CEBU CITY – Mayor Edgardo Labella is no longer seeking re-election and has remained in hospital due to pneumonia and his family is asking Cebuano to pray for his fast recovery.
“We, the Labella family,
appear in front of you all today to discuss the current health situation of my
father, Mayor Edgardo C. Labella. In response to the questions from the media
and people on social media, we confirm that Mayor Labella is currently admitted
in a private hospital in Cebu City,” said a statement from the family read by
the mayor’s son, Eugene, in a recent press conference.
Labella’s wife, Joy, and son, Jaypee, who is running for councilor in the
city’s north district, were also present. Because of his health condition, the
family announced that Labella had taken an indefinite medical leave.
The family said the mayor is
no longer seeking re-election, but in the few remaining months of his term,
wishes to see through all the programs and projects he started. While
recuperating, Labella assured the Cebuanos that the governance in Cebu City
Hall had been handed over to Vice Mayor Michael Rama, who also called on
Cebuanos to pray for Labella’s recovery.
The family said Labella was
diagnosed with prostate cancer 12 years ago, but was cleared after an operation
and treatment. But the mayor's health suffered due to pneumonia.
“He worked non-stop to
oversee and make sure that the city is able to efficiently carry out its Covid
response and recovery efforts to the point that his own health took a back
seat,” the family's statement said.
The mayor was initially
admitted for an ear infection in January which later aggravated and led to
sepsis and blood infection. “He almost died at that point,” the statement read.
Although the mayor was able to recover from the ear infection, he experienced “recurring pneumonia” and was brought to the hospital several times in July then stayed in the hospital for a few more weeks and later on transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. (John Rey Saavedra. With additional report from Cebu Examiner.)
