Terminated City Hall workers contemplate filing case vs Margot

Around 1,000 job order employees of the Cebu City government who were dismissed from service are expected to flock to the office of private legal counsel Atty. Inocencio dela Cerna today to consult the lawyer about the filing of cases against Cebu City Acting Mayor Margot Osmeña.

Dela Cerna said he is willing to help them pro bono (without pay or at a reduced fee) should the dismissed workers seek assistance.

Osmeña, for her part, said she will just wait for a formal complaint to be filed against her before making a comment.

“For what? For making them tang-tang (terminated)? If that’s so, and I don’t do anything also without proper legal advice,” she said in a press conference yesterday. Osmeña said that the terminated job order workers are not employees of Cebu City Hall but are project-based workers.

Dela Cerna said the affected job order workers had requested his office to assist them in their plight after knowing that his law firm is known to help the oppressed and the downtrodden.

Although he doesn’t know any of the job order employees, Dela Cerna said the dismissed workers might have heard about his firm’s advocacy and pro-bono works through the media. “Well, if it’s worth the legal fight, why not?” he said. “It may come under our law firm’s social responsibility,” he added.

A legal panel from Team Rama is also willing to help the dismissed workers should they file a case against the acting mayor.

In a phone interview, executive assistant to outgoing Mayor Mike Rama and Cebu City Councilor-elect Joey Daluz said they have a group of lawyers willing to help the dismissed workers.

“Nagkasabot man jud mi nga dili mi mobiya aning atong mga empleyado (We agree not to abandon our employees),” he said.

He, however, said that nobody has come forward yet to raise the possibility of filing a case against Osmeña.

Daluz gave assurance that their legal panel is ready to defend those who have the courage to question the legality of their termination.