THE Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) will decide today if it will continue with the administrative investigation against suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama next week or resume the hearings after the elections.
This is because the election ban on administrative investigations on government officials will start next week.
“I still have to check if we’re still allowed to conduct an investigation considering that there is a 90-day election ban. By tomorrow (today), we will know if we’ll still have a hearing on Feb. 9 or resume after the elections,” said DILG-7 hearing officer Isidro Barrios III.
The DILG is investigating Rama after Labangon Barangay Captain Victor Buendia filed an administrative case against the mayor for illegally demolishing the center island project of the barangay.
During the resumption of the hearing yesterday at the Civil Service Commission (CSC) 7 office, Rama’s lawyers headed by City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo submitted an “urgent motion to completely suspend proceedings.”
They invoked the election ban that states that no more investigation may be made on Feb. 9, which is the start of the ban provided under the Local Government Code.
However, yesterday, Buendia’s camp presented their first witness to the case – a representative of the contractor of the center median project of their barangay, which they claimed was illegally demolished by Rama.
Buendia’s lawyers, headed by Ben Militar, also finished their direct examination of the witness.