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Labella proclaimed Cebu City mayor

By Luel Galarpe

May 14, 2019, 8:13 pm

<p><strong>NEW CEBU CITY MAYOR.</strong> Board of Canvassers chairman Chauncey Boholst (foreground) proclaims Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella (second from right) as mayor-elect of Cebu City. Labella garnered 265,436 votes against incumbent Mayor Tomas Osmeña's 246,399 votes. <em>(Photo by Luel Galarpe)</em></p>

NEW CEBU CITY MAYOR. Board of Canvassers chairman Chauncey Boholst (foreground) proclaims Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella (second from right) as mayor-elect of Cebu City. Labella garnered 265,436 votes against incumbent Mayor Tomas Osmeña's 246,399 votes. (Photo by Luel Galarpe)

CEBU CITY -- Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella was officially proclaimed Cebu City mayor-elect on Tuesday by the Board of Canvassers (BOC) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Although the canvassing of votes had not yet been completed as of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Board of Canvassers declared Labella the winner with 265,436 votes over reelectionist Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who got 246,399 votes.

“Votes from one remaining precinct in the Labangon Elementary School have not been canvassed due to some technical problems, but we decided to push through with the proclamation as the results from that precinct would not change the final outcome,” BOC chairman Chauncey Boholst said.

After the proclamation, Labella, standard bearer of the opposition Barug–PDP Laban coalition, expressed his gratitude to the thousands of Cebuanos who placed their trust in him.

“I thank God the Almighty and all of you for giving me this opportunity to serve Cebu City,” he told his supporters.

Osmeña, on the other hand, conceded defeat late Monday night after learning of Labella’s comfortable early margin of 15,000 votes.

“This is your mayor thanking all of you for joining us in this journey which is now coming to an end,” Osmeña told his supporters in a video posted on his official Facebook page. “I don’t want a single person to feel sorry for me. I’ll be fine. To the people of Cebu, I will still be here for you.

Labella’s running mate, former Mayor Michael Rama, was also proclaimed winner over City Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos in the race for vice mayor. Rama garnered 261,381 votes, while delos Santos got 234,615 votes.

Reelectionist congressmen Raul del Mar and Rodrigo Abellanosa were likewise declared winners over their closest rivals, showbiz personality Richard Yap and City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera in the North and South Districts, respectively.

Del Mar defeated Yap with 135,528 votes against the actor’s 81,575, while Abellanosa garnered 163,247 votes versus the 103,524 votes received by Pesquera.

The winning city councilors in the North District were proclaimed as well. They were Nestor Archival, Niña Mabatid, Joy Augustus Young, Lea Japson, Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, and Alvin Dizon.

Those who won seats in the City Council from the South District, including former Philippine Basketball Association star Dondon Hontiveros, will be proclaimed as soon as the canvassing of votes had been completed. (PNA)

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