BOPK slate filled up; Tom-Mary Ann likely tandem for 2019 polls

Old and new faces will make up the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) slate in the May 2019 election.

BOPK insiders said that Mayor Tomas Osmeña would “most likely” seek reelection with Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos as his vice mayoral candidate.

“But nothing will be final until after the filing of the Certificates of Candidates,” said a BOPK source who asked not to be named since he is not authorized to speak on the matter.

Rep. Raul del Mar (north district) and Rodrigo Abellanosa (south district) will both be seeking reelection.

BO-PK’s candidate for councilors in the north district are Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, Joy Augustus Young, Jerry Guardo, Leah Japson, Nestor Archival, Alvin Dizon and Marlo Maamo.

Andales, Arcilla, Young and Guardo are reelectionist councilors while Japson, Dizon and Archival are making a comeback in politics.

Maamo, who is the current head of the city’s Long Life Program, is a new addition to the group.

The administration’s south district slate will include Eugenio Gabuya Jr., Dave Tumulak, Kirk Bryan Repollo, Rengelle Pelayo, Atty. Amay Abella, Roberto Cabarrubias, Raul Alcoseba and Michael Gacasan.

Gabuya and Tumulak are reelectionist councilors while Cabarrubias and Alcoseba are former councilors who will try to make a comeback in the City Council.

Repollo is incumbent barangay captain of Inayawan while Gacasan is the incumbent barangay captain of Guadalupe, where Mayor Osmeña also lives.

Pelayo used to be chairperson of Cebu City’s Sanguniang Kabataan Federation while Abella used to be head of the city’s Human Resources and Development Office.

“The south district slate consists of candidates coming from huge political families in the area because the south remains to be clannish,” said the BOPK source who requested anonymity.

BOPK candidates are set to file their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) on Monday (October 15).