Composition of Cebu City Council’s majority bloc questioned

Local

THE numbers just don’t add up.

Cebu City Councilor Sisinio “Bebs” Andales on Friday, July 11, said he was caught off guard by how Cebu City’s new Council leadership was formed during the inaugural session on July 8.

He questioned the transparency and political alignment behind the Kusug–Barug bloc’s sudden assertion of majority control.

Andales, the newly designated Minority Floor Leader, expressed surprise over how the Kusug–Partido Barug alliance managed to secure majority control of the City Council despite the fragmented results of the May 2025 elections.

In an interview on July 11, Andales said he remains unclear on how the majority bloc was formally constituted, citing the apparent lack of a documented coalition and the absence of any clear public declaration before the inaugural session.

“I am in a quandary,” Andales told reporters. “BOPK has six members, Garcia’s group has six, Mike Rama’s group has four—so how did they form the majority? Did the SK and ABC already join them?”

He added that the administration’s bloc was unaware of any negotiations or coalition-building efforts between the rival parties ahead of the session.

“We want to know who really makes up the majority. Is it Barug? Is it Kusug? Or is it already a coalition? If they have reunited, then the public should know,” he said in Cebuano.

The Council is currently composed of members from three political camps: Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) under Mayor Nestor Archival Sr., Partido Barug associated with former mayor Mike Rama, and Kusug led by former mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia.

The SK Federation President and ABC representative also have voting rights.

Andales said that while he respects the result of the leadership vote, there should be clarity for the sake of legislative cooperation and public transparency.

“It was not a complicated question,” he said.

The 17th Sangguniang Panlungsod officially convened on July 8 with Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña presiding. But despite holding both the mayoralty and vice mayoralty under BOPK, the party quickly realized it was outnumbered.

Councilor Philip Zafra (Barug) was elected President Pro Tempore, while Dave Tumulak (Kusug) was named Majority Floor Leader. Councilors Joel Garganera and Pancrasio Esparis were designated assistant majority leaders.

BOPK, on the other hand, was relegated to the minority, with Andales appointed as Floor Leader and Alvin Arcilla as his assistant.

“Yes, I was really surprised,” Andales said. “If you look at the election results, there was no clear majority. But during the session, they had the numbers.”

The Kusug–Barug coalition went on to sweep the top positions of the Council’s 28 standing committee chairmanships. This solidifies their legislative dominance.

Despite the political realignment, Andales said the minority bloc will remain committed to supporting the executive agenda of Archival, which includes priorities on public health, food security, digital governance, and environmental reform.

“We will pursue whatever plans and policies of Mayor Archival,” he said. “There will likely be arguments, but I hope they will support the programs for the welfare of our constituents.”

He also acknowledged potential difficulties in passing legislation.

“If there are disagreements during voting, yes—we might have a hard time,” Andales admitted. “But they’ve said they will support the mayor’s programs. We’ll see if that holds true.”

In his inaugural address, Mayor Archival called on all councilors, regardless of political affiliation, to work together to improve governance and public service in Cebu City.

“Even if coming from different colors, atuang siguraduon nga magkahiusa ta in making Cebu City number one,” Archival said.

Osmeña struck a more assertive tone, renewing opposition to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and the Carbon Market redevelopment under Megawide, which he vowed to revisit through legislation.(TGP)