Rama keeps his seat as Cebu City mayor

CEBU CITY, Philippines –  Incumbent Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama keeps his seat as mayor.

The Cebu City Commission on Elections board of canvassers proclaimed Rama the winner on Tuesday afternoon, May 10, at Cebu city hall.

“The game of politics is over. I, attorney Michael Rama, declare reconciliation with our opponents,” Rama said during an ambush interview after his proclamation.

Rama got 239,656 votes, while Osmeña got 202,446 votes, according to the Cebu City Board of Canvassers final count.

Osmeña has not yet conceded the race as of this posting.

Rama is the head of local party Partido Barug, an ally of the PDP-Laban party.

His running mate Raymond Garcia also won as vice mayor. He is the son of former Cebu City mayor Mayor Alvin Garcia and the nephew of Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia.

Rama’s priorities include resolving major perennial issues in the city like waste management and the city’s overall traffic management.

This is the second loss for the Osmeñas in the mayoral race. The losing candidate, Margot Osmeña, previously served as Cebu City councilor from 2010 to 2019.

Veteran politician Tommy Osmeña lost his reelection bid in 2019 to Edgar Labella.

Rama served as vice mayor of Cebu City from 2019 to November 2021, and took over from Mayor Labella after he died. 

Rama had been previously allied with the Osmeña’s Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), but left to form his own party in 2012. – Rappler.com