Garcia believes cases filed against him are ‘politically motivated’
Cebu City mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. CDN Digital | Niña Mae Oliverio [FILE PHOTO]
In a press conference on Monday, Garcia said that he was “not surprised” with the complaints filed against him, as he also expected “more cases” next year or months before the election period.
“Until mahuman ang election tingali, that’s the time nga ang cases, mogamay, mokunhod (Until the election is done, that’s the time that the cases would get fewer, decrease (no. of cases). This is political season and I’ve been saying this over and over again, this is one of the ways for candidates to promote themselves and to put other candidates in a bad light,” Garcia said.
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He added that everything that had happened against him right now was “politically motivated” since it was election season.
In a 13-page complaint that was shared to the members of the media, Lawyer Mikel Rama filed charges of grave misconduct and dishonesty, other frauds, refusal to discharge elective office, and abandonment of office or position.
These charges were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman last December 6.
The complaints stemmed from the day when Garcia took his oath of office as full-fledged mayor of Cebu City last October 9 and was administered by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG-7) Director Leocadio Trovela, who was also sued by Mikel for grave misconduct, dishonesty, and falsification of public documents under Article 171(4) of the Revised Penal Code, among others.
Mikel expressed in his complaints that the Ombudsman would issue “appropriate order and provisional remedy, including but not limited to a cease and desist order” for Garcia “from continuing to unlawfully exercise the functions of the City Mayor of Cebu City to the detriment of the public.”
Mikel added that such acts he cited in his complaints were reasonable grounds for Garcia to be placed under preventive suspension, “as to prevent the tampering of documents, influencing of potential witnesses” and obstructing the Ombudsman to “come up with an impartial investigation.”
Garcia: Not my doing
Garcia, for his part, since complaints against him were not surprising, he would answer them in a “proper forum.”
“Pero ako ba, makafeel baya ko kay akong amahan sa una, mayor baya sa syudad sa Sugbo. Og naay mga kaso, mobati man sad tag kaluoy ug kalagot and I really understand how he feels snow pero I hope also nga he will put it to mind and heart nga kaning gipang experience sa iyang pamilya labi na siyang amahan, di tawn ni tungod nako uy,” Garcia said.
(But for me, I can feel because I am the father first, I am the mayor of the city of Cebu. If there is a case, we can even feel pity and anger, and I really understand how he felt now, but I hope he will put it to mind and heart about what his family is experiencing especially his father, it is not because of me.)
Garcia added that he never caused the complaint nor filed one. And all of the things that former mayor Rama are facing, at present, are “not” Garcia’s doing.
“Mao nang akoa ba (That is what I think) , I can feel for him but he should not take it out against me because wa tawn koy sala oy (I have nothing to do with it). I’m just an innocent bystander. And I am just obeying the law and what the DILG has asked me to do,” Garcia added.
Despite the number of complaints he received against him, Garcia said that he was not planning to file complaints against Rama.
Garcia said that he would only file a complaint if there would be enough proof against a complainant.
“I don’t want to be distracted with taking of filing cases against anyone because for me, my priority is governing the City of Cebu. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past seven months now. Diha lang gihapon magpabilin akong priority (That is where our priority stays),” he added.
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