After being clobbered in a string of cases, one of which resulted in his dismissal and perpetual disqualification from holding public office, former Mayor Michael Rama finally landed a blow of his own.
The Sandiganbayan, according to an exclusive by SunStar Public and Standards editor Pachico Seares, is expected to issue next week, at the latest, warrants of arrest against eight former Cebu City officials, led by his pet peeve, former City Administrator Floro Casas Jr., in a case involving alleged padding of garbage collection charges.
It was Rama who filed the complaint.
He and Casas have never been chummy. They distrusted each other. Candidate Rama was a reluctant vice mayor to Edgardo Labella in the 2019 elections and Casas along with his City Hall buddies were convinced that he would challenge Labella’s reelection bid in 2022.
Rama, who did not attempt to hide his disappointment over his having had to play second fiddle, in a reversal of roles, to his former vice mayor, soon found himself slowly ignored and marginalized. He became more vocal against Labella.
During a meeting with officials from Manila who came to assess the local government response to the Covid epidemic, Rama stood up to deplore the lack of leadership in Cebu City and suggested that then Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia be designated to take his place. That he did it in Labella’s presence indicated how deep the feud has grown.
When rumors surfaced that Labella was seriously ill, Rama demanded publicly that the mayor disclose his whereabouts and state of health.
Casas was Labella’s law partner and protege so it was not surprising that he took Rama’s jabs personally. When the mayor died and a memorial service was held at City Hall, Casas and another close friend, Joey Daluz, were asked to speak. Daluz declined.
Casas did not. He did not speak about Labella, though; he reported to him. There is a traitor in our group, he said without naming anyone. Across the stairs of the old City Hall where the service was held, Rama sat stoically.
It was the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that Rama asked to investigate his complaint. NBI Regional Director Renan Oliva said the mayor made frequent follow-ups and he had to explain that they had to thoroughly examine the documents and they were more than a sackload. On the day that the papers reported that the NBI was forwarding their findings to the Ombudsman, I visited their office and found the investigation team of Gregory Algoso Jr. spent but proud.
They did a thorough job and it showed in the Ombudsman’s decision agreeing to file the case against 11 of the 15 respondents, sparing only the four directors of the private contractor.
Rama may have had a personal motive in charging Casas but it now turns out that he has evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction. The Ombudsman
said so.
Let’s see if the Sandiganbayan agrees.