Diamante gets support from LMP execom

Tuburan,CebuMayorDemocrito Diamante has the full support of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) National Executive Committee in his quest to keep his post.

Diamante also sits as president and vice president of the LMP— Cebu Chapter and Visayas Island Cluster, respectively.

During its meeting in Manila last Thursday, the LMP-NEC passed a resolution expressing support, trust and confidence to the leadership of Diamante at the height of the electoral protest filed by defeated Tuburan mayoral candidate Daphne Lagon against the incumbent mayor. The electoral case is still pending in court.

“The LMP is committed to support Honorable Mayor Democrito “Aljun” Diamante and hereby repose its trust and confidence to his leadership as the incumbent Municipal Mayor of Tuburan, Cebu and as well as being the LMP Vice-President of the Visayas Island Cluster,” reads the Execom Resolution 001-2018.

Diamante will remain as the mayor of Tuburan after he was able to secure last January 19 a Writ of Preliminary Injunction from the Second Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Toledo City has earlier ordered Diamante to vacate his post and yield to his rival Lagon, who won by 93 votes after a recount.

During the recount conducted by Toledo RTC, result showed that Lagon garnered 17,220 votes while Diamante garnered 17,127 votes.

In the May 9, 2016 elections, Diamante won by only 46 votes. Diamante got 17,140 votes while Lagon got 17,094 votes.

In a separate development, former Toledo City councilor Ricardo “Kuya Nick” Pepito has declared his intention to run for city mayor in the 2019 elections should suspended Mayor John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña will no longer seek for re-election for his third term.

Pepito made the announcement while Osmeña is currently serving his one year suspension as ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman over his refusal to release the quarterly real property tax shares of Barangay Daanlungsod.

Toledo City is now under the management of acting mayor Antonio Yapha Jr. of Liberal Party who defeated Pepito of One Cebu Party in the May 2016 elections.

Pepito said he will run against Yapha should he run for mayor in the next elections.

“I will not run against Sonny because of their alliance with (Cebu Third District) Congresswoman and Deputy Speaker Gwen Garcia,” Pepito said.

Osmeña was elected twice as Toledo mayor as an independent candidate withYapha as his running mate. Both supported Garcia of One Cebu Party.