3 Metro Cebu former mayors support PDP senatorial slate

Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipino (PDP) Cebu gubernatorial candidate Pamela Baricuatro on Sunday, 16 February 2025, disclosed that three former mayors from Cebu’s Tri-Cities are giving their full support to the party’s senatorial slate.

Baricuatro told DAILY TRIBUNE that former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, former Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, and former Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza attended the proclamation rally at Club Filipino in San Juan City.

The Tri-Cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu have an estimated 1.3 million voters.

Meanwhile, the Province of Cebu has 2.2 million voters, excluding the Tri-Cities.

Additional support for the Duterte-led senatorial slate is expected from Danao City, where Vice Mayor Ramonito Durano serves as a political patriarch.

"The Duterte political base in Cebu Province remains strong and intact, with former President Rodrigo Duterte hailing from Danao City," Baricuatro emphasized.

She contended that the 1.5 million Cebuano votes cast for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 2022 elections were primarily due to the influence of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

"If not for Vice President Sara Duterte, Bongbong Marcos will not get the 1.5 Cebuano votes then," Baricuatro insisted.

She further claimed that Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia cannot solely take credit for those votes, as parallel political organizations operated at the barangay level.