The Cebu municipal presidential election of 1907

The election for the Municipal Board of Cebu was held on November 5, 1907. The political party in control of Cebu was the Nacionalista Party headed by Don Sergio Osmeña.

The party's municipal committee held a convention on September 1, 1907 to choose its candidates. The contenders for the position of municipal president were Florentino Rallos, the incumbent president (1899 to 1907) and Vicente Sotto. Sotto won in the convention, with 156 votes against Rallos 145. For the vice president, today's vice mayor, it was a contest between Francisco Arias, a young protégé of Don Vicente Sotto, who at that time was his editorial assistant of "Ang Suga" versus Dionisio Jakosalem. Arias won with 149 votes, and Jakosalem with only 117 votes.

Before election day, on October 26, 1907, Vicente Sotto left Cebu and imposed a self-exile and went to Hongkong. He escaped believing that he could not have a fair trial (he was convicted for abduction) as he was perceived to be anti-American, while his opponents were supported by the Americans.

Despite the absence of Sotto during the election, he and his entire slate won. His vice mayor, Mr. Arias (who later became a lawyer, inspired by the numerous cases he and his mentor faced), assumed the position of mayor.

In the election for municipal president, there were three candidates, Martin Llorente (brother of Julio Llorente, the first governor of Cebu and son of Don Ceferino Llorente y Camara and the Argawanon, Doña Martina Yballe y Perez), Timoteo Castro, and Sotto. The highest votes earned went to Sotto with 650, while Llorente got 483 and Castro secured 9 votes. On January 5, 1908, Court of First Instance Judge Adolph Wislizenus ordered the election of Sotto as void being disqualified as candidate. The decision was the result of the protest filed by Martin Llorente. A certain Gregorio Abendan filed a protest for the decision of the American Judge making Llorente the elected municipal president before the Supreme Court (February 25, 1908), this was however dismissed by the Supreme Court on the lack of the legal capacity of Abendan. A subsequent protest reached the Supreme Court, this time the litigant was Timoteo Castro, another candidate, the Supreme Court then invalidated the decision of the Court of First Instance Judge. This was on January 12, 1909.

The Supreme Court decision favoring Sotto was useless as he was in Hong Kong and would be arrested if he comes back to the country. Several extradition cases were instituted in Hong Kong but was denied, that is the reason that Don Vicente named a daughter, Brittania, in honor of the country that gave him protection to what he saw as American prosecution.

Francisco Arias, who assumed the position of Mayor in behalf of Sotto was however suspended and the entire board replaced by Governor Dionisio Jakosalem, who was the successor governor of Don Sergio Osmeña, when the latter resigned and ran for the first election of the national assembly, he then became the first Speaker of the Philippine Assembly.