Tomas stays cancer-free

CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña continues to be cancer-free.

A text message was sent by the mayor yesterday to all the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) members informing them of the result of his annual medical checkup at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

“All clear, no sign of cancer. Please pass to our staff, barangay captains, BOPK candidates last elections,” the message reads.

Osmeña underwent, among others, a regular blood test, CT scan and consultations with his doctors in the United States (US).

Osmeña flew to the US last Aug. 4, along with his wife Councilor Margarita Osmeña and son Miguel. They are expected to be back in the city on Aug. 14.

The mayor was diagnosed with a stage four urinary bladder cancer in 2008 and has since been “cancer-free.”

Osmeña’s annual med- ical checkup was originally planned last June yet but it was moved to this month after his wife was designated acting mayor following the suspension of then mayor Michael Rama and 13 other City Hall officials last May.

Aside from his medical checkup, Osmeña, in their ongoing stay in the US, got a chance to visit and study the 911 Command Center in Houston.

In his official Facebook page, he said he checked out the facility through a friend of Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Nagiel Banacia in Houston. Banacia is currently the head of the City’s Command Center.

The mayor has since disclosed his plan to establish another command center in the city, which will be located above his office at the 8th floor of the City Hall.

The first command center of the City Government is currently located in Barangay Mambaling.