Law firm denies receiving P100M donation for CCMC

CEBU, Philippines — The Rama Baena Tan and Ang Law Offices (RBTA Law) has belied receiving P100-million donation for the construction of Cebu City Medical Center.

The law firm where Mikel Rama, son of dismissed mayor Michael Rama is a partner, issued the statement following a social media post insinuating that part of the alleged P205 million in accumulated donations for CCMC has been traced to them.

Cebu Updates accused the RBTA Law of allegedly accepting P100 million as stipulated in the “Trust Agreement”. A copy of the agreement was also posted on the social media page.

Lawyer Joselito Baena, one of the firm’s partners, confirmed the trust agreement was authentic. However, Baena said it was interpreted wrongly.

According to Baena, their firm represents the “donor” to ensure that all the donations are spent according to its intended purpose.

“These accusations are completely unfounded and misleading. To clarify, RBTA Law did not receive any of these funds. The donation is securely held by the Cebu Medical Society, a respected non-governmental organization,” their statement reads.

He added that the role of legal counsel is to represent the donor and ensure the “funds are managed transparently and securely”.

Baena explained that the confusion may have stemmed from the term “trust agreement”.

“Contrary to the claims, a trust agreement is not a donation deed but a legal safeguard. It ensures that the funds are used appropriately, solely for the improvement of CCMC, and with full transparency. The agreement was put in place at the donor’s request to protect the funds and prevent mismanagement,” the RBTA Law added.

The firm has called upon the public to be cautious in dealing with “complex legal matters” that may be misleading.

As posted, a document reads a Trust Agreement between the RBTA as the “Trustor” and the CMS as the “Trustee”.

It indicated that it was executed on September 10, 2024.

It also reads that the Trustor, which is the RBTA, has made a transfer of amount of P100 million and added they “convey, transfer, and assigns” the said amount to the Trustee, the CMA, “to be held in trust on such terms as set out in the Trust Agreement”.

Earlier, the dismissed mayor initiated a donation drive to fund the completion of the 8th, 9th, and 10th floor of CCMC. The donations were coursed through the Cebu Medical Society (CMS) headed by CCMC chief himself, Dr. Peter Mancao.

Mancao clarified that no donated amount has been disbursed yet. — (FREEMAN)