Challenge accepted
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, and Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos have accepted the challenge of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines - Cebu City Chapter to face each other in a debate.
The debate is in line with the city officials’ bid for re-election in the May polls.
Osmeña and Labella are both running for mayor while De los Santos is running for vice mayor against former mayor Michael Rama.
As of yesterday, Rama has not given an answer, saying he is yet to consult with members of his political group.
“We have yet to discuss it as a group. I cannot be accepting to rejecting until we can make our position,” he told The FREEMAN.
Osmeña and De los Santos are running under Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) while Labella and Rama are running under Partido Barug - PDP Laban.
The debate is scheduled on April 22, 2019 at the City Sports Club.
IBP - Cebu City Chapter President Regal Oliva posed the challenge in a Facebook post last Monday.
“As President of the IBP Cebu City Chapter, I am calling the attendance of the candidates for mayor and vice mayor of Cebu City to a debate. IBP will moderate,” Oliva’s post reads.
Osmeña was the first to accept the challenge. Labella and De los Santos followed suit.
Oliva told The FREEMAN that a public debate among those running for major positions can help voters make their choices because it would allow them to get to know the candidates more, particularly their stand on issues.
“As officers of the IBP, we need to enable the Bar to discharge its public responsibility more effectively,” Oliva said
Osmeña said he accepted the challenge because it would be an opportunity to “expose the dirty truth” to Cebuanos.
Labella said he is open to discussing any issue that will be included in the debate especially on governance and the South Road Properties.
De los Santos, for her part, said the debate is the best avenue for them to lay down their platforms of governance.
“We have to see the parameters under the IBP debate,” she said.
Oliva said the candidates will not be informed in advance of the topics that will be tackled during the debate.
Cebu City has four official mayoralty candidates: Osmeña, Labella, John Edwin Dayondon, and Junry Concepcion.
Another candidate, Paulino Osmeña, is still fighting a disqualification case after he was declared as a nuisance candidate.
Meanwhile, five are running for vice mayor: Rama, De los Santos, Antonio Olvenario, Federico Peredo, and Antonio Rosaroso.