Garcia, Rama skipped peace covenant signing, unity walk
CEBU, Philippines — Barely a week before the start of the local campaign period, candidates from different local parties came to participate in a unity walk, inter-faith rally, candidates’ forum, and peace covenant signing for a Secure, Accurate Free/Fair Elections (SAFE) 2025 held at Plaza Sugbo yesterday.
Interestingly, though, current Cebu City Mayor Raymond Garcia and former mayor Michael Rama, who used to be runningmates in the last elections but are now rival candidates for mayoral post, were both absent for unknown reasons.
Rama’s runningmate, incumbent Vice Mayor Donaldo “Dondon†Hontiveros, led the Partido Barug Bag-Ong Sugbo-Team Rama, while Garcia’s runningmate Joey Daluz’s presence was unconfirmed as well, but some of their candidates for city council post were present.
Councilor Nestor Archival, who is running for mayor with former mayor Tomas Osmeña as his running mate, were present together with most of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan's line-up.
Former Customs official Yogi Ruiz, a mayoral candidate for Cebu City, attended the activity yesterday together with his lineup under Partido Cebuano, while the other mayoral candidate Julieto Co’s presence was not confirmed.
Archival and Ruiz showed sportsmanship to each other and vowed for a peaceful campaign.
Three of the First District candidates for Congress representative, namely, incumbent Rep. Cutie Del Mar, Cebu City Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos and Association of Barangay Councils president Franklyn Ong also stood side by side for posterity.
Aside from the candidates and their supporters, representatives from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Department of Interior and Local Government, Police Regional Office (PRO)-7, Cebu City Police Office, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Department of Education and C-CIMPEL (Cebu – Citizens Involvement and Maturation in People's Empowerment and Liberation), and the Joint Task Group (JTG) also came to join in solidarity with the activity.
“Karong adlawa, kaning atong gibuhat nga Unity Walk sa tanang kandidato, stakeholders, ug kanang mga ahensya sa gobiyerno nga mosalmot sa politikanhong kalihokan, timely kini nga oras og sakto kini sa atong pagbag-o sa atong mga commitment,†COMELEC 7 Director Francisco Pobe said.
“Nagkadaiya man ni nga mga kampo pero molugdang ra ni sa usa ka butang. Kaning atong gibuhat trabaho lang ni og wala tay personalan sa matag usa kanato,†Pobe added.
Pobe also took the opportunity to remind all hopefuls in the upcoming elections that their mission is for the development of the community and not of their own personal interests.
“Ang atong pagtuo ug ang atong debosyon sa pagka-kandidato dapat atong ipunting ngadto sa tinuod nga panglantaw sa mahayag nga kalamboan sa atong kumunidad,†Pobe said.
PRO-7 Police Brigadier General PBGen Dionisio Bartolome Jr , Deputy Regional Director for Administration, also reminded everyone its “shared purpose to uphold democracy, promote peace and order and safeguard the sanctity of the electoral process."
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