Rama’s top aide gunning for Tisa’s top post, votes early

Several candidates got an early start and voted early yesterday for the barangay polls.

Among the early birds was Philip Zafra, former chief of staff of Mayor Michael Rama, who is running as barangay captain in Tisa.

Wearing plain green shirts, Zafra was accompanied by his family, neighbors and some classmates in Tisa Elementary School past 7 a.m.

Zafra recently resigned from his City Hall post to run for barangay captain.

Another early voter was Fred Languido, assignments editor of The Freeman, who is running as councilman in barangay Kalunasan.

Accompanied by his wife, Languido voted at around 7:30 a.m. at the Kalunasan Elementary School.

Lawyer Raymond Garcia, son of former Cebu City Mayor Alvin Garcia, chose to vote later in the day.

Garcia is running for councilman in barangay Kamputhaw.

When he arrived alone at Kamputhaw Elementary School at past 1 p.m., Raymond initially went to the wrong precinct at the school’s fourth floor.

Instead of double checking with information desks outside the school, Garcia immediately went to find the precinct that he was told to go to by a friend of his.

“During the previous elections, we were always in the same precinct, but apparently this time, we’re at different precincts,” he told Cebu Daily News.

When he arrived at the precinct, Garcia was the only voter inside.

“Aw memorized na ni (Oh, I’ve memorized this already),” he said as he received his official ballot.

It took him less than five minutes to vote. Garcia, wore a green polo shirt, the campaign color of Mayor Michael Rama.