The Office of the Ombudsman placed Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and seven other officials of the Cebu City government under preventive suspension for six months.
In a 10-page resolution, the Ombudsman found sufficient grounds to put the mayor and the seven officials for grave misconduct, conduct unbecoming of a 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.
Rama, in a TV interview, said he is yet to receive a copy of the resolution. He added that he does not know of any preventive suspension order.
“I don’t have the copy yet. My lawyers will take care of it,” Rama, who was in Manila, said.
The suspension stemmed from a complaint pursued by four employees of the City Assessor’s Office who have been reassigned to other offices but have been unpaid their salaries and benefits since July 2023.
The other seven officials are Collin Rosell, city administrator; Maria Theresa Rosell, the 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 Operation 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 invalid.