Newly sworn-in Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said on October 9 that he wants to discontinue the “Singapore-like Cebu City” vision of Mayor Michael Rama. | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is unbothered by dismissed Mayor Michael Rama’s camp questioning his assumption as mayor, saying they have the right to do so, but they must follow the legal process.
“If they want to question it, that’s fine with me. It’s their right, but they have to follow the proper process and go through the courts. The court will decide everything,” Garcia said in an interview on October 18.
He pointed out that the Ombudsman’s order was already served, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) had confirmed the validity of his assumption.
“I don’t know how they can question it because the Ombudsman’s order was properly served, and the DILG has already made their statement,” he added.
READ: Raymond Garcia’s takeover as mayor ‘invalid’, says Rama’s lawyer
However, on the same day, one of Rama’s legal counsels, Lawyer Collin Rosell, said in a press conference that Garcia’s assumption as mayor is “definitely not valid.”
READ: Raymond Alvin Garcia is officially Mayor of Cebu City
Rosell explained that the Ombudsman has not yet served an official copy of the order disqualifying Rama from his position.
“Wala pa ma-serbi, klaro nangita pa og ebidensya. Ang Ombudsman Visayas nga maoy mo-implementar wala silay kopya sa order,” Rosell said during the press conference.
Garcia took his oath as mayor of Cebu City on October 9, 2024, after an order from the Ombudsman permanently disqualified Mayor Michael Rama. The order, dated September 9, 2024, found Rama guilty of nepotism and grave misconduct for hiring two of his wife’s brothers as casual employees at City Hall.
The Ombudsman’s ruling led to Rama’s removal from office, the loss of his eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and a permanent ban from holding any government position.
Rama and his legal team are contesting the decision. They said that the Ombudsman’s order had not been officially served to them.
Rama’s legal team has since filed a motion for reconsideration, arguing that the decision was signed by the Deputy Ombudsman, not the Ombudsman himself. They believe this makes the ruling invalid because the law requires the Ombudsman to sign decisions involving high-ranking officials like mayors.
Rama’s camp also filed a petition with the Supreme Court on October 7, 2024, seeking to stop the Commission on Elections from disqualifying him from running in the 2025 mayoral election. /clorenciana