Cebu City North Councilor Nestor Archival officially accepts the challenge of former mayor Tomas Osmeña to run as mayor in the 2025 midterm polls. | Screengrab from Nestor Archival/Facebook
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu City North Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. officially accepted the challenge of former Mayor Tomas Osmeña for the former to run for mayor of the city in the 2025 midterm elections.
Archival will now officially run alongside Osmeña, who will be his running mate as the latter will fight for the vice mayor position.
In the video posted by Archival on Facebook last July 30, Archival is seen presenting a cake to former Mayor Osmeña for his 76th birthday. With him were Councilor Mary Ann Delos Reyes, former Councilor Bebot Abellanosa, and the former mayor’s wife, Margot Osmeña.
They were clad in their official BOPK polo shirts.
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“Mayor Tommy Osmeña, accept this gift as a sign of our gratitude for your 15 years of service as the mayor of Cebu City,” Archival said.
“And if you look at it, Mayor, you have a ‘YES’ sign. I, Nestor Archival, in the presence of my friends and elders of BOPK, officially accept your endorsement for me to run as the mayoral candidate of the BOPK family, with you as the vice mayor,” Archival declared.
Archival also took the opportunity to announce the official candidacies of Bebot Abellanosa for the congressman of the south district and Mary Ann Delos Santos for the north district.
They, along with other candidates, will seek elective seats next year under the BOPK banner.
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On February 29, Osmeña announced in a press conference his intention to run for vice mayor if Archival accepted his endorsement for the mayoral race.
“If I were to choose, I would choose [Nestor] Archival [to become] the mayor. He can make a good mayor. I will make him a good candidate… I will be his vice mayor,” Osmeña stated.
However, Archival initially had expressed reservations about running for mayor, where he cited the position’s substantial responsibilities and the significant resources required, particularly financial ones.
“Right now, I told Mayor Tommy I need more time. This is a big job. I am willing to do the task, but to be in that position, you need resources. Although I have the backing of the group, there are additional resources needed, especially financial,” Archival responded to Osmeña on March 2.
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For the congressional seat, he announced that Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos was being eyed for the north while Rodrigo “Bebot” Abellanosa is being considered for the south. Potential councilors from the north include Babes Andales, Alvin Dizon, and Alvin Arcilla, while the south candidates include Jose Abellanosa, Margot Osmeña, and Jun Gabuya.
He said that if he would decide to run for mayor, he would prioritize addressing internal issues and securing the necessary finances as his primary platforms.
Archival is the third official to announce his mayoral candidacy for the 2025 midterm polls, following Mayor Michael Rama, and Yogi Ruiz.
While there are reports that Lawyer Jose Daluz III may also run, no official statement has been made yet.
Archival and Osmeña’s official political tandem is the second to be announced, following Rama and acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. However, the latter’s political alliance is currently strained due to internal political rifts.