Rallos heirs lose case vs. Rama

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama scored another victory in the continuing legal battle with the heirs of late Rev. Fr. Vicente Rallos. This after the Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas dismissed the criminal and administrative complaints filed by Lucina Rallos against him.

The alleged failure of Rama to reply to a 2010 letter sent by the complainant led to filing of the case.

The communication was sent following a Court of Appeals decision directing the city government to pay the Rallos heirs about P133 million after using a road lot in Barangay Sambag 2, this city.

The claimants sent Rama a letter last July 21, 2010 indicating their willingness to enter into a compromise agreement with detailed payment terms.

Two days later, the Office of the Mayor and the City Legal Office stamped the letter received. However, the Ralloses alleged that the city government failed to reply.

The mayor, in his counter-affidavit, claimed that while the letter was officially stamped received, he was not able to personally read the communication as it was forwarded to the City Attorney’s Office.

Also, the Cebu City Government believes that filing of a motion for reconsideration on the court decision already meant the rejection of the said compromise agreement proposed by the Ralloses.

The city went all the way up to the Supreme Court for the case.

Further, Rama’s camp clarified that responding to the communication would have meant violating the subjudice rule.

Graft investigator and prosecution officer Llorene Grace Razo-Ompod ruled in favor of the respondent.

“In fine, the office finds that respondent was able to sufficiently justify the questionable failure to reply to Rallos’ letter-offer of compromise,” read the July 18, 2013 resolution.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales approved and signed the resolution last August 8 while Rama’s office stamped it received September 13.

Earlier, the city government received a favorable ruling from when the lot in the middle of the dispute was reverted to the local government unit after being granted by the court to the Ralloses and the frozen city funds in the bank untagged with the same decision.  —/BRP  (FREEMAN)