BOPK bets for Cebu City’s highest posts: Nestor-Tomas for 2025 polls

CEBU, Philippines — It’s official.

Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. and former mayor Tommy Osmeña will be running together for mayor and vice mayor, respectively, in the upcoming 2025 election.

Archival officially accepted the ‘challenge’ of Osmeña to run for mayor, which he previously said he would have to consider due to several reasons, including monetary concerns for his campaign.

Archival is the third to have confirmed his plan to run for mayor. Suspended Mayor Michael Rama and former Customs Commissioner Yogi Felimon Ruiz have earlier expressed their intent to run for the same post.

With Archival's announcement during the joint birthday celebration of Osmeña and his wife, Margot, last Tuesday evening, July 30, 2024, it makes official the Archival-Osmena tandem to kick off the political slate for Bando Osmeña–Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).

A video posted by Archival on his Facebook page showed an excerpt of him handing a cake with a "YES" drawn on top signifying his answer to Osmena's previous call to run for city mayor last February 29, 2024.

Osmeña has previously said that Archival is "the best choice for Cebu City’s future," especially since the latter’s top priority is the youth. He also declared that if Archival would decide to run for mayor, Osmeña promised to support him all the way as vice mayor.

"Witnessed by my friends and elders in the BOPK family, and all of you as witnesses, that I am accepting the challenge, Nestor Archival, a new endorsement for me to run as the mayoral candidate for the BOPK family and you as the vice mayor of the same team," Archival announced in the excerpt.

In the same celebration, Archival also announced that former south district congressman Rodrigo “Bebot” Abellanosa will be the party's nominee to vie for the south district’s congressional seat, and incumbent Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos for the north district.

Prior to his confirmation to run for mayor, Archival already highlighted pressing matters he would prioritize if he would get the highest seat in the city government, including his opposition to the implementation of the revised Real Property Tax (RPT) Code.

It was a move in response to the calls of Mayor Rama to the City Council to approve the revised RPT Code so it can be implemented before the end of the month.

According to Archival, right after the proposal to revise the RPT was introduced, he made rounds among the barangays, different sectors, and religious leaders to assess their stance on the matter.

“And I realized 95 percent sa akong na-istorya nag ingon sila nga wala pa mi ka recover, dili pa namo kaya nga patas-an ug makabayad sa real property nga karon nga mag increase, more or less plus and minus 5,000 percent,” he previously said.

However, just recently, discussions on the implementation of the revised RPT code have been deferred following the signed national law that has overtaken its provisions the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVARA).

The Freeman has reached out to Archival for his latest statement on the announcement but the councilor has yet to respond as of this writing. — /ATO (FREEMAN)