Labella returns to hospital due to ‘persistent’ cough

Vice Mayor Michael Rama is acting mayor until Friday

| File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella is on medical leave again.

This time to seek treatment for his “persistent” cough, says City Administrator Floro Casas.

Casas said the mayor’s family brought Labella to the hospital on Tuesday, July 13, to have him checked for a possible pneumonia.

“On going iyang checkup karon. Okay raman siya, naa lang gyod siyay ubo. Nagleave lang siya karon. He is admitted karon in one of the hospitals in Cebu City. Amo lang gipa-admit to check ba,” he said.

(His checkup is still ongoing.  He is fine, its just that he has a cough.  He is on leave now.  He is admitted to a hospital in Cebu City. We had him admitted for proper checkup.)

Casas said the mayor is expected back at work on Monday, July 19.

In his absence, Vice Mayor Michael Rama will automatically sit as the acting mayor even in the absence of a memo for his appointment to the position on an acting capacity, Casas said.

This was already the fourth time this year that Labella went on leave for health reasons.

He went on leave in January to recover from an ear infection. He again filed for a three-day leave and another three-week leave in June to recover from his sepsis.

In a separate interview, Rama said, he will have check on the status of his appointment as acting mayor.

“There is no papers (saying that I have been designated acting mayor) so Mayor Labella is still the mayor,” he said.

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