Garcia denies hand in supposed leak of Ombudsman order dismissing Rama

CEBU City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia shrugged off allegations that he had a hand in the alleged premature release of a dismissal order against suspended Mayor Michael Rama.

Accusations linking him in the issue are nothing more than “chismis (gossip)”, Garcia said.

Garcia, in a brief interview on Thursday, September 12, denied that he had read the Ombudsman’s decision on Rama’s dismissal during a meeting with barangay officials in the south district.

“That’s purely gossip. I never said anything to that effect,” he clarified.

These rumors began circulating after Rama’s camp raised concerns about a City Hall official allegedly discussing the Ombudsman’s decision regarding the nepotism charges filed against him.

The incident reportedly occurred during a September 6 meeting with barangay officials.

The controversy stems from a complaint that was filed by Jonel Saceda, who is also known as “Inday Josa Chongbian Osmeña” against Rama in 2023. Salceda sued Rama for supposedly hiring family members for government posts, specifically two of his wife’s brothers-in-law as casual employees at City Hall.

Rama’s legal team, led by Lawyer Collin Rosell, discussed the issue during a press conference on September 10, claiming that someone had openly shared details of Rama’s dismissal during the meeting called by Garcia.

However, Garcia insisted that the gathering was solely to discuss routine city government matters.

“I regularly call meetings with barangay officials. That’s no secret. As mayor, I need to address their concerns, from problems and projects to programs for Cebu City,” Garcia explained, downplaying any suggestion that the meeting had been about Rama’s case.

Additionally, Rama’s team has taken legal steps by filing a motion for clarification with the Ombudsman, questioning how and why the individual in the meeting claimed to have read the Ombudsman’s decision.

Earlier this year, the Ombudsman placed Rama and seven other City Hall officials, including Rosell, under a six-month suspension for failing to pay the salaries of some employees.(MyTVCebu)

• Tags
• #Raymond Garcia
• #Michael Rama
• #Cebu City Politics
• #Office of the Ombudsman
• #Cebu City Mayors