Yogi Ruiz throws support behind BOPK candidates

'We share the same vision.'

Yogi Filemon Ruiz | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Yogi Ruiz may have just redrawn the map – if alliances win elections.

The former Bureau of Customs chief and Cebu City mayoral candidate officially endorsed the vice and congressional candidates of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) party, just days before the May 12 midterm elections.

Ruiz, who is running under Partido Cebuano, announced his support for former mayor Tomas Osmeña, who is seeking a return to city hall as vice mayor, as well as BOPK’s congressional bets—incumbent councilor Mary Ann de los Santos for the North District and Rodrigo “Bebot” Abellanosa for the South District.

READ: Yogi Ruiz: If CCMC has defects, then I’ll close it if I become mayor

“My reason for endorsing them is based on a collective decision within our group. We conducted internal polling, surveyed who we should support, and found that we shared the same vision for a better Cebu City,” Ruiz told reporters after his grand rally on May 7.

Ruiz, who had previously campaigned independently, said his endorsement was not driven by political alignment but by shared values and priorities.

“We share the same vision. I see that in Mayor Tommy Osmeña. We are aligned in how we see Cebu City moving forward,” Ruiz added.

Osmeña leads vice mayoral race

Ruiz’s endorsement comes as BOPK’s Osmeña emerges as the frontrunner in the vice mayoral race, based on the latest Voters’ Preference and Perspectives Survey for Cebu City conducted by the University of San Carlos (USC).

Released on May 5 by USC’s Department of Political Science through its Center for Governance, Leadership and Development, the survey was conducted on April 11–12 and involved 1,306 respondents from all 80 barangays in the city.

Using stratified random sampling, the study polled 594 respondents from the North District and 712 from the South District.

READ: ELECTIONS 2025: What Cebu City mayoral candidates promise to do if they win

In the mayoral race, incumbent mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia leads the field, followed by Councilor Nestor Archival, former mayor Michael Rama, and Ruiz.

For vice mayor, Osmeña is trailed by incumbent Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros and former Metropolitan Cebu Water District chairman Jose Daluz III.

‘The people are hungry for change’

Ruiz, a first-time candidate for mayor, remained unfazed by survey results.

“Surveys are surveys,” he said. “We’ve seen in past elections how surveys would predict a winner, but the one who actually wins turns out to be the least expected.”

He also questioned the reach of survey efforts in the city’s far-flung and impoverished communities.

“Have these survey teams even gone to our upland areas where people are rarely visited?” Ruiz asked in Cebuano. “Have they heard the voices of our marginalized constituents? Ask them, and they’ll tell you: ‘Maybe that survey was just done online.’”

READ: LIST: Cebu City candidates for PH Elections 2025

Ruiz said the turnout at his recent rallies is proof of growing support.

“You saw the pictures—60,000 people in one venue. You don’t just gather that number unless people truly want to hear what you have to say,” he said. “Every time I visit communities, I tell our supporters to stay calm, not to make noise. If people knew how many we are, we would be swarmed.”

He said many of the city’s problems stem from divisive politics.

“For the past two years, I’ve gone around listening to the people,” Ruiz said. “What we found is that the number one problem in Cebu City is too much politics. That needs to change.”

With only days left before the elections, Ruiz said he is confident that Cebu City is ready for “a total revamp.”

“Five days to go. Cebu City will experience a new brand of leadership,” he said. /clorenciana