Rama dismissed from public office? Lawyers shut down rumors

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The camp of suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama shut down rumors that the Office of the Ombudsman has ordered him dismissed from public office.

Rama’s legal counsel, in a statement, slammed reports that the state’s anti-graft body had allegedly meted a penalty of dismissal from public office over the nepotism case filed against him.

This development, in turn, prompted his camp to file a Motion for Clarification before the Ombudsman, requesting them to shed light on these reports.

In particular, they wanted the Ombudsman to conduct an investigation as to why several officials of the current administration at the Cebu City Hall under Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia had been granted access “on confidential cases and records and internal draft decisions even before they are approved and released to the parties and the public.”

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Nepotism charges

Rama’s camp also called out some City Hall officials for apparently reading out loud the decision of the Ombudsman over the nepotism charges against him during a meeting with barangay officials in the south district last September 6.

“We strongly condemn these actions, which are not only disrespectful to the people of Cebu but also undermine the integrity of our institutions,” his lawyers wrote on a statement.

The names of the officials accused and the village chieftains who attended the activity had not been revealed.

“The case against Mayor Rama isn’t even ready for a decision—there are still unresolved issues that are still needed to finish the case,” his lawyers said.

Additionally, they said that they have not received any notice that the case had been submitted for resolution.

In 2023, a concerned citizen named Jonel Saceda, with an alias “Inday Josa Chongbian Osmeña,” sued Rama for alleged nepotism, grave misconduct, and graft and corruption after he hired his wife’s two brother-in-laws to work under casual employment for the Cebu City Government.

Last May, the Ombudsman ordered to place Rama and seven other City Hall officials under a six-month preventive suspension for allegedly failing to pay the salaries of employees who had been reassigned from the City Assessors Office to other jobs.

The decision earned the ire of Rama who had called out the Ombudsman, Samuel Martires, for apparently “abusing his authority.”