Pepito is acting Cebu City vice mayor

Local

COUNCILOR Winston Pepito is temporarily taking the helm of the Cebu City Council after Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña flew to the United States on Thursday, Oct. 9, for medical treatment.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Cebu City Field Office confirmed Pepito’s designation as acting vice mayor in a memorandum issued on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Pepito will serve in the post until November 22, 2025, or until Osmeña’s return.

Osmeña earlier announced that he would undergo surgery to repair a hernia that has caused recurring urinary tract infections.

In an interview, Pepito said he intends to keep the council steady during Osmeña’s absence.

“For now, I’ll just continue what he started,” Pepito said. “Basically, there were no specific instructions except to take care of the council. He has pending proposals, but we’ll wait for his return to discuss those.”

Pepito said he has asked city departments to submit their 2026 budget proposals in advance to allow the council to review them carefully.

“I already have copies of the proposals, and we’ll go through them to see what’s reasonable and what’s not,” he said. “We want to be fair and balanced. All public services deserve attention.”

He noted that deliberations on the proposed 2026 budget have yet to begin. “Wala pa gyud exactly ang deliberation,” he said, adding that a clearer picture will emerge in the coming weeks as submissions are finalized.

Osmeña’s latest trip abroad is part of his continuing battle with health complications from previous surgeries. The former mayor earlier disclosed that he would undergo two operations in the U.S. — one on his ear and another for his hernia.

“They have to check me after three weeks,” Osmeña said in an earlier interview. “So I cannot just go back and forth. I want to see how I can recover.”

Osmeña, who was diagnosed with urinary bladder cancer in 2008, now uses a urostomy bag following surgeries during his treatment years ago. He has attributed his current hernia to those earlier procedures.(TGP)