Writer; Alex
MICHAEL Rama, the dismissed mayor of Cebu City, didn’t hold back in criticizing his former ally, Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, calling him a “mananapaw,” or usurper.
Rama has directed his legal team to file charges against Garcia.
“I am now, and I have been, telling my lawyers—[it’s] already long overdue—to file all cases against sa mananapaw (the usurper). File all cases available against sa mananapaw (the usurper). That is my direction,” he said in a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024
“We have a legal and substantial foundation to file a case, and I am very serious about it. It’s better late than never against Raymond Garcia,” he added.
Rama said he is the elected official, asserting that he was not dismissed or removed from office.
“Buhi pa si Mike Rama, (apan) nawala na (sa posisyon), gisapawan na (Mike Rama is still alive, but he is no longer in his position because it has been usurped)…I am just being frank,” he said.
Rama questioned the legitimacy of Garcia’s assumption of office as full-fledged city mayor, describing it “hasty and invalid.”
Rule of law
When asked to respond to being labeled “mananapaw” (usurper), Garcia said in a phone interview that he was simply following the rule of law and the directive from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to take his oath as full-fledged mayor.
A running mate of Rama in the 2022 elections, Garcia won the race for the vice mayor’s seat.
Garcia assumed as acting mayor after the Ombudsman suspended Rama and other City Hall officials for six months, starting on May 8, 2024, due to allegations of grave misconduct related to unpaid salaries of four employees.
Before he could return to office in the second week of November, Rama was found guilty on Oct. 3 by the Ombudsman of nepotism and grave misconduct for allegedly hiring his two brothers-in-law as casual employees at City Hall. The anti-graft office dismissed him from service and disqualified him from holding any government position.
Rama and his allies filed their certificate of candidacy (COC) on Oct. 3. Garcia is also running for mayor with Jose Daluz III, the former board chairman of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District, as his running mate.
Hours after Rama filed his COC, copies of the Ombudsman’s decision went viral online.
‘Still qualified’
Rama said he is still qualified to run for public office and seek a new term under Partido Barug in the midterm elections in May 2025.
Supporting his claim that he was not dismissed from service, Rama said that he has yet to receive an official copy of the Ombudsman’s decision that includes his dismissal from office and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
Rama said his legal team had contacted the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas and the DILG 7, both of which reportedly were unaware of the decision and would need to consult their central offices.
Attempts by the Cebu City Police Office to deliver the Ombudsman’s decision to Rama’s residence on Oct. 5 were unsuccessful, as Rama’s camp did not accept it, citing that no representative from the Ombudsman had officially served the decision.
Rama also complained about the “indecent” treatment from the DILG 7. He said that his police detail was immediately withdrawn after Garcia took his oath of office on Oct. 9 before DILG 7 Director Leocadio Trovela.
Rama said he did not create the division between himself and Garcia but noted it was evident in Garcia’s policy changes at City Hall and his decision to run for mayor in 2025.
TRO
Last Oct. 22, the Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on Comelec Resolution 110044-A, which had called for the immediate disqualification of candidates facing perpetual disqualification from the Ombudsman.
Rama’s legal counsel, Joselito Thomas Baena, said that unlike TROs from lower courts, which expire, a TRO from the Supreme Court remains valid until lifted.
Rama’s TRO petition was filed on Oct. 7 as a counter to a petition filed with the Comelec by Jundel Bontuyan, which sought to disqualify Rama from running based on the Ombudsman’s dismissal and disqualification order. Bontuyan had urged the Comelec to cancel Rama’s COC and remove his name from the 2025 election ballot.
Rama’s son, Mikel, clarified during the press conference that for the Comelec to remove a candidate’s name from the ballot, there must be a petition for COC cancellation or disqualification.
Grounds for cancellation include material misrepresentation on the COC, while grounds for disqualification involve ineligibility or an election offense.
Mikel said that for a disqualification to take effect, a “final and executory” decision is required.
“Mag-abot gyud ta sa Supreme Court, alang sa ‘final and executory,’” he said, suggesting that the matter could ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
Collin Rosell, another member of Rama’s legal team, stated that with the TRO in place and the dismissal order yet to be officially served, Rama’s candidacy remains unaffected by the ongoing petitions.
