Suspend order for Rama served in his absence

MAYOR Michael Rama is expected to fight the suspension order. His allies link the penalty to his being head of the opposition party UNA in Cebu City. JOANALISA BELSONDA/CEBU DAILY NEWS

CEBU CITY—The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Central Visayas on Thursday served the order suspending Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama for 60 days and ordering his temporary replacement by the city’s vice mayor.

Rene Burdeos, DILG regional director, posted a copy of the order on the glass wall of Rama’s office at city hall.

“We are allowed to do that,” Burdeos said in an interview with Inquirer. He said the mayor’s staff refused to receive the order.

From the mayor’s office, Burdeos and several regional DILG lawyers proceeded to the office of Vice Mayor Edgar Labella on the ground floor to post an order on the door of Labella’s office telling him to take over as acting mayor.

Both Rama, who heads the opposition party United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in the city, and Labella were not around when Burdeos went to city hall.

The Inquirer tried to reach Rama but to no avail. He is supposedly on official trip to Paris for the climate change summit there.

On Dec. 2, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. ordered the 60-day suspension of Rama  pending investigation of accusations of grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct and oppression filed against him.

The suspension stemmed from the complaint filed by Labangon barangay captain Victor Buendia at the Office of the President against Rama over the demolition of a center island in the barangay which Buendia said was done without due process.

Buendia said Rama had given the go-signal to demolish the center island, which had been built using barangay funds.

The center island was already 90 percent complete when Rama had it demolished because it was a traffic hazard.

Burdeos said it would now be up to the DILG central office to set the dates for the hearing of Rama’s case, which would be held in the city.

City hall lawyers ripped the order posted by Burdeos on the mayor’s office door.

But the regional DILG director said city hall lawyers needed the order as attachment for the petition for certiorari which they would file at the Courts of Appeal to stop the suspension of Rama.

A city hall lawyer, who had not been identified, also called Burdeos’ office shortly before noon on Wednesday to ask for a certified true copy of the suspension order.