Rama leads, pulls major upset against BO-PK
Reelectionist Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama kept a slim lead over Rep. Tomas Osmeña based on results from 514 of 592 polling precincts past midnight.
All tallies from the south district were in with only 30 precincts left unreported in the north district.
The tight race for City Hall was shaping up into a major upset for the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) which has never lost a mayoralty election since Osmeña first ran for mayor in 1988.
Team Rama’s advantage echoed in results for his vice mayor candidate Councilor Edgar Labella.
Labella was also leading with 190,371 votes over BO-PK Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young with 174,785 votes.
In the north district congressional race, Raul del Mar of the Liberal Party-BO-PK was guaranteed victory and a return to the House of Representatives with 120,383 votes over Anabelle Rama’s 32,997 based on nearly complete figures.
In the south district, BO-PK Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa was leading with 105,444 in the congressional race over Team Rama’s Aristotle Batuhan who had 86,456 votes.
At the canvass hall in Cebu City’s legislative building, Team Rama campaign manager Councilor Joey Daluz and Kusug Party secretary general Raymund Garcia arrived to watch the count.
With 86.82 percent or 514 of 592 of Election Returns canvassed, Rama leads with 193,143 votes over Osmeña’s 181,937 votes as of 12:30 a.m. of May 14.
Osmeñas elder sister Minnie who joined supporters in the canvassing left the building when the 10:30 p.m. count was flashed on two wide screens in the social hall.
Team Rama’s legal team led by former governor Enrique Rama and Jade Ponce were closely watching the canvassing as electronic transmission of ERs from mountain barangays started to come in.
Daluz, who expressed confidence in a reelection of Mayor Rama, said people were ready for change in Cebu City.
“The people find the current mayor the better choice to lead the city,” he said. /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief of Reporters
