Outgoing Cebu City mayor to stay politically active

Local

OUTGOING Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia on Monday, May 26, announced that he will remain politically active as adviser to the six Kusug-affiliated councilors who won seats in the city’s incoming 17th Sangguniang Panlungsod.

“I will be an adviser to the six Kusug councilors that were elected,” Garcia said in an interview on May 26.

“But mao lage na, ayaw mo kabalaka because we will not be obstructionist of the administration. We will be constructive… if ever majority, then we will be a constructive majority," he added.

Garcia’s statement confirms that the Kusug bloc, despite losing the mayoralty to Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) candidate Nestor Archival Sr., will seek to maintain influence in city governance by forming a cooperative, policy-driven bloc in the local legislature.

The mayor, who ran under the Kugi Uswag Sugbo–Panaghiusa (Kusug) coalition, also reiterated his earlier public assurance that their camp would not obstruct the incoming administration.

“I told the councilors to cooperate, kay kalamboan man atong priority. At the end of the day, ang atong ganahan, kalamboan sa syudad sa Sugbo,” he said.

Garcia lost the mayoralty to outgoing Minority Floor Leader Archival in the May 12 elections. Despite the defeat, he emphasized that his group remains relevant, with six councilors-elect securing seats in the 16-member City Council.

The former mayor’s remarks followed a formal transition meeting with Archival and their respective transition teams, along with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), at Cebu City Hall.

“Makita ninyo nga maayo kaayo siya nga ni-accept nato,” Archival said after the meeting.

“Mayor Raymond is very cooperative sa iyang mga pronouncement nga he is going to do whatever he can aron makahelp siya sa atong administration,” he added.

Archival said that Garcia had offered his availability beyond his term.

“In fact, niingon siya nga if ever, he wants me to call him and he will be readily available,” he said.

Garcia also stressed that political rivalry should take a back seat to progress.

“I want this new administration to work. I want this administration to succeed because the success of this administration is the success of the City of Cebu. We need everybody to row in the same direction so that the city will progress,” he said.

According to the final Certificate of Canvass from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Kusug secured the following council seats:

First District: Winston Pepito, Harold Kendrick Go, Jaypee Labella, Joel Garganera.

Second District: Dave Tumulak, Jun Alcover

BOPK also won six seats, three per district, matching Kusug’s total. Partido Barug, once the dominant force in the council, was reduced to four seats, forming the new minority bloc.(TGP)