Rama to Ombuds: Lift suspension

CEBU, Philippines — Suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has requested the Office of the Ombudsman to lift the six-month preventive suspension imposed on him, City Administrator Collin Rosell, City Assessor Theresa Rosell, and five other City Hall officers.

The 44-page document that was sent to the media indicated that the Office of the Ombudsman in Diliman, Quezon City received the mayor’s motion last Tuesday, May 28.

He made this after the Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed the petition they first filed last May 17.

“Respondents respectfully further state that, in the course of their review of the documents and the preparation of their respective Counter-Affidavits, it became overwhelmingly clear to Respondents that there is strong basis for this Honorable Office to order in the meantime the lifting of this Honorable Office's Order dated 2 May 2024 ("Assailed Order"),” read a portion of the document.

The mayor also argued that the suspension order was solely based on “uncontroverted and biased information”.

Rama; Rosell and his wife Theresa; and five others were placed under preventive suspension due to the complaint filed by four City Hall employees over the non-payment of their salaries, among other reasons, for 10 months.

Under Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, the salaries have already been paid.

“It is not true that Complainants' salaries were withheld from them. They were even partly paid as of 3 May 2024 before the Assailed (suspension) Order was issued,” the mayor, though, said in his manifestation.

He said that the complainants “deliberately omitted” in their complaint that when they filed their affidavit on February 23, 2024 they have already received part of the salaries and benefits they claimed to have not yet received.

Early May this year, the Office of the Ombudsman, in a 10-page resolution, found sufficient grounds to put the Rama and the others under preventive suspension for grave misconduct, conduct unbecoming of a public officer, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, grave abuse of authority (oppression), and violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for public officials and employees.

In his manifestation, Rama said they were not even given enough time to answer the “unfounded allegations against them”.

“By then, this Honorable Office would have easily seen that there is no evidence against Respondents, much less evidence showing that the guilt is strong,” he said. (CEBU NEWS)