FACING multiple complaints over his accession, Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia remains unfazed, saying the matter is already settled and adheres to the rule of law.
In a press conference on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, Garcia dismissed as politically motivated the latest complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman by Mikel Rama, son of the dismissed mayor Michael Rama.
Garcia claimed that his rivals are using legal actions to undermine him, which, he said, no longer surprises him.
“I am not surprised by this. Let’s face it, this is democracy. This is a free country. So, we will just wait for the complaint and answer it in the proper forum,” said Garcia.
“I’m expecting a lot of cases to be filed against me because this is politics. Most of these cases are, of course, politically motivated,” he added.
Garcia said he empathized with Mikel regarding the situation of his father, adding that his own father, Alvin Garcia, also served as mayor of Cebu City. He said he would feel the same pain if his father faced similar accusations.
“That’s why I understand where attorney Mikel Rama is coming from. He is hurt by what happened to his father,” Garcia said.
However, he maintained that his accession followed the rule of law in line with the memorandum of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in taking his oath.
Garcia remains confident that the cases against him will be dismissed due to lack of substance, describing them as mere harassment, repetitive, and lacking a solid basis.
Garcia took his oath as a full-fledged city mayor of Cebu on Oct. 9, after the Ombudsman dismissed Rama from office for being found guilty of nepotism for employing two of his brothers-in-law as city hall personnel.
Before his dismissal, the Ombudsman placed Rama and seven other city officials under a six-month preventive suspension last May 8 over allegations that they failed to disburse salaries to four city employees for 10 months.
In a complaint dated Dec. 6, Mikel filed charges of grave misconduct, dishonesty, other fraud, refusal to discharge elective office and abandonment of office or position, and falsification of public documents against Garcia and DILG 7 Director Leocadio Trovela before the Ombudsman-Visayas.
Mikel accused Garcia of being guilty of other fraud under Article 214 in relation to Article 318 of the Revised Penal Code for “taking advantage of his official position” by continuing to act as the incumbent mayor despite no legal basis.
Rama’s camp also accused Trovela of falsification of public documents under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code.
Mikel wants the anti-graft office to issue a cease-and-desist order against Garcia. He also wants the respondents to be placed under preventive suspension to avoid tampering with documents, influencing potential witnesses, and obstructing the Ombudsman’s investigation. / EHP