Ricky Poca
The Ombudsman’s dismissal with finality of the charges against former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama in relation to the P20,000 cash assistance given to City Hall officials and employees affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda was a vindication that came late in the day but is still valid nevertheless.
If one is to remember, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer who conducted the hearing also dismissed the complaint by lawyer Reymelio Delute, but it was ignored and reversed by then Palace executive secretary Paquito Ochoa.
I also remember a friend of mine tell me that then former mayor Tomas Osmeña is going to be mayor because Rama would be suspended for the calamity aid case and it did come to pass.
Rama didn’t get to spend his last few weeks in office since he was suspended with some city officials as a result of the case which some local political observers saw as politically motivated.
The Ombudsman decision also illustrated how the Liberal Party (LP) used its power to oust Rama to favor its local allies.
This development also showed that it is not far-fetched to conclude that Rama’s inclusion in President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug watch list is yet another political maneuver of his erstwhile mentor-turned-political rival Tomas Osmeña.
Interestingly, the agencies responsible for the drug war have not proven or even shown any evidence to justify Rama’s inclusion in the drug watch list. Rama has taken steps to show that he is not a drug user or even a mere protector.
He took all kinds of drug tests, and the results showed that Rama is negative of any substance use. In contrast, Mayor Tomas Osmeña took the tests but had not made it public.
Even the accusation that Rama is an illegal drug protector is hard to believe. Aside from zero evidence to prove this claim, Rama didn’t have his own police chief since the PNP was controlled by the former administration who appointed General Garbo and some local police officials who were not loyal to Rama.
So how could Rama protect the illegal drug traders when the police was not with him? Rama is asking that he be accorded the simple constitutional requirement of “due process of law that says one is heard before he is condemned or judged.”
By including his name in the President’s narco list, Rama was never asked nor heard. Rama is still hurting because he worked so hard to build a name in public service only to see it destroyed by a list without even being given the chance to clear his name or be heard.
The Rama family is also hurting and suffering to see a relative accused unfairly of a wrongdoing when we all know that it is not true.
We are very careful not to tarnish the Rama name of any wrongdoing because our forebears did their best to build a good name in public service.
Michael Rama is going to have his birthday this month, and we are hoping and praying that his name be cleared already and the President would meet and talk to Rama as a simple birthday gift to him.
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