Rama's camp demands: ‘Open mayor’s office’

CEBU, Philippines — The camp of dismissed Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has sent a formal demand letter to sitting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, asking that the Mayor’s Office be unlocked within 24 hours. A separate letter concerning Rama’s resumption of office was also addressed to the Sangguniang Panglungsod.

A copy of the letter obtained by The Freeman was dated December 6, but it did not indicate when Garcia’s office received it.

In the letter, Rama’s legal counsel, Atty. Luis A. Vera Cruz Jr., accused Garcia of “deliberate, willful, and felonious” actions in padlocking the mayor’s office.

He claimed the move was intended to deprive Rama of access to his personal belongings and to obstruct the lawful discharge of his official duties, to the detriment of public service.

The letter, which addressed Garcia as vice mayor, emphasized that the 180-day preventive suspension imposed by the Ombudsman on Rama had already lapsed on November 6, 2024.

Last November 29, Rama announced his intention to resume his duties as Cebu City mayor and physically reported to City Hall on December 2. However, he was unable to enter the mayor’s office since it was locked.

“Your act of locking and restricting access to the Office of the City Mayor is not in accordance with Standard Operating Procedure Number ODIDM-2011-008 on Conduct of Crime Scene Investigation and is also in violation of Philippine National Police Manual (PNPM-DO-D-0-2-13-21), as well as other relevant laws and regulations,” stated part of the demand letter.

The letter formally demanded that the mayor’s office be unlocked to allow Rama access.

Although Garcia was sworn in as mayor of Cebu City in October after Rama’s dismissal was released, Garcia continued to use the Vice Mayor’s Office, stating earlier that there was no need to transfer to the Mayor’s Office, which Rama’s legal counsel disputes.

When asked about the locked office during a press conference, Garcia said the matter should be referred to the proper authorities. He made no mention of the demand letter but stated he was unfazed by complaints or cases filed against him.

“Wa ko mahibong ani. Sagdi lang this is democracy, this a free country. So we will just wait for the complaint and answer it in the proper forum,” Garcia said.

“As the election season grows more towards the May elections, I’m expecting a lot of cases to be filed against me kay pulitika naman gud ni. Most of these cases are, off course, politically-motivated,” he added.

Regarding the recent complaint filed by Rama’s son, Atty. Mikel Rama, against him before the Ombudsman, Garcia expressed understanding. Mikel accused Garcia of grave misconduct, dishonesty, and other violations under the Revised Penal Code, including abandonment of office and refusal to discharge elective duties.

Garcia, however, maintained that whatever issues Rama is facing are a result of his own actions, specifically his appointment of his brothers-in-law. He also clarified that he did not initiate the case against the former mayor and was merely a “bystander.”

“Anak man sad ko’g mayor sa una, unya og naay mga negatibo nga mahitabo sa akong amahan utro man sad tang masakitan. We are only human beings here, masakitan man sad ta. And that’s why I understand where Atty. Mikel Rama is coming from. Nasakitan siya sa nahitabo sa iyang amahan,” Garcia said.

He reiterated that he was merely following the directives of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and expects more cases to emerge as the elections approach.

“So, that (mga kaso) is natural…but rest assured, the Cebuano public, that this is not going to deter me or affect my drive to serve the City of Cebu as mayor and to make sure that the lives of Cebuanos are better and our city is progressive,” Garcia added.

In a separate letter to the Sangguniang Panglungsod, Atty. Vera Cruz urged the council to independently verify the status of the Ombudsman’s decision against Rama.

Rama’s camp emphasized that public officers must exercise prudence and ensure transparency, noting that any transactions between the Sangguniang Panglungsod and the executive department during the dispute could be affected.

“A public office is a public trust, and public officers must meet the highest standards of ethics. It behooves you to make an independent verification of the implementation of the decision in OMB-V-A-MAY-23-0115 to determine the factual status of the Office of the City Mayor,” the letter concluded. — (FREEMAN)