Ben Madilynn
TWO probable Cebu City mayoralty candidates showed up at the “Cebu Now Na!” concert on Tuesday night, Sept. 17, 2024, hyping speculations of a possible Garcia-Daluz tandem in the 2025 midterm elections.
During the “Cebu Now Na!” concert on Tuesday night held at SM Seaside City, Cebu City, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia attended the launching of a political initiative through a concert, advocating for immediate actions to address the problems in Cebu City.
Among the personalities who attended the event were Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) Board of Directors Chairman Joey Daluz and Basak Pardo Barangay Captain Dave Tumulak.
Cebu City councilors Rey Gealon, Jerry Guardo, Joel Garganera, and Pastor “Jun” Alcover were also seen in Tuesday night’s event.
Former Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (Opav) secretary Michael Dino was also seen in the concert.
In a short speech, Garcia said that he shared the same vision of the political initiative working on a “better Cebu.”
“Nakarealized ko di masulbad ang problema kung di magtinabangay tanan… kinahanglan ta’g action, action, action para mausab ang atong syudad sa Sugbo,” said Garcia.
After this, he invited Daluz and Tumulak to join him on stage, stating that these two personalities shared the same vision as him.
No Politics
In a text message on Wednesday morning, Tumulak told SunStar Cebu their attendance in the gathering has “no politics” involved.
Tumulak said that the gathering centered on addressing various problems within the city of Cebu.
“I attended the event last night after being invited by the organizer, who shares my advocacy for addressing waste disposal issues, environmental care, and community safety,” Tumulak said.
“It was great to see friends like Acting Mayor Garcia, Atty. Daluz and other city officials there, all committed to making a positive impact,” he added.
When asked about his plans for the 2025 midterm polls, particularly with the potential tandem of Daluz-Tumulak, he did not specifically answer and instead said to wait for the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) in October.
Daluz, on the other hand, did not comment on the gathering.
Meanwhile, Garcia has yet to answer the speculations as of press time.
The concert featured some bands including Sunkissed Lola, Cookie$, Acel Band, and Zeke Abella at Sky Hall, SM Seaside City.
Potential Candidates
As the deadline for the filing of COCs nears, several personalities have expressed their interest in running for office at Cebu City Hall, including the mayoralty position.
Daluz, on Sept. 9, told SunStar Cebu that he would soon be stepping down as chair of the MCWD Board of Directors, but he did not confirm that he will seek a position in the coming elections.
However, various tarpaulins that bore his face were spread out across the streets of the city.
“I’m ready to run, but I have not really decided 100 percent. Mahibaw-an na karong (It will be revealed this) Oct. 1,” Daluz said, while he refrained from answering the question as to what position he will be running.
SunStar Cebu later discovered that Daluz posted on his Facebook page’s stories that he would be running for mayor with Tumulak as his running mate.
He said the Partido Panaghiusa, which he revived in March 2021 after it was founded by his mother, then radio personality and politician Nenita Cortes-Daluz, will field a complete slate.
On the other hand, preventively suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama earlier announced that he will seek re-election for the upcoming polls.
Rama, in February 2024, first announced his potential tandem again with Acting Mayor Garcia under the Partido Barug.
However, the relationship between the two officials has soured following Rama’s preventive suspension and Garcia’s policy changes in the City Hall as Acting Mayor, including the 2025 Sinulog venue.
There were rumors of Garcia running for Cebu City mayor in the next election, but he has not yet confirmed nor denied the speculations.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival has earlier accepted the invitation of former Cebu City mayor Tomas “Tommy” Osmeña to run for mayor, while the latter will seek the vice mayoralty position under the Bando Osmeña Purok Kauswagan (BOPK) party.
Another candidate who will join the mayoral race is the former commissioner of the Bureau of Customs, Yogi Ruiz, who was the first to announce his interest in running for Cebu City mayor in the May 2025 midterm elections.
The Commission on Elections scheduled the filing of the COCs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 8.
