2025 election for Cebu City Mayor: Daluz inclined to run vs Rama

CEBU, Philippines — While he is already on the verge of really running for Cebu City mayor opposite incumbent Mayor Michael Rama in the 2025 elections, Atty. Jose “Joey” Daluz, III, the embattled Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) board of directors (BOD) chairman, yesterday said he is waiting for a sign that he should.

Daluz was guest of The Freeman’s “Hot Seat” episode hosted by news editor Fred Languido. The former city councilor discussed about the water crisis in Metro Cebu and what MCWD has done so far. Unavoidably, the talk included his falling out with the mayor.

“Nagkabangga mi because of privatization. Dili ka-deny si Mike ana because he called me one morning sa iyang balay nga he wants the kani laging na -rag ang ngan sa Prime Water nga gusto siya mo-take over,” Daluz said.

“Well, he may have very good intentions ato kay unsa na, way mahimo sa unsa ni, kinahangla’g private sector ang mosud. Ingon ko, dili gyud gusto ang MCWD anang private sector, but if really, mao nay imong direction, you have talk to MCWD.Gibalibaran man siya…dili man gyud sila…wa matuman iyang gusto with the management,” he added.

Another bone of contention he had with the mayor is the MCWD building that was formerly leased by Prince Warehouse Club that Rama wanted to use as an extension of the Cebu City Hall.

“Iyang gamiton, but dili siya mobayad og saktong rental. Iyang baratohon. Ingon pa siya’g libre lang…. Though (the building is) not the general income (source) aof MCWD, but makatabang kayo nas among expenses,” Daluz said.

He said he offered to have the city government pay the same monthly rental paid by the former occupant, but Rama allegedly did not agree.

“Suko siya,” Daluz said.

Another cause of their rift, he said, may have been the suggestions he made within their political alliance, following a few bickering.

“Akong suggestions, wa siguro siya kauyon. Ingon man gud ko ‘mayor, you don’t have to fight anymore, you have redeemed your name…just be a father to everyone’,” Daluz said.

He said he also suggested that with position of mayor being so stressful, Rama should instead run for congressman on the way to his political retirement.

“Wa niya dawata to…. Akong nadunggan, ingon siya nga ‘kanis Joey magbuot-buot gyud nis akong partido.’ Wako nag buot-buot, it was just a suggestion,” he said, adding that the mayor may have perceived him as a political threat that time.

This culminated with Rama appointing last Oct. 2023 retired general Melquiades Feliciano as Daluz’s replacement as MCWD chairman, which Daluz contested and with the MCWD officials and employees supporting him, resulting to the water distribution company having two sets of MCWD BOD.

“Well, now, threat na gyud ko niya,” Daluz said. He, however, has not made up his mind yet.

“Nag-consultation ko. This decision is not just kanang dali-on ra nimo’g decide. You have to consult…. Akong gibuhat, nagsuroy-suroy ko, istorya kos mga tawo. Is there really a need to change the administration? Are we going to continue the administration? Ana ba. Aron I can formulate a very good decision about this,” he said.

Daluz said he felt that the people of Cebu City are also looking for an alternative mayor, based on the results of the last elections, and this made him to seriously consider the possibility of running for mayor next year.

Out of the 500,000 plus Cebuanos who voted in the last elections, only 240,000 voted for Mayor Mike, while 340 chose the other candidates.

“Actually, he is not the majority mayor…. Maybe kaning 340,000 nga wa mobotar niya, nangita ni sila’g alternative..I will be the alternative if I decide to run,” Daluz said.

Right now, though, he is still looking for the sign that he should follow this path.

“I don’t know, kay nangita ko’g sign…kung sakto ba gyud ning akong path, kay di gyud ni lalim. Kita kong Mike, kita kong Tommy Osmeña, ni Edgar (Labella), very stressful job (being the mayor). Very stressful. Musod sa imong family, everything in your life. Wa na gyud, you are now a public property,” Daluz said.

Asked if in a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as the highest, how high is the possibility that he would seek the mayorship in 2025, he said it is already “7.”

“I have to serve…I love to serve, wa gyuy problema. I really want to see Cebu City brighter that what it is now. Mao nay gusto sa kadaghanan sa katawhan. I want to serve, but I don’t want to make a lot of enemies, pud. I want to preserve our friendship,” Daluz said.

“Bisan tuod og nag-away mi ni Mike, political man na, wa man mi kuan…and there are also a lot of my friends there (in Rama’s camp)…. Mao gyud ni akong gipangita nga sign, nga dili kaayo bloody among away,” he added.

But while he has not decided yet, he said the mayor right now is his “greatest campaigner.”

“Mike is my greatest campaigner, because sige siya’g away nako.  People are engaging with me, (kay) nakita nila akoy nisukol ni Mike,” Daluz.

And if he would finally decide to run for mayor, he said his runningmate would be former city councilor Dave Tumulak, who ran but lost to Rama in the 2022 elections.

“Walay lain sad, Dave Tumulak. Kaming duha ra mang Dave Tumulak, wala may laing nikuyog nga incumbent…or kanang nay intention nga mamalik,” Daluz said.

As for Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and the Kusug party, Daluz said he sees him as aligned with Mayor Rama.

“With Kusug, it’s up to Raymond Garcia. He has the chance for re-election and a chance to run for mayorship. Depende na na niya unsay iyang gusto. Sa pagkakaron, akong nakita nga he is aligned with Mayor Mike,” Daluz said.

“Maybe mao nay iyang path nga iyang daganon nga he will be the partner of Mayor Mike. But things can change. Nag-away-away man sad na sila diha,” he added.

He is hoping City Councilors James Anthony Cuenco, Jocelyn Pesguerra, and Philip Zafra would be in his line-up, if ever he would really run for mayor.

“They are mga anak sa ‘Panaghiusa’ (party). James Cuenco’s father was with Panaghiusa, part of the founders. Joy Pesquerra, her father was also part of Panaghiusa. Phillip Zafra, iyang lolo Panaghiusa. I don’t know if I can persuade them,” Daluz, though, said.(CEBU NEWS)