Garcia ‘very, very much open’ to renewed Kusug-Barug alliance

Local

A RENEWED Kusug-Barug alliance may be in the offing as Cebu City ushers in its 17th Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Outgoing Mayor and Kusug president Raymond Alvin Garcia on Saturday, June 28, confirmed that conversations are ongoing between his group and some Barug members.

This raises the possibility of a coalition, months after the once-powerful alliance publicly fell apart ahead of the 2025 elections.

Garcia made the statement shortly after administering the oath of office to Kusug’s newly elected councilors. In a show of solidarity, Partido Barug’s Francis Esparis, Harry Erran, Franklyn Ong, and reelected South District Rep. Edu Rama were present during the ceremony.

“It just shows nga united ang among grupo ug of course we will work for the best interest and development for the Cebuanos and the City of Cebu,” Garcia said.

Garcia welcomed the presence of Rama, saying it was a positive sign of enduring ties between the two camps.

“Nalipay ko nga nagpakita gyud sila, ilabina sa South Congressman-reelectionist Edu Rama just to show support diri sa atong grupo sa atong partido. Kahibaw baya gyud mo nga isa ra mi ug partido sauna, we just ran in different parties sa 2025 pero it doesn’t mean to say dili nami amigo, dili nami higala. Amigo gihapon mi, we share the same principles. We share the same passion. We share many things alike. Nagpasalamat gyud ko nga niabot gyud sila ug nagpakita gyud silahang support,” he said.

Asked if this was now a “supermajority,” Garcia said it would be premature to label it so but acknowledged the strength of the bloc.

“Kung imoha ng iphon, ug muingon ka ug unom (Kusug) then unom (Barug) then supermajority na. But you know, dili ko ganahan mo hisgot ug supermajority or majority whatever it is kay ang election sa officers and chairmanship sa sanggunian will still be in next weeks, dili sa ko muhisgot but this is just a very good indication already nga nindot gyud mi ang among panagkuyog ug uban ni Congressman Edu and mga kauban,” he added.

Garcia said any formal declaration of a coalition would still depend on developments in the coming weeks, particularly the inaugural session of the new city council.

“Dili sad ko kaingon ana nga ‘official.’ We have to wait for a few more weeks to say,” he said. “But I am very much open. Very, very much open.”

He confirmed that discussions are underway with Barug on possible power-sharing arrangements.

“Definitely we have been talking with them mao lage na no nga mag abot lang gyud gihapin mi ug estorya regarding coalitions, committees memberships and chairmanships, mo prangka ko ninyo, and I’ve stated that already before, so maghuwat gyud ko sa election mismo sa inauguaral session,” Garcia added.

This latest development comes nine months after suspended mayor Michael Rama declared the Kusug-Barug alliance “over” ahead of the 2025 elections.

On September 24, 2024, Rama and his Partido Barug group introduced their own slate of probable candidates, a day after Kusug held its separate party gathering and installed new officers.

While Garcia maintained he was open to running for mayor, Rama took a veiled swipe at the former alliance, rallying supporters to confirm the end of the tandem.

“What’s the voice of the people?” Rama asked at the time. The crowd responded with a resounding “Yes,” to which Rama said, “Then that’s it.”

Since then, relations between the two had turned cold, with Rama issuing public warnings and Garcia expressing dismay over Rama’s criticism.(TGP)