Filing of COC in Cebu City ends without glitch

Local

DESPITE heightened tensions between four major political parties in Cebu City, the filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC) for the upcoming 2025 elections concluded without any major issues, according to a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official.

Atty. Ferdinand Gujilde, election officer of Cebu City's South District, in an interview with the media on the last day of filing on Tuesday, October 8, described the COC filing process as smooth.

"We didn't encounter any problems. All of the COCs submitted were compliant with our rules and regulations," Gujilde said in a mix of Cebuano and English.

City councilor and congressional aspirants filed their COCs in their respective district Comelec offices, while the South District office was designated to receive COCs for mayoral and vice mayoral positions.

Among the notable mayoral candidates, five have thrown their hats into the ring, including dismissed Mayor Michael Rama, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, Councilor Nestor Archival, former Customs Commissioner Yogi Ruiz, and independent candidate Julito Co.

The race for the vice mayoral seat will see three familiar faces.

This include Acting Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros, former Metropolitan Cebu Water District chairman Joey Daluz, and former city mayor Tommy Osmeña.

In the congressional races, four candidates will compete in the North District, including Association of Barangay Councils president Franklyn Ong, incumbent congresswoman Rachel ‘Cutie’ Del Mar, Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, and independent candidate Berty Niel Lerios.

In the South District, incumbent Congressman Edu Rama will face off against former congressman Bebot Abellanosa.

The competition for Cebu City's council seats is equally fierce, with 32 candidates vying for the eight available seats in the North District and 38 candidates contending for the same number of seats in the South District.

Among the last to file was former Barangay Labangon Captain Vic Buenda, who processed his candidacy as South District Councilor at 4:01 p.m.

Meanwhile, businessman Alvin Roy Ranche filed his COC for North District Councilor two minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline.(MyTVCebu)