“I FOUND the timing of the filing (of the complaint) not only questionable, but also politically motivated.”
So said former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama, who is now facing criminal and administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas for allegedly illegally disbursing P800 million worth of cash assistance to the barangays in 2015.
The complaint was filed by Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who accused Rama of graft and corruption, grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and conduct unbecoming a government official.
SunStar Cebu tried to ask Osmeña for a copy of the complaint, but he was not available as of press time.
The disbursement of the P800-million aid to the barangays was disallowed by the Commission on Audit in 2016.
State auditors ordered four City Hall officials, including Rama, and all the recipient villages to immediately reimburse the financial assistance that was already released.
In a notice of disallowance, dated Feb. 10, 2016, State Auditor IV and Audit Team Leader Daisy Bercede said the disbursements of the aid to the barangays shouldn’t have been permitted because the list and estimated costs of the projects were not authorized by the City Council.
In an earlier report, Bercede said this runs counter to City Ordinance 2417 that covered the P13.4-billion annual budget of the City for 2015.
Section 5 of the budget ordinance stated that the P800-million financial assistance “shall be shared by the city’s 80 barangays subject to the submission of the barangay’s development plan and approval of project proposals by the Sanggunian Panlungsod, prior to its release.”
Rama, in a phone interview Thursday, Dec. 20, said he had yet to receive a copy of the complaint.
“If and when I receive (a copy of the complaint), I will definitely be referring it to my lawyers. Why did it only become an issue now? Is it because the election period is already rising? There’s something also that I can’t understand, especially is that I was a mayor with a council that was his (Osmeña). That’s why I can’t imagine why now I’m being accused,” he said.
Rama, though, said he will answer the complaint once he discusses the matter with his legal counsel.