Ben Madilynn
The filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) by suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and his slate on Thursday, Oct. 3, was supposed to be the top story of that day.
But it wasn’t. Instead, it was the Office of the Ombudsman that hogged the headlines after dropping not one but two bombshells that day.
Just hours after Rama filed his COC seeking another term as mayor, the Ombudsman ordered his dismissal from public service. Rama was found guilty of nepotism and grave misconduct for appointing his two brothers-in-law to positions at Cebu City Hall.
The penalty? Dismissal from service, cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits except for accrued leave credits, and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in government service.
Rama was first elected mayor in 2010, won a second term in 2013, but lost to former mayor Tomas Osmeña in 2016. In 2021, he stepped in as mayor after mayor Edgardo Labella’s death and was elected to the position again in 2022. In May, however, Rama was served a six-month suspension related to the nepotism case, which will end in November.
Later that day, the Ombudsman issued another order. This time targeting Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.
Cortes is already serving a one-year suspension without pay for grave misconduct after appointing an unqualified officer-in-charge to the City Social Welfare Services Office in 2022.
The dismissal order isn’t related to his one-year suspension.
The Ombudsman dismissed Cortes from service after finding him guilty of grave misconduct for allowing the continuous operation of a cement batching plant without the necessary business and environmental permits.
Despite the Ombudsman’s order, Cortes filed his COC the following day, seeking his third and final term as mayor.
Both officials seem unfazed by these developments.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) made it clear that if a candidate is perpetually disqualified from holding public office by the Ombudsman, it will enforce that ruling immediately.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the poll body believes that the decision of the Ombudsman is immediately executory, although it may not be final. He added that they will implement the ruling unless the candidate will be able to secure a restraining order from a higher court.
He also stressed that the poll body will receive the COCs of candidates or officials who have disqualification cases.
Regardless of how this will play out, the big question remains: Why now? The timing of these orders is certainly raising eyebrows and questions about one’s motivations.
Is there something more at play here?
