Mayor to Team Rama dads: Answer Ombuds complaint

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña says Barug Team Rama councilors have to justify before the Office Ombudsman-Visayas why they did not attend the Sangguniang Panlungsod regular session last October 3.

“They are not following their job, you know because of their own pride.  They want to play politics, they have to explain that before Ombudsman.  These councilors are paid to do their job and they are willfully ignoring their job for a political purpose, which is wrong,” Osmeña said.

The mayor’s comment came after an administrative complaint was lodged before the anti-graft office against the eight councilors affiliated with Barug Team Rama by Emma Gabutan, taxpayer and resident of Guadalupe, Cebu City.

Named respondents were Councilors Pastor Alcover, James Anthony Cuenco, Jose Daluz III, Joel Garganera, Raymond Alvin Garcia, Jocelyn Pesquera, Eduardo Rama and ex-officio member Philip Zafra, the president of the city’s Association of Barangay Councils.

Gabutan filed the complaint last Friday accusing the councilors of gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, inefficiency and incompetence in the performance of officials, loafing refusal to perform official duty, which are grounds for disciplinary actions under Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 and violation of Section 4 (a and b) of RA 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees).

The eight councilors were not present in the session in protest of Councilor Sisinio Andales’ earlier proposal to oust Zafra as a member in the city council.

Barug Team Rama councilors earlier explained that their act of not attending yesterday’s session is not act of abandoning their sacred duties as officials in the city.

“Our protest is but a manifestation of our strong commitment to upholding the independence of this council and the principles of democratic participation, public accountability, checks and balances, and the rule of law,” the letter reads which was submitted before the city council on the day they were not present.

Andales, who is affiliated with Osmeña’s BOPK, asked the Barug Team Rama councilors to just allow the investigating body to do its job in determining if they are liable for not attending the session.

Osmeña agreed with Andales about Garcia’s suspicion that the filing of the case before the Ombudsman was politically-motivated.

"Maybe, ask the complainant what her motives are. But does it mean they are not guilty?   Team Rama's deliberate absence and their written explanation (are) clearly malicious.  Defiant of their official responsibility, and (hold your breath) deliberately sabotaging the programs of this administration," Tomas said. —/GAN (FREEMAN)