Dino behind Labella: Tomas

Between Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and former mayor Michael Rama, Mayor Tomas Osmeña believes that Labella may have the upper hand.

In his news conference yesterday, the mayor said this is because Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino has Labella’s back.

“Labella’s stronger because of Dino. Labella gets his instructions from Dino. Without Dino, Labella’s a bubble and without him, he will disappear into thin air. It’s Dino who wants to play mayor so really, the truth is that Labella is the vice mayor of Dino. It’s Dino who dictates everything,” he told reporters.

But without Dino, Osmeña said Rama is likely to do better than his former running mate.

Labella was Rama’s running mate under Barug Team Rama in the 2013 and 2016 elections.

“They both know that they have to be together. But on the one with all the experience, Rama is stronger because he has command votes. Meaning when he tells his people, they vote. He can only tell people to vote for himself. He can’t tell them to vote for this guy. That’s why he won in the precinct of Labella (in Barangay Mabolo),” Osmeña said.

But since it’s still three months before the filing of certificates of candidacy, Osmeña said the possibility of a three-pronged mayoral race remains farfetched.