Cebu City Mayor Michael Lopez Rama. | file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A period of heightened legal scrutiny for the mayor and his administration continued to intensify as another agency filed a new round of complaints against them.
The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), led by Chairman Jose Daluz III and General Manager Edgar Donoso, lodged the complaints against the mayor before the Office of the President through the Department of the Interior and Local Government on April 29.
These administrative filings add to a growing list of legal actions against the mayor, this time involving five more city government officials.
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On April 15, th
City Administrator Collin Rosell, City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo, City Legal Officer Carlo Vincent Gimena, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head Harold Alcontin, and City Transportation Office head Raquel Arce were also named in separate complaints filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on the same day.
They will face separate complaints of grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, and oppression over their alleged illegal intrusion into the MCWD main office.
In addition to charges of grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority, Rama and the other city officials are also accused of Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service, Conduct Unbecoming of a Public Official, and violation of Republic Act (RA) 7613, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
Furthermore, the five city officials, excluding Rama, are facing allegations of violating Section 3(e) of RA 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as amended, as well as charges of trespassing under Article 281 and Grave Coercion under Article 286 of the Revised Penal Code.
The reporters attempted to get the mayor’s side, but he chose not to give an official response yet because he still did not have the official copy of the documents.
e MCWD officials barred Lapid from entering its premises. Lawyer John Dx Lapid was appointed as the MCWD acting general manager by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) interim board of directors (IBOD).
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Despite this initial denial, Lapid later successfully entered the GM’s office with the assistance of personnel from the Cebu City government, where they then secured and isolated the MCWD office areas.
Tensions rose in the afternoon when MCWD Chairman Jose Daluz, board members Miguelito Pato and Jodelyn May Seno, along with General Manager Edgar Donoso, rapidly converged on the GM’s office.
According to a report, that evening, a video surfaced showing City Administrator Collin Rosell and Harold Alcontin, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, forcing their way into the GM’s office using an ATM card around 9:44 p.m.
This breach resulted in Lapid stepping down as Officer in Charge and taking an indefinite leave of absence. Lawyer Joselito Anthony Baena succeeded him on April 22.
Earlier disciplinary actions had been taken against MCWD leadership; Daluz, Pato, and Seno were suspended for six months on March 15 by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) pending an investigation into the district’s alleged procurement violations.
On April 12, Donoso also faced a 90-day suspension imposed by an interim board created by LWUA for his refusal to provide necessary documents for the ongoing inquiry.
Nevertheless, all four officials have refused to accept the legitimacy of the LWUA’s suspensions.