. He, however, did not elaborate on the issues.
“Vote for him, Edgar Labella. You won’t find somebody else like him. I support him. Let go of people who’ve been running the city for several years like a despot, a dictator who sticks his nose where it doesn’t belong, someone who thinks they own the government,” Duterte said in Cebuano.
“And that is why, throughout the years, (in Cebu City) only one family has held power and it comes as no surprise that you, Cebuanos, are treated as laborers. He orders you around. Replace him. Enough. Anyway, he has benefited from his decades in power,” the President said in Cebuano. /