CEBU CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – Cebuano businessman and actor Richard Yap (PDP-Laban) failed to unseat longtime politician and Cebu City 1st District Representative Raul Del Mar (Liberal Party) this midterm election.

According to the latest unofficial real-time results, Del Mar won by a wide margin of 134,816 votes over Yap’s 81,167.


Yap said in a Facebook post that the loss was a “disappointing end” to the campaign.

“I also know it has been a rewarding time for me,” he added. “I am just sad that i was not given the chance to make my plans and dreams for Cebu a reality.” (LIST: These celebrities are seeking elective posts in 2019)

Yap told Rappler: “I would like to sincerely thank the more than 80,000 Cebuanos who put their trust and faith in me. Although we were not given the chance to serve Cebu at this time, our thrust remains that we will continue to fight for the vision of a better and more progressive Cebu—a city that we can all be proud of.”  

Yap is best known for his role as Richard “Sir Chief” Lim in the hit 2012 ABS-CBN teleserye Please Be Careful With My Heart where he co-starred with Jodi Santa Maria.

He ran under the local Barug PDP-Laban slate along with Cebu City candidates Edgar Labella, who won the city as mayor, and Michael Rama who will return to city hall as vice mayor.

He said after filing his COC that he wanted to run to bring his experience in business and his platform he enjoys as an actor to help bring in “new ideas” to Cebu City’s north district.

In a forum last month, Yap said that he was supportive of the administration’s war on drugs and its campaign against crime.

Del Mar, one of the few Cebuano Liberal Party members who did not join PDP-Laban after President Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 win, has held his seat on and off since 1987.

“Our fight for the city doesn’t end here,” Yap said. “Let us continue to stand in our principles and our unwavering support to transform Cebu as a city we can be more proud of.” – Rappler.com

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