6-month suspension up against Cebu City mayor, 7 others

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and seven other officials of Cebu City government are placed under preventive suspension for six months.

In a 10-page resolution, the Office of the Ombudsman in Manila found sufficient grounds to put the mayor and the seven officials under suspension for grave misconduct, conduct unbecoming of public officer, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, grave abuse of authority, and violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for public officials and employees.

The suspension stemmed from a complaint pursued by four regular employees of the City Assessor's Office who have been reassigned to other offices but unpaid of their salaries and benefits since July 2023.

The other seven officials are Collin Rosell, city administrator; Maria Theresa Rosell, officer in charge of the City Assessor's Office; Francis May Jacaban, designated assistant Department head for Administration/Legal Office; Angelique Cabugao, designated assistant Department head for Operations; Jay-Ar Pescante, designated Administrative Division head; Lester Joey Beniga, designated Assessment of Records Management Division head; and Nelyn Sanrojo, designated Computer Division head.

The four employees who worked as tax mappers and local assessment operations officers with salary grades ranging from P16,000 to P35,000 have been moved from the Office of the City Assessor, and reassigned to the Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Office, South Road Properties Management Office, Cebu City Ooperation Second Chance, and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources, respectively.

Based on the Decisions of the Civil Service Commission Regional Office 7, the reassignment orders were declared as invalid.

PHONE INTERVIEW

GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak, in a phone interview, learned from Mayor Rama that he is yet to receive a copy of the resolution.

He said he does not know of any preventive suspension order yet.

"Wala pa ko kadawat sa kopya. My lawyers will take care of it," the mayor, who is in Manila during the interview, said.

EMPLOYEES' REACTION

Three of the four employees granted Balitang Bisdak an on-camera interview, sharing of mixed emotions.

Filomena Atuel, Chito de la Cerna, and Maria Almicar Diongzon said that the Ombudsman resolution overwhelmed them with emotions. They are happy to learn that it favors them but sad as well because of the suspension order.

They said Mayor Rama was not the target of their complaint.

"Mao ra man unta na among gusto nga makuha namo unsay due namo," Atuel said.

(‘Yan lang naman ang aming gusto na makuha namin ang anumang due namin.)

"Naluoy mi ni mayor kay naapil gyud siya ani kay siya man ang signatory," Diongzon said.

(Naawa kami kay mayor dahil nadamay talaga siya dahil siya ang signatory.)

The other complainant is Sybil Ann Ybañez. — GMA Regional TV