Julieto Cu, a 58-year-old independent aspirant from Barangay Guadalupe, officially filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for Cebu City mayor on Friday, October 4. | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Julieto Cu, a 58-year-old independent aspirant from Barangay Guadalupe, officially filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for Cebu City mayor on Friday, October 4.
He is the second independent aspirant to date to vie for a position in the 2025 midterm elections. He will challenge mayoral aspirant and reelectionist, preventively suspended Mayor Michael Rama, who filed his candidacy on October 3.
Cu, a former corporate marketing employee, joins the race after Abraham Verdida, a 57-year-old taxi driver, who was the first to file his COC on October 1 for the Cebu City Council. Both candidates represent independent bids for public office.
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In an interview on Friday, Cu shared that his motivation for running is rooted in his love for Cebu City and its people.
“Tungod kay atong gihigugma, atong gimahal ang syudad sa Sugbo ug ang mga Sugboanon,” he said.
(Because I love, we love our city of Cebu and the residents of Cebu City.)
Cu’s main platform is focused on increasing financial assistance for senior citizens. He aims to double the current monthly cash aid from P1,000 to P2,000. He stressed that Cebu City’s wealth is sufficient to fund this increase.
“Datu kaayo ang syudad sa Sugbo…Nganong dili man na mahimo karon nga pwerte nang kadatua ang syudad sa Sugbo? Buot pasabot, depende na sa lider, og dunay lider nga nagpangga og nagmahal sa mga sugboanon mahitabo gyud na,” he explained.
(Cebu City is rich…Why cannot it be done now that the city of Cebu is really very rich? That means, that it will depend on the leader, if there will be a leader who loves the Cebu City residents, then that will happen.)
Another priority for Cu is the completion of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), which has been under construction for over a decade. He noted that only three floors of the facility are functional, and construction remains unfinished.
“Hangtod karon, wala pa mahuman ang atong CCMC,” Cu said.
(Until now, our CCMC is still not completed.)
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He questioned where the funds were raised and pointed out that many Cebuano families, especially the poor, relied on the facility for healthcare.
“Nganong ipahuman man nato sa madaling panahon og itugot sa Ginoo nga makalingkod ta, Luoy kaayo mga Sugboanon. Okay na tong mga datu kay muadto man og private hospitals pero kitang mga pobre? Mao nay nakapait sa mga pobre kay dili pa gyud ta maatiman diha,” he said.
(Why would we want to have that completed as soon as possible God willing that we can sit there. I pity the Cebu City residents. The rich are okay because they will go to the private hospitals but what about us the poor? That is the proble with us poor people because we would not be taken care of there.)
Cu also plans to address the city’s flooding problem. He believes Cebu City’s natural terrain should prevent floods, but corruption has hindered the proper allocation of funds for drainage solutions.
“Ang kwarta nga budget ana wala mapunta sa sakto,” Cu remarked.
(The money for the budget [of that project] did not go to the right ones.)
He vowed to push for transparency and make sure funds would be used effectively for flood prevention.
Lastly, Cu wants to build a community hospital in Barangay Cantipla. The remote barangay, along with other mountain areas, whose residents struggle to access healthcare due to the distance from the city’s hospitals.
“Daghan dunay madisgrasya, masakit unya dili man unta angay mamatay pero mangamatay na lang tungod kay layo sa hospital,” Cu said.
(Many who met an accident, who are sick then they should not die but they die because they are far from the hospital.)